TASMANIA HISTORY, ART AND LANDSCAPE FEBRUARY 4-11, 2017 TOUR LEADER: ROBERT VEEL John Glover: Hobart Town and Mount Wellington, c.1834
Overview Tasmania has a distinctive history, culture and landscape which makes it quite different from Australia s other states and territories. This tour offers a unique itinerary which combines the island s well-known attractions with sites of particular interest to travellers with a strong interest in history and the arts. Staying in both Launceston and Hobart, with day trips to surrounding areas, we visit historic homes and gardens and travel though stunning landscapes. Art lovers are well catered for, with an in-depth look at colonial artist John Glover and a visit to the renowned Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) on the Derwent River near Hobart. Tasmania was one of the first places to be settled, and this is reflected in the fine early colonial architecture, with many towns and homesteads dating from the 1830s and 40s. It was also a place of social experimentation in the 1800s, when convicts were sent from England to be improved in Tasmania as artisans, farmers and craftspeople. Side by side with this experimentation was the absolute inhumanity of places like Macquarie Harbour. Tasmania has enjoyed a boom in tourism in recent years, and today enjoys an international reputation for its pristine environment, vibrant arts scene and fine food and wine. Your tour leader Robert Veel is a founding director of Academy Travel and has over 20 years experience designing and leading special interest tours. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Education from the University of Sydney, where he taught for many years. Robert initially led tours to Italy, before developing itineraries to, Turkey, Asia, the United States and Scandinavia. Robert designed and led Academy Travel s first tour to Tasmania in late 2015, part of the Association of Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society s travel program. For Robert, it is Tasmania s very distinctive landscape and history that makes it so appealing. When you travel, you want to feel that you are experiencing something new, out of the ordinary. Although it is very much part of Australia, it is surprising how very different Tasmania is from the mainland. Tasmania s cooler climate has a lot of influence on this. On our first tour to Tasmania we were bowled over by the gardens. Roses grow in abundance, in a way that they just can t in humid Sydney or Brisbane. And the rolling hills and mild temperatures for cool climate wines, something we ve only come to realize in the last 10 or so years. But it s not just the physical environment that s different, says Robert. Tasmania s history is also different from the mainland. Convict transportation is just one part of the picture, and one needs to go beyond the cliché of the stolen loaf of bread to understand the island s complex social history. Our tour leader Robert Veel was ever-present, energetic, enthusiastic and entertaining an excellent tour leader. Tour participant, New York, April 2016 Tasmania History, art & Landscape Tour dates: February 4-11, 2017 Tour leader: Robert Veel Tour Price: $3,470 per person, twin share Single Supplement: $845 for sole use of double room Booking deposit: $500 per person Recommended airline: Jetstar/Virgin Maximum places: 20 Itinerary: Launceston (3 nights), Hobart (4 nights) Date published: May 25, 2016 Enquiries and bookings For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Hannah Kleboe at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email hannah@academytravel.com. au
The English Claude Down Under John Glover s depiction of Nile Creek. European landscape meets indigenous Australia. Tasmania s most significant contribution to Australian art history is the career of painter John Glover, who lived in northern Tasmania from 1831 until his death in 1849 at the age of 82. Glover has been dubbed the father of Australian landscape painting. Certainly he is the leading figure in 19th century painting in Australia, and it is not until the very late 19th and early 20th century that we see artists of a similar calibre emerging on the Australian mainland. Much of Glover s reputation stems from the fact that he was a highly successful painter in his native England before he moved to Australia. Glover began his career as a practising artist when still young. The earliest notices we have of him are from 1794. Jane Stanhope, the Countess of Harrington, was an important patron. Lady Harrington who had been painted twice by Sir Joshua Reynolds, helped establish Glover as an art instructor and probably took lessons from him. Glover moved to London in 1805 and in 1807 was elected president of the Water Colour Society, although after 1810 most of his works are in oil. The fall of Napoleon allowed Glover to exhibit in the Paris salon of 1814, and it believed that one of his large works attracted the interest of Louis XVIII. He excelled in romantic depictions of the English and Southern European landscape, painted in the fashionable Italian style of the day. His subjects included the Lake District and Loch Ness, and in many ways his career in England parallels that of his famous contemporary JMW Turner. At some stage after 1810 he acquired the nickname of the English Claude. This is simultaneously a measure of the esteem in which he was held Claude Lorrain was hugely popular and much-admired in England in the 1800s and a great piece of selfpromotion. Glover moved to Tasmania for the climate. He was quite wealthy by this stage, and began steadily acquiring land. He moved from Hobart to a very large land holding just south of Launceston in 1832. We know from documents that we was still earning around 1,000 per year from his paintings. Glover s paintings are held by all the major Australian galleries, but the greatest range of works is to be found in the Launceston and Hobart galleries, both of which we visit on this tour. His paintings combine the technical excellence of European landscape paintings with a special feel for the light, colours and vegetation of Tasmania. In spite of his high reputation, Glover s romanticised style is not without its critics, especially the way in which he depicts indigenous Australians.
