Hats off to our top attractions

The Port Arthur Historic Site won the Major Tourist Attraction category.

EAST Coast and regional tourism stole the spotlight at last night's Tasmanian Tourism Awards at Wrest Point in Hobart.

All five accommodation categories were bagged by East Coast businesses, and 19 of 25 categories were won by enterprises from outside Hobart.

"With a lot of focus rightly on Hobart at the moment after the Lonely Planet announcement, [last night] proved to be a fantastic celebration of Tasmania's regional tourism heart," Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said.

"This is a stunning result for the East Coast that will have flow-on benefits for the whole region, as [last night's] winners will represent Tasmania at next February's national tourism awards to be held in Hobart, putting the East Coast up in lights on the national stage."

See today's Saturday Mercury for the full list of winners.

Bicheno's Sandpiper Ocean Cottages won Best Standard Accommodation and also took out the People's Choice Award.

For the second year in a row, the Port Arthur Historic Site won Best Major Tourism Attraction and Best Heritage and Cultural Tourism Experience.

Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' Bruny Island Cruises also cemented its status, winning Best Tourism Attraction for the fourth year in a row.

Bruny Island Cruises also entered the Tasmanian Tourism Hall of Fame for winning the Sustainable Tourism category three years in a row.

Hobart's Taste Festival won Best Major Festival or Event on its debut in the competition. The Festival of Voices, also held in Hobart, won the Festival and Events section.

John Hamilton, founder of Tasmania's longest-operating wildlife sanctuary, Tasmanian Devil Park at Taranna, was recognised for his outstanding contribution.

Richard Davey, playwright and performer of The Ship that Never Was on the West Coast, was named Tourism Minister's Tourism Champion.

Jump Tours founder Greg Price was named the Minister's Young Achiever of the Year.

The University of Tasmania's Emily Bremner was named the Skal International Hobart Club's Tourism Student of the Year.

Tourism Minister Scott Bacon said the state's $2.2 billion industry supported 35,000 Tasmanians.

Premier Lara Giddings said the results showed that Tasmania's reputation as a world-class tourist destination continued to grow.

"With many of this year's award winners based in regional areas, it's also a reminder that the importance of tourism to our economy spreads well beyond our city centres," Ms Giddings said.

Last night's winners will represent Tasmania in their categories at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards national finals.

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Retail reprieve for mussels

THEY say timing is everything, and the timing of Spring Bay Mussels' algal toxin discovery and global product recall could not have been worse.

It follows an export ban on diseased Tasmanian abalone earlier in the year, and comes in the same week authorities raised fears over the safety of wild oysters from the Tamar estuary and allegations that Seafish Tasmania may have polluted the waters off Triabunna.

The discovery also came just weeks after Spring Bay Mussels secured a deal to supply supermarket giant Coles with a new gourmet homebrand bagged product range.

Coles Cooked Mussels in Tomato and Herb Sauce and Coles Cooked Mussels in Cream and White Wine sauce had only been on the shelf for two weeks when Spring Bay was forced to notify customers of the toxin discovery and recall all of its exported product.

Deputy Premier Bryan Green said the State Government took the situation very seriously.

Mr Green said comprehensive analytical testing had been undertaken to better understand the extent and impacts of the recent naturally occurring algal bloom.

"Industry and government have and will continue to work closely together to protect and grow our aquaculture industry, including by determining whether any additional measures need to be put in place," he said.

"We hope to have the testing results over the next few days."

Coles says it will stick with the Tasmanian seafood company despite its "horrible luck".

Coles merchandise director John Durkan said the company would continue to stock the line when it was again available.

"These things happen. The algae which caused the problem is naturally occurring and nothing to do with the company," Mr Durkan said.

"It has not changed our perception of Tasmania as a place producing clean, green and safe food."

Neil Stump, chief executive of the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council, said shellfish were filter feeders that could be the "canary in the coalmine" in regard to waterway conditions.

