Thursday 2 October 2025 TasTAFE's Drysdale Restaurant
Instead of a September Tips and Tipples, our DST Chair, Professor Anne Hardy, and the DST Board invite our stakeholders to attend our AGM on Thursday, October 2.
Nominations are invited to elect three (3) Directors to the DST Board. Please download the Notice of Annual General Meeting and the Board Director Nomination Form HERE.
We will also hear from the new Head of School, Lauren Sheppard, about what's ahead for our revamped School for the Visitor Economy.
Industry networking, drinks and nibbles will follow the AGM. TasTAFE and DST will provide nibbles and a cash bar will be available for drinks.
Nibbles are provided free of charge and a cash bar will be open for beverage purchases. Please also note that there are regularly photographers at our events, taking photos for use on digital platforms. If you do not want to be photographed, please let us know when you RSVP, or on arrival at the event.
Please also let us know if you have any specific access requirements.
CRUISE NEWS
Cruise Briefing
Our annual pre-season cruise briefing is coming up on 18 September in Hobart, and 22 October in Post Arthur. It's an opportunity to learn what's new and how you can leverage from this important sector.
Participants will be given the opportunity to ask questions and investigate ways to work with this sector. Speakers from Australian Cruise Association, DST, Tourism Tasmania, Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre and TasPorts will be presenting and available to answer your questions.
As part of ensuring a professional approach to engaging with cruise visitors to Hobart, DST has worked with TasPorts to create the opportunity for independent tour operators to promote and sell their services in a designated area near the cruise terminal for the 2025/2026 cruise season. We are pleased to announce that the “Hawking Area’’ will provide space for a maximum of eight operators to promote and sell their experiences. The selection process will be by application to DST. As per previous seasons, operators who are successful in being granted a hawking permit will also be given a parking spot, located on the waterside of Hunter Street, opposite the Henry Jones Art Hotel. If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, the application process and selection criteria is outlined HERE. Please email Kiki to register your interest and application.Applications will close at 5:00pm on 6 October 2025.
Cruise Terminal Poster Display
On behalf of TasPorts, DST will manage display posters in the MAC 02 Terminal, as part of the welcome to Hobart display for cruise passengers. They are A0 corflute posters mounted on timber partitions and can feature your business name, location, website, QR code, etc., but no pricing. We encourage advertisers to consider including a postcard or a DL brochure mounted on the corflute poster. Pricing is based on supplied art work and includes production and mounting. DST Members: $990 + GST Non Members: $1100 + GST If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, the application form can be downloaded HERE, or email Kiki to register your interest and to receive an application form.
Shore Excursions Guide
Tourism Tasmania has just launched a new brochure for Australian Shorex operators to help them design, tailor and enhance their shore excursion programs in Tasmania. It promotes a wide range of experiences in an effort to improve regional dispersal and keep positive impact tourism in mind. It complements the Cruise Tasmania brochure 2025 and the Expedition Cruise Tasmania brochure 2025.
In case you missed it, New Norfolk's Agrarian Kitchen has been named Tasmania’s Restaurant of the Year for the second year in a row at the 2025 Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards, held two weeks ago at the Henry Jones Art Hotel's Atrium. Guests at the awards gala got the chance to sample proof of the Agrarian team's talent, as they, alongside the industry-leading teams from Fico and Omotenashi, prepared the evening's feast. Congratulations Rodney, Severine and your spectacular Agrarian crew!
Derwent Distillery cleans up
Congratulations to Derwent Distillery for winning GOLD for the second time at the 2025 Clean and Conscious Awards for their Single Malt Whisky, along with SILVER for their Last Sanctuary Gin.
The Clean + Conscious Awards honour the very best clean, ethical and sustainable products across Australia and New Zealand. Each entry is independently assessed for its ingredients, materials and environmental footprint, then hands-on tested for quality, performance and integrity.
Top Notch Penitentiary
Our very own Hobart Penitentiary has been crowned the no.1 Best of the Best Things To Do in the South Pacific, according to TripAdvisor. These accolades are issued every year based on the reviews and ratings of travellers who have actually been and experienced these places, attractions and activities, so it's a BIG DEAL for our Pen. Congratulations National Trust Tasmania!
Rosny Farm
Clarence Arts & Events has officially rebranded as Rosny Farm. The new brand properly captures the character, history, and creative energy of the place - from exhibitions and workshops to live music, residencies, and community events.
The team, programs, values and spaces will all remain unchanged, but the new look and feel will be reflected in the website and across social channels (Insta and Facebook).
MEET OUR NEW DST MEMBERS
Click on the headings to read more about each of our new members...
The artHouse is a café, creative retail store, exhibition and event space on New Norfolk's High Street. In December 2024, Nicky and David opened the artHouse's sister business a few doors down the street, Create Do & Mend, where creativity and community come together in a growing program of workshops, classes, and community events for all ages and abilities.
Richmond Gaol is Australia’s oldest intact colonial Gaol and is now 200 years old. Visitors can explore the original gaol buildings and rooms, read the stories of the men and women who passed through its doors and experience the sound installations which enhance the experience, creating an atmosphere beyond description.
Katherine and David are the new(ish) owners of the Parattah Railway Hotel near Oatlands. Newish because they have in fact been restoring this historical building for the past three and a half years and have recently opened its doors to offer a range of creative and welcoming experiences under one roof, including accommodation, a gallery and an event and meeting space.
Situated on Albert Road in the heart of Moonah, this 30 hectolitre production brewery also includes a welcoming Taproom and now, newly added kitchen. The Taproom seats up to 150 and offers a core range products along with a rotating list of limited release lagers, Tasmanian wines and ciders, plus a range of food options.