Tour Highlights Tasmania s World-Heritage-listed colonial sites, including Woolmers Estate, Ross and Port Arthur Tasmania s leading public art galleries in Launceston and Hobart The Australian Wooden Boat Festival, in full swing on Hobart s docks Touring the landscapes of the Tamar Valley and the Tasman Peninsula A day trip to the Huon River Valley, visiting pristine rainforests, gardens and wineries Fine regional wine and produce while dining at some of Tasmania s excellent restaurants and vineyards Above: The site of Port Arthur Above: Hobart s annual wooden boat festival Above: Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart Above: Tahune Air Walk, above the Huon River
Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown by the letters B, L and D. Saturday February 4 Arrive into Launceston The tour begins in our Launceston hotel at midday. We meet in the hotel lounge and travel to World Heritage-listed Woolmers Estate, one of Australia s best-preserved colonial sites. After a guided tour of the homestead, wool sheds and the adjacent National Rose Garden, we return to Launceston, via the Launceston Gorge. Tonight we enjoy dinner at Stillwater, an excellent restaurant in a historic former mill overlooking the junction of the Tamar and South Esk Rivers. Overnight at the Clarion Hotel City. (D) Caption Sunday February 5 In the footsteps of John Glover Our tour today focuses on the art and life of John Glover, Australia s finest colonial artist. We begin with a guided visit of the Queen Victoria Art Gallery boasting a fine collection of colonial fine and decorative arts from Tasmania. A scenic road then takes us to Josef Chromy Vineyard for lunch and a stroll around this most attractive estate. After lunch, we continue to Nile Farm, where Glover and his family lived, and which he painted many times. The current owners of Nile Farm will host a late afternoon tea before we return to Launceston. Overnight Launceston. (B, L) Monday February 6 The Tamar Valley and Mole Creek We spend the day enjoying northern Tasmania s scenery. This morning we travel up the Tamar River Valley to George Town, where we visit the Bass and Flinders Museum, which documents these explorers 1798 circumnavigation of Tasmania. We then cross the Tamar to Beaconsfield to visit the mine and heritage centre, documenting the history of gold mining in the area. In the afternoon we head for the hills, visiting the town of Deloraine and one of Australia s earliest farmsteads, Old Wesleydale. Today it boasts a magnificent garden and fine views to the Cradle Mountain wilderness. We return to Launceston in the evening. Overnight Launceston.(B) Top to bottom: Woolmers and the National Rose Garden; reproduction of Bass and Flinders ship, Norfolk, in George Town; Wineglass Bay on the Freycinet peninsula Tuesday February 7 Colonial Towns and Fine scenery This morning we travel south to Hobart, with several stops en route. The first is Ross, one of the best preserved colonial towns in Australia, with buildings mainly from the 1830s and 40s including a female factory for female convicts. We then head to the east coast, where some of Tasmania s finest coastal scenery is to be enjoyed. We visit Bicheno and Wineglass Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula, with time to stop
in at wineries and cafes. In the afternoon we travel along Great Oyster Bay and inland, stopping briefly at Richmond, another fine historic town, before continuing to Hobart. Overnight, Lenna of Hobart. (B) Wednesday February 8 Hobart and Mount Wellington We spend the day exploring Hobart and surrounds. Our first stop is the Tasmanian Museum and Gallery, with another great collection of colonial art. Adjacent are reproductions of Mawson s huts, providing a glimpse into Tasmania s connections with the Antarctic. Assuming the weather is suitable, we will ascend Mount Wellington for stupendous views over the whole region. Overnight Hobart. (B, D) Thursday February 9 the Huon Valley This morning we head south of Hobart to the fine scenery of the Huon Valley. Agricultural land gives way to the rainforest of Tasmania s southwest wilderness region. We walk the Tahune Airwalk for breathtaking views over heritage-listed forests and the Huon and Picton Rivers. After lunch at Home Hill Winery, which produces some of Australia s finest pinot noir, we return to Hobart. Evening at leisure. Overnight Hobart. (B, L) 1830s