"It is reassuring to hear a major customer like Coles is staying with Spring Bay Mussels," Mr Stump said. "It would be unfortunate if Tasmania's reputation was tarnished.

"But hopefully the quick response of Spring Bay Mussels to their situation and the rigorous testing being undertaken in the wake of the event will reassure customers that there are strict, quality assurance systems in place here."

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Twisters, hail, rain hit Hobart

TORNADOES, torrential rain and thick hail rampaged across the state yesterday.

The wild weather forced the evacuation of a childcare centre and a call centre but most of the state escaped relatively unscathed.

The South and East were hardest hit, with conditions worsening on the East Coast last night but the Midlands and the North also reported dramatic weather.

At least three tornadoes were reported -- and photographed -- by stunned onlookers as thunderstorms swept across Hobart and its outer suburbs.

Check out the wild pics

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Flash flooding forced children to be evacuated from CareBears Cottage Childcare at Mornington.

The storm also caused evacuation of 570 workers from the Vodafone call centre at Kingston.

Vodafone spokeswoman Karina Keisler said rain came through overhead light fittings and flooded the building.

The tornadoes provided a once in a lifetime experience for many of those who spotted them.

Cambridge office worker Colin Hepher said his colleagues went to their window when rain started bucketing down mid-morning.

"We were there for four or five minutes watching the tornado coming towards us," Mr Hepher said.

Acton Park resident Imogen Norris, 17, and her family were also lucky enough to witness the event.

"It suddenly got really dark and started pouring with rain and then it started hailing," she said.

"Then the rain started to subside a bit and we looked up in the sky and there was a weird-shaped cloud and all of a sudden it started spinning and we thought 'no, it can't be a tornado'."

Luckily the tornadoes -- two out towards the airport and one above the tip at South Hobart -- do not appear to have caused any significant damage.

But the torrential rain caused flooding in areas including Kingston and Mornington, largely because of overflowing drains, said State Emergency Service southern regional manager Mark Nelson.

Heavy hail blanketing roads also caused problems for motorists across suburban Hobart.

The Bureau of Meteorology cancelled its severe thunderstorm warning just after 3pm yesterday.

Senior forecaster Tim Bolden said tornadoes were not that unusual in terms of weather events but said he could not remember the last time there were twisters over Hobart.

The bureau reported 7mm of rain in Hobart city to 3pm with 9mm at Hobart airport.

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Laptop recovery a snap

Constable Cassandra Lowe, left, and Detective Constable Anna Lang with a laptop that was recovered through hi-tech tracking software. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

HI-TECH "Robocop-style" tracking software has helped police track down an alleged computer thief and led to the return of a laptop containing treasured photos.

The laptop security software took a snapshot of the alleged thief as it was opened, the photo was then emailed to the owners who forwarded it to police who used it to track down the man and lay charges.

Rovsen and Adrian Giffard's Macbook Pro laptop was stolen, among other items, when a thief targeted their home in late August.

Police charged a male over the burglary but last month the alleged thief and others returned to the house and stole more items including the new Macbook Pro replaced by the couple's insurance.

More people were charged after the second burglary but none of the couple's items were returned until yesterday.

"It was extremely upsetting in the case of the first laptop," Mrs Giffard said.

"We were married in January and it had our wedding photos on it as well as a book I'd started writing.

"We were devastated and yes, we felt violated."

Working full-time, the travel agent and her retail manager husband had not had time to install a security system after the first burglary but Mrs Giffard took time off work to install a top-of-the-line security system after the second break-in.

Then last week, and more than two months after the first break-in, Mrs Giffard was at a restaurant when she received an email from the MacKeeper Anti-Theft software the couple had bought just a month before the first burglary.

"The email told us someone had logged on to the computer and the program had taken photos of that user and emailed them to us, along with GPS co-ordinates, which we immediately provided to police."

Police acted on the information, which pointed them to a suburb neighbouring the couple's Oakdowns residence.