Share your news with DST
Destination Southern Tasmania is always interested in your industry updates. Completing this form lets us know what’s happening in your business or region. Your news and information may be shared with Tourism Tasmania and throughout the Destination Southern Tasmania social, email and web channels. Priority is given to DST members.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Tourism Tasmania Masterclasses
Tourism operators are invited to attend a series of practical Tourism Tasmania Masterclasses around the state this spring.
There are three masterclasses over the course of the spring months:
Messaging and Markets (September),
Digital Tools and Data Intelligence (October) and
The Off Season 2026 (November).
Expect up-to-date trends, practical tools, and strategic guidance to help Tasmanian tourism businesses stand out in an increasingly competitive and fast-changing landscape. Best of all, they are all completely free of charge.
Operators are encouraged to attend all three, but you are also welcome to pick and choose. There are online options available for each class.
Cascade Brewery Co.invites tourism industry peers to experience their guided tours, explore the rich history behind their craft, and indulge in some tipples and nibbles as they take you behind the scenes of Tasmania's oldest operating brewery.
Events Tasmania and Business Tasmania are hosting a freeGrant Writing for Events session in Hobart on Thursday, 25 September from 2:00 – 4:00pm.
This practical session is designed to support event and festival organisers by sharing tips, tools, and insights on how to craft strong grant applications. It will focus on what assessors look for and how to ensure an application clearly communicates the essential information to stand out.
In short, attendees will learn:
How to find grants their events are eligible for
What to look for in grant guidelines
What is involved in preparing an application
How to make an application stand out, and
What to expect from an Events Tasmania application form.
Tourism operators are invited to join a webinar on Tourism Tasmania's latest Come Down For Air campaign, launching in late September.
Chief Marketing Officer, Lindene Cleary will provide a brief overview of the campaign strategy and how we will target domestic audiences this spring/summer. She will also share examples of the advertising creative.
The webinar will be held from 12:30-1:00pm on 1 October.
Delivered by the TCCI, this four-part series is running again in October. It's designed to help business owners, managers, and team leaders build financial confidence and make smarter decisions. Learn from an experienced CPA in workshops tailored for non-finance professionals.
Mind the Gap is a practical, no-nonsense afternoon forum designed to help you cut through the confusion and get the tools you need to hire and keep people under 25 — confidently.
From navigating traineeships and funding to supporting mental health and keeping young staff engaged, it can feel overwhelming, especially when time is tight. But with the right advice and support, it’s absolutely doable — and it’s a smart move for the future of your business.
Delivered in Hobart on Monday, 29 September by the TCCI, headspace Hobart, MAS National, STEPS and Work & Training.
New South Wales-based artist Sophie Cape has been announced as the winner of the esteemed 2025 Hadley’s Art Prize for her work Thunder shifts the shivering sands, which was created in Southern NSW after the 2024 floods and resulting landslides. The exhibition of all 29 finalists is open at Hadley's until 21 September.
In the Hanging Garden invites beer lovers to gather under the nave of their Cathedral-turned-traditional German bierhalle to celebrate the world-famous Bavarian tradition this October. Dress in your finest lederhosen or dirndl for a German bier tap takeover, live music, traditional games, and communal bierhalle-style seating.
The Huon Valley Studio Art Trail returns for a sixth year, offering an exciting and diverse collection of artworks by artists and makers living in this remarkably creative and beautiful region. Once again, artists invite you into their studios, to hear about the creative process they use and what inspires and motivates them to produce their amazing artworks. Make a weekend of it (you need it to get around the dozens of particvipating studios!) and enjoy all that the valley and the far south has to offer.
For more events near you, visit our Events page on Hobart & Beyond.
TOURISM INDUSTRY NEWS
New eBook for Road Trippers
A Local’s Guide to Camping and Caravanning Tasmania is the result of seven months of research, writing, and community input from road trippers who know the island best. Written by Hobart-based travel creator Andrew Strikis, the guide brings together practical advice, suggested itineraries, and tried-and-tested camping tips to help make road trips around the state simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Nominations and ticket sales for the2025 Tasmanian Hospitality Awards for Excellence, to be held at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens on 15 October, are open.
Cafes, restaurants, accommodation providers, pubs, sporting clubs and tourism operators can all be nominated, with an individual Rising Star award also available. Entry is free for Hospitality Tasmania members, or $100 for non-members.
DST has welcomed a UTAS sustainability student for work placement this semester and together we are working on a special project to develop of prospectus of Positive Impact foundations and activities for both tourism operators and visitors to support.
The mission is to identify and recognise southern tourism businesses who are working on initiatives that benefit the community and/or environment, which are open to involvement by visitors and/or other tourism operators.
The final prospectus is intended to be an evolving document that captures a current snapshot of sustainability initiatives that enables us to efficiently channel support in their direction. If you have a Positive Impact project you think is relevant in this context, please get in touch so we can include your business.
This grant program is designed to cater for both large and small events, with two tiers of funding available for events with either intrastate or interstate visitation targets. Grants between $2,500 and $10,000 are available to support event organisers in enhancing their existing marketing strategies for established Tasmanian events.
Grants are available until the available funding allocation has been fully allocated, or the program has closed – whichever occurs first.
One-off Assistance grants of up to $20 000 are available to promote the number of winter events in regional Tasmania, increasing visitors and local community engagement through the non-peak tourist season, and assisting to grow event expertise skills and capacity in regional Tasmania.
The $50 million Regional Tourism Development Loan Scheme is now open for applications. The scheme is available to promote investment in tourism products and experiences that stimulate regional tourism and dispersal in Tasmania. The scheme will open for applications until 2pm, 30 June 2026 or until all funding has been utilised, whichever occurs first.