architecture in Richmond (above) and Home Hill vineyard (below) Saturday February 10 Port Arthur This morning has been set aside to visit the annual Wooden Boat Festival, taking place on the Hobart waterfront, near our hotel. At lunchtime we travel to the Tasman Peninsula, about 90 minutes south east of Hobart. We spend much of the time at Port Arthur, a world heritage site that functioned as a panopticon style convict prison from 1833 until 1853. It is a remarkably well preserved site, and the beauty of the setting belies the tragic events that took place there. Overnight Hobart. (B) Sunday February 11 MONA and Departure This morning we travel up the Derwent to visit MONA, David Walsh s idiosyncratic Museum of Old and New Art. MONA has quickly gained international recognition for its unique architecture, setting and of course its sometimes challenging contents. After exploring the galleries we have lunch at The Source, Philippe Leban s much praised restaurant at MONA. We head to the airport in the late afternoon for evening return flights. (B, L) Hotels Launceston, Clarion Hotel City Park Grand (3 nights) Originally known as the Dorset Tavern when built in the mid 1850 s, the Clarion has the best rooms and services in downtown Launceston. Located next to City Park, and close to the Tamar River, it has well-appointed deluxe rooms, a good breakfast and a good restaurant. www.cityparkgrand.com.au Hobart, lenna of Hobart (4 nights) Built in 1874, this sandstone mansion is classified by the National Trust. It is close to the Hobart s CBD, Salamanca Place and historic Battery Point. Our rooms in the modern wing are large and functional. www.lenna.com.au
Tour cost The tour price is $3,470 per person, twin share (land content only). The supplement for a single room is $840 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required to secure a place on the tour. Included in the tour price Seven nights accommodation in selected four-star hotels All breakfasts, lunches and dinners as indicated in this itinerary Land travel by air-conditioned coach All entrance fees to sites mentioned in itinerary Local guide and lecturers at selected sites Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels Tips to local guides and drivers Not included in the tour price Domestic or international fares to and from Tasmania Travel insurance Meals not stated as included Personal expenditure such as laundry and phone calls Personal tipping to room service staff Air travel The tour price quoted is for land content only. The tour commences in Launceston, and finishes in Hobart. Please contact us for further information on competitive airfares. Enquiries and bookings For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Hannah Kleboe at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email hannah@academytravel.com.au Weather on Tour Fitness Requirements of THIS tour Grade one It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a star grading. Academy Travel s tours tend to feature extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater fitness than coach touring. We ask you instead to consider carefully your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour. Participation criteria for this tour This Grade One tour is appropriate for travellers in good health with good mobility. You should be able to comfortably participating in up to three hours of physical activity per day on most days, including walking at an easy pace, sometimes on uneven terrain, climbing stairs and standing in galleries. You should be able to: keep up with the group at all times walk for 2-3 kilometres at a moderate to slow pace with only short breaks stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and museums negotiate stairs and escalators get on and off a coach with steep stairs unassisted move your luggage a short distance if required A note for older travellers If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. You may have to miss certain activities and may not get the full value of the tour. Before submitting your booking form, please contact Academy Travel to discuss your situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour. While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition. February is Tasmania sees long days and mild temperatures of 20-28 degrees, with low rainfall. Tasmania s weather is always highly variable, so you should pack a waterproof jacket.