"We conducted searches of several properties within the location provided and as a result seized the computer from a Rokeby home this morning," Detective Inspector Colin Riley said yesterday.

"This type of software is certainly helpful from our perspective and you would hope that those who might consider committing burglaries were deterred by the knowledge they can be tracked and photographed using the stolen item."

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Drunken dispute led to murder

The Stainforth Court public housing units at Cornelian Bay.

THE bashing murder of a man at a public housing estate was not premeditated but appeared to have sprung from a sudden drunken dispute, the Supreme Court in Hobart heard today.

Jamie Peter Smart, 32, of Glenorchy, and Rhys Louis Gardner, 19, of Bellerive, went to Shayne Anthony Waller's Stainforth Court unit at Cornelian Bay on February 18 last year after a night of drinking.

While they were there, a fight broke out. Michael David Williams, 39, of Kingston, was killed and Mr Waller, 52, was seriously injured.

Smart and Gardner were found guilty of murder and assault by a Supreme Court jury in September.

Gardner's lawyer Greg Richardson today said his client had been deserted by his mother when he was seven months old and had been raised by his strict father -- a violent alcoholic ex-sailor who suffered from depression.

He said on the night of the attack, Gardner had consumed a large quantity of beer and spirits.

"He was intoxicated, there can be no doubt about that at all. How we was still standing up is difficult to understand," he said.

Through a series of chance encounters in the early hours of the morning, the accused men ended up in Mr Waller's unit.

Mr Richardson told the court Gardner had joined in an assault started by his co-accused on Mr Waller and was unsure how Mr Williams came to be attacked.

"Mr Gardner says he doesn't have the faintest idea why he jumped in, he just did.

"What happened was totally unplanned."

He said Gardner had written a letter of apology to the families of both victims.

Smart's lawyer Todd Kovacic said his client had not gone to the unit with the intent of harming anyone and was also affected by alcohol.

"There was no intention of doing any harm to anyone in the unit. They went up there for a drink, a fight started and it got out of hand," he said.

He said his client had taken steps to beat his alcohol problem and urged the judge to show some leniency.

Justice David Porter will sentence the men on November 23.

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Party passion ends in mayhem

A MAN who filmed his topless girlfriend kissing another woman flew into a drug-fuelled rage when she kissed another man, the Supreme Court in Hobart has heard.

Garry James Brody, 28, of Snug, pleaded guilty today to five counts of assault, destroying property, cruelty to animals, driving offences and car theft.

Prosecutor Heather Mannering told the court that Brody had been drinking and taking amphetamines when he and some friends went to a party at Kaoota, near Sandfly, on September 12 this year.

Later, the partygoers all had their tops off and Brody filmed his girlfriend kissing another woman.

But when she kissed another man he became angry. Brody assaulted his girlfriend after striking the man with an iron bar.

When another woman tried to intervene, Brody attacked her, punching and choking her before stomping on her head and turning on another man.

He then picked up his girlfriend's dog and threw it across the room, kicked in a bathroom door where another party-goer was hiding and smashed a mobile telephone on which someone had called police.

Brody left the party, smashing a car window with a log and punching a passenger trying to flee his rampage.

The party-goers suffered injuries ranging from black eyes to bruising, Ms Mannering said.

Brody was arrested nearby and told police that he became aggressive when he combined amphetamines with alcohol.

Defence lawyer Tim Mills said Brody -- the father of two young children -- had suffered a difficult upbringing and struggled with drug abuse.

He said his client saw red when his girlfriend kissed another man and was remorseful for his actions.

Justice David Porter remanded Brody in custody for sentencing on November 14.

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Flower power for Camilla

IT was hardly the crown jewels, but the Duchess of Cornwall was clearly delighted when presented with a simply daisy chain at Richmond today.

Camilla and Charles, the Prince of Wales, wowed the crowds in the historic southern Tasmanian town shortly after touching down at Hobart airport about noon.

