Give this man his own TV show now

Celebrity TV chefs are all the rage, but I reckon I’ve found the next big foodie star way down in Tasmania. Forget Mr Angry Gordon Ramsay or uber-Cockney Jamie Oliver. The next big star shoud be Craig Williams, a former butcher who now runs Pepperbush Adventures in Tasmania. Craig’s preferred culinary gig is Aussie bush tucker and a few hours bouncing around by 4WD in the north Tasmanian bush with him is more fun (and tastier) than anything I’ve done in a while.

Craig’s a big fan of using natural ingredients from the Tasmanian bush, but too modest by half. His describes his steamed Tasmanian trout with sassafrass, lemon myrtle leaves and pepper berries as “Dead Fish With Leaves”, but it’s way more subtle and delicate than that.

Mind you, dining outside around an open fire as you wait for wallabies to start bouncing around at dusk would make any meal pretty special I guess.

South Seas mountain biking in the snow

If you sign up for a morning’s mountain biking on a South Seas island, the last thing you expect is a rogue snowfall, right? Well if you’re on Australia’s southernmost (and only island) state you’d better be ready to literally experience four seasons in one day. Especially if you journey to the summit of Mt Wellington, huddled above the Tasmanian capital of Hobart in spring.

A few weeks back we left downtown Hobart – well worth a look with its collection of raffish harbourside pubs and a great weekend market – in complete sunshine . By the time we’d reached the 1270m summit of Mt Wellington there was a full on snowstorm – probably the first and last time I’ll experience snow in the Land of Oz.

Fifteen minutes later the clouds had parted and Hobart was before us in sunshine. And half an hour later – after a few semi-technical offroad stages – the rain and wind had come rolling back in.

But when a bike ride finishes up at one of the world’s most picturesque old breweries, changeable weather is the last thing you really care about.

Thanks to to Island Cycle Tours for the pic.

Tasmanian Devils Being Relocated to Maria Island

Tasmania — famous for its unspoiled, snarling vistas — may soon lose its most famous snarling mascot: the Tasmanian Devil. Devil Facial Tumor Disease is sweeping through Tasmania’s devil population. It’s already killed more than 90% of adults in high density areas and it’s devastated half the population in medium-low density areas.

Now, some of the marsupials made famous by Taz are being relocated to Maria Island, a former penal colony, to avert their extinction by this contagious cancer. Advocates hope that if devils are wiped out on the Tasmanian mainland, the disease will die along with them, and the animals can then be safely reintroduced. Opponents fear the move could endanger rare birds and other animals on the island.

If you want to experience the devil virtually, check out this short video clip. How can something so cute be so creepy? If you want to see the devil in its natural habitat before it’s too late, have a look at Matthew Power’s trip report about his hike into this exotic wilderness, and see if it’s for you. Otherwise, begin planning your trip to Maria Island.

Is The Tasmanian Tiger Really Extinct?

In 1936, the last of the Tasmanian Tigers — wolf-like mammals that were over-hunted by European settlers — died in a zoo, rendering the species extinct.

Or did it?

According to German tourists Klaus Emmerichs and Birgit Jansen, the answer is no. The two claim to have captured digital photos of the tiger while on vacation in 2005. But after initial speculation by experts that the photos were real, further investigation led to accusations that the pictures had been manufactured.

Emmerich recently returned to Tasmania in an attempt to video the animal, and clear his name. “I want to prove that it is not extinct, like the people think and the world thinks,” he said.

Proof that the animal exists is a sort of holy grail for mystery hunters — with unconfirmed sightings re-igniting the fervor year after year.

No word on whether or not Emmerich got what he was after.