Bullock Team Tradition

In 2014 'Light Between the Oceans' was filmed in Stanley and  quite a few locals were extras including Richie Wells and his bullock team featured in a couple of scenes.  Richie's story is pretty amazing and I thought I would tell it as I know it - it is a great 'go behind the scenery' story.

Richie rears, breaks in and works a bullock team in Circular Head. Not many teams are left in Australia, but Richie is following family tradition, having worked  when he was a young with his great uncle, Ernie Wells who worked bullocks at Trowutta and he follows in the footsteps of another relative, Arthur Wells, who worked bullocks at Stanley over 100 years ago.

Harnessing bullocks is heavy work and working them requires a lot of patience -  it is all about team work and bonds.  The sense of teamwork comes from raising them from a young age to work as pairs.  The bullocks, all of whom are named, are controlled by a range of voice commands (and there may be a hand- hewn bush stock whip!) 

The bullocks (de-sexed bulls) need to matched by size and power and a working bond needs to be maintained. It is all heavy work and it requires bullocks happy to play their role, waiting patiently and then all pulling together.

As an alternative to machinery, Richie uses his team to pull timber from the bush - the bush isn't harmed, trees aren't broken down and there is no trail left behind. He has also started using them to do some cultivation work as an alternative to tractors.

As Richie said in an ABC interview last year  'I like tractors too but it's really nice when the bullocks are all working good as a team and they really enjoy it as well.'

Roll the dice for Stanley

Well, who would have thought one day Stanley would be on the world's most popular board game, Monopoly!   It was announced today in Sydney that Stanley, along with Hobart and the Freycinet Peninsula will be on the new 2017 Australian edition.

The special thing about it is that the Australian public voted for it. Each Australian State and Territory nominated 5 tourism destinations that people know and love, and the voting commenced.  It is a great thrill for Stanley to be voted on to the all new Monopoly Australia Edition 2017.

Julian Jacobs

Another award for Stanley

Stanley has been named Best Destination in Tasmania by trivago

For the second year in row Stanley has been rated the top destination for accommodation in Tasmania.   Stanley was rated the top destination in the whole of Australia in the trivago Awards 2016.

For those of us in the tourism industry in Stanley it is wonderful to have this recognition from trivago, who base their award on traveller ratings from over 250 online booking sites. 

Spring into Action

As winter draws to an end and after the awful fires in the Tarkine and floods in Northern Tasmania earlier in the year, the blossoms and bulbs heralding Spring are a welcome sight.

And great news -  Stanley last week won the Keep Australia Beautiful Tasmanian Tidy Town 2016.  

The Tidy Town Award acknowledged the town's significant cultural and heritage legacy, including beautifully preserved colonial buildings.

"The historic village of Stanley is a melting pot of history, architecture and culture, with many historic properties now restored to operate as cafes, shops and accommodation" KAB wards judge Lesley Gardner said.

In the winter, many of us take the opportunity to undertake work on our accommodation, restaurants and cafes, and at the Stanley Hotel and Village accommodation we have have sprung into action.  Rooms, cottages and apartments have been refurbished, the Stanley Hotel Bistro has had new carpet and chairs and we are currently renovating the old "craypot" shop in the main street with a heritage frontage.

Highfield Historic Site is never prettier than in Spring and the Table Cape Tulip Festival on the 8th of October makes it a perfect time to visit the Stanley and the north west.

Targa 2016 in Stanley

How good is it to welcome Targa Tasmania 2016 to Stanley for the first time on Thursday 14th April.  The cars will arrive in Stanley for lunch (for the drivers and navigators that is!) before they head to Strahan.  A great opportunity to see them in Church Street which will be closed to traffic between Victoria and Marshall Streets.  This is the 25th Anniversary of Targa in Tasmania and the organisers have added some new stages in the North West.  There  will  be some great photo opportunities with Stanley as the backdrop.

Julian Jacobs

Stanley On Show

In Stanley, we know how lucky we are to be able to access the fabulous produce that our region produces -  we present it in our Bistro, along with Tasmanian cool climate wines, to be able to share the experience with our guests.

Recently Stanley featured in the episode of Gourmet Farmer Afloat on SBS, presented by Mathew Evans, Nick Haddow and Ross O’Meara.

To satisfy their inner gourmands, Matthew, Nick and Ross will explore the rich culinary experiences that lie along Tasmania’s shore and in its picturesque inlets and estuaries. To keep things authentic, they’ll also create and consume heritage dishes eaten by the 17th and 18th century navigators and early colonists.

After 8,000 years of isolation, Tasmania was once again joined to mainland Australia when a telephone cable was installed across Bass Strait. Matthew, Ross and Nick travel westward across the north coast, heading for the port of Stanley. Here, they want to re-create the historic menu from the 1936 inauguration of the cable, at a dinner for 50 people.

Don’t miss episode 4, here’s the link

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/1450/gourmet-farmer-afloat

-Julian Jacobs

Hollywood Comes To Stanley

It has been an amazing week to watch the transformation of Stanley in Tasmania into a movie set. Some scenes for The Light Between the Oceans, a best selling novel by M. L. Steadman and being directed by George Cianfrance for DreamWorks Studios, are being shot in the coming week.

Some scenes for The Light Between the Oceans, a best selling novel by M. L. Steadman and being directed by George Cianfrance for DreamWorks Studios, are being shot in the coming week.

It has been interesting to see all the action, a crew has been working on the town for a week, organising props and fitting costumes, graveling roads, giving the Hotel a makeover, turning the chemist shop into a Bakery and a cafe into a Butcher. The "Old Wharf" has had a major refurbish and is looking distinctly 1920's.

The locals are loving it and having fun, a lot are working on the movie, so it is really busy - any tourists that are here are getting more than they bargained for - and are being great about any inconvenience.

A large international movie cast and crew get to see a piece of paradise they maybe would never have visited - and we are very happy to welcome them to Tasmania's north west coast and ensure that everything goes smoothly, as Stanley Tasmania gets on the international stage!

-Julian Jacobs

Masterchef in Stanley

MasterChef rolled into town and locals were right behind it, from the farmers and suppliers of the renowned regional produce to the historic Stanley Hotel, where the cook off was filmed. It was a wonderful showcase for a unique and special part of Tasmania.

Read More:

The Australian: MasterChef puts Tassie on the map 

The Advocate: MasterChef turns national spotlight on Stanley