Gallery: Royal visit

Tasmania Police Inspector Glen Woolley said about 8000 people turned out to welcome them.

Many started lining the streets early, including 92-year-old Audrey Johnston from Lauderdale.

It's the second time Mrs Johnston has met Prince Charles.

She arrived at 9.30am in the hope of scoring poll position to wish the couple "a happy life".

Their royal highnesses kicked off the tour with a visit to The Woodcraft Shop.

Woodturner Darryl Freestone was excited to show the couple his work.

He said AFL coach Mick Malthouse was the only other famous person he had met.

The prince was impressed by a 2500-year-old slab of Huon pine, marked with important dates like the signing of the Magna Carta and the Battle of Hastings.

The walk along Bridge and Edward streets took longer than officials had planned, with Charles and Camilla happily shaking hands and greeting locals.

People proudly waved Tasmanian flags, many chanting "Charlie, Charlie!" as the prince approached.

One lady gushed that the Duchess of Cornwall "looked a million dollars".

Inside the Richmond Arms Hotel, Charles had a schooner of Cascade Draught while meeting with local farmers and agricultural scientists. Camilla was content with a glass of water.

The build-up was too much for one little girl, who'd lined up early in a tiara.

By the time the royals stopped to greet her mum, she was fast asleep in her pram.

Local schoolchildren were among those who turned out for their first glimpse of the royal family in real life, while others proudly admitted it was their second and third sighting.

Eighty-one-year-old Dulcie White can remember greeting the prince at Hobart airport, back when he still had "a full head of black hair".

Irene Brown, 72, from Lauderdale, proudly showed Charles the front page of a newspaper bearing both their images from his visit to Sydney in January 1994.

Veteran media royal watchers said it was one of the longest public walks they've known the royals to take, lasting more than an hour.

Their visit to Richmond ended with a tree planting at St Luke's Anglican Church, to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The sun was out as they arrived, but patchy rain didn't dampen spirits. The couple left just before a major downpour hit crowds still lining the streets.

The Duchess of Cornwall's warmth and good humour was later on show at a luncheon hosted by Premier Lara Giddings at the historic Mill House in Richmond, one of the area's most prominent homes.

About 50 women from rural groups including Tasmanian Women in Agriculture, the CWA and Rural Help at Hand met Camilla in a marquee in the magnificent grounds of the 1856 residence.

Arriving in the rain, the Duchess greeted every guest and joked about the weather.

She also met the owners of the Mill House, George and Heather Vozar, and two of their daughters.

The Mill House -- next to Australia's oldest bridge that's still in use today -- was originally built as a steam-powered flour mill.

Renowned Tasmanian landscape painter John Eldershaw, whose work is part of the royal family's private collection, owned the property from 1920.

The current owners have extensively restored the home and garden.

Read more about the royal visit in tomorrow's Mercury.

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Woolly times for royal heir

PRINCE Charles threw a fleece today as he got a feel for some of the world's finest wool on a sheep stud near Hobart.

With a little help from wool handler Lucy Byers, he gathered the newly shorn fleece off the floor and tossed it on the rack to be classed.

"He went quite well for a beginner," said Ms Byers, who throws up to 600 fleeces a day.

The prince took an interest in all aspects of Leenavale Stud near Sorell, just half an hour's drive but a world away from the city.

Charles lingered for some minutes, admiring the lovely setting of the farm and its lush spring pasture, watching kelpie Ziggy and his mates work the sheep and talking with farm manager Brent Thornbury, whose family had farmed in the area for four generations.

Inside the shearing shed, the prince chatted to the wool classer and handlers and shook the hand of each shearer.

Later Mr Thornbury described the prince as "very laid back" and "very interested" in the stud, which produced the soft, super-fine merino wool used in suits and designer clothing.

Wool is close to the prince's heart.

Two years ago he initiated the worldwide Campaign for Wool, to encourage consumers to use this sustainably produced natural fibre.

