Episode 6: Touring Tasmania’s One-of-a-Kind Wildlife, History and Food
The lighthouse at Larapuna at the end of the four-day wukalina walk. Photo by Eric Rosen.
Cut off from mainland Australia by the Bass Strait for more than 12,000 years, Tasmania retains a sense of isolation and mystique. However, as Eric discovered on a two-week road trip, the island is home to some of the country’s most fascinating and sustainability-focused travel experiences.
wukalina walk is at the forefront of a new wave of Indigenous-owned and operated experiences across Australia. Photo by Eric Rosen.
For a glimpse of the exciting things happening down there, we begin by interviewing Clyde Mansell, an elder of Tasmania’s Palawa community. His vision of Indigenous-led tourism has come to life in the form of an unforgettable multi-day trek through the Bay of Fires along Tasmania’s dramatic northeast coast called wukalina walk.
Wade Anthony founded Devils @ Cradle to give Tasmania’s fiercest marsupials a better shot at survival. Photo by Eric Rosen.
Next, we check in with Wade Anthony, who founded Devils @ Cradle to help preserve Tasmania’s unique marsupials through focused educational and breeding programs. Just wait until you hear what these famous scavengers actually sound like when they’re on the hunt, as well as the considerable challenges they face to avoid extinction.
Rodney Dunn put Tasmania on the food map with The Agrarian Kitchen, whose new restaurant opened in a former mental asylum outside Hobart. Photo by Eric Rosen.
Finally, we called Rodney Dunn, the food writer, chef, and farmer who started The Agrarian Kitchen cooking school back in 2007, just as Tasmania’s burgeoning food scene was starting to take off. Since then, he and his wife have opened a restaurant in a former mental asylum that has become one of Australia’s most sought-after reservations thanks to the mouthwatering heritage ingredients incorporated into constantly changing menus.
Listen to the episode for more from these visionaries and follow them on Instagram at @wukalinawalk, @devilsatcradle, and @agrariankitchen, not to mention @tasmania for even more ideas of how to plan a trip at the other end of the world.