While at Leenavale, he had afternoon tea with some of the country's leading wool producers and promoters at a function hosted by Australian Wool Innovation, owners of the famous Woolmark Company, which promotes the Australian product and has one of the most recognisable logos in the textile business.

Australian Wool Innovation CEO Stuart McCullough said the prince's visit to Leenavale was a big deal for the industry.

"Prince Charles has been into sustainability for 20 years and we're just catching up. He's also a wool grower and he wears woollen clothing.

"Most of the world's apparel wool comes from Australia and Tasmania is at the pinnacle of the fashion triangle.

"It's a wonderful, natural, biodegradable and sustainable fibre."

Mr McCullough said the number of sheep in Australia had dropped from 180 million in 1991 to 70 million today and there was a need to get more growers into the business.

philip.heyward@news.com.au

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The fire that never was

THE Tasmania Fire Service has been left red-faced after transmitting an emergency bushfire warning in error to media outlets across the state.

According to the "Watch and Act" media alert â€" issued about 2.30pm today in rainy conditions -- the faux fire was burning out of control near the Midland Highway and threatening homes in the tiny township of Melton Mowbray, about 55km north of Hobart.

Residents were told to activate their bushfire plans. If they planned to leave, they were advised to do so immediately. Residents away from home were told not to return.

Tasmanians were also warned to expect potentially dangerous conditions on the state's major arterial route, with embers and smoke on the road.

The warning was, however, part of a training exercise.

At 2.50pm, TFS chief Mike Brown issued an urgent alert cancelling the warning and advising there was, in fact, no fire.

"A recent Watch and Act message transmitted during a media training exercise approximately 2.30pm referring to a bushfire out of control on the Midland Highway, Melton Mowbray, was transmitted in error," Mr Brown said in a statement.

"There was no such incident.

"I ask that any further transmissions by media channels, both radio and print, cease immediately."

But the TFS admitted the warning had already been transmitted via the designated radio stations and calls had been received from concerned members of the public.

"It's disturbing to think an error of this magnitude could occur," a Melton Mowbray resident told the Mercury.

"We know how to respond if there's a bushfire. In this case it was quite obvious there was not.

"If they'd told us Melton Mowbray was flooding, we'd have believed that given the weather.

"But anyone hearing that message would have rightfully been worried by what they heard."

 

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State queries Etter's claims

SOME of the claims in a lawsuit brought by former Integrity Commission chief Barbara Etter did not amount to "a hill of beans", the Supreme Court was told today.

The former West Australian assistant police commissioner is suing the State Government after she unexpectedly quit her $173,000-a-year job in October last year, just one year into her five-year contract as the inaugural CEO of the state's Integrity Commission.

Ms Etter claims the State Government repudiated her employment contract when it failed to address the stress and anxiety caused by the role, failed to bring perceived performance issues to her attention in a timely fashion, undermined her ability to do her job, and encouraged Integrity Commission employees to reject her authority.

The State Government's lawyer Frank Neasey today opposed sections of a revised statement of claim lodged on Ms Etter's behalf.

He told the Supreme Court in Hobart that some of the claims of poor working relationships within the commission could not support a finding against the state, because there was no evidence they were authorised or carried out on behalf of the state or were a breach of her employment contract.

"It is one thing for a workplace to deteriorate to such an extent where it is difficult or impossible to work in it happily. It is quite a different thing to say that from such a state of affairs the defendant -- the State of Tasmania -- has repudiated her contract of employment.

"None of the paragraphs singularly or collectively constitute a base on which it can be said that the state repudiated the plaintiff's contract of employment.

"The fundamental problem is that they don't amount to a hill of beans."

Ms Etter's lawyer Daniel Zeeman said the statement of claim was intended to show a pattern of behaviour which left Ms Etter unable to continue in her role.

But Mr Neasey said the allegations should not be allowed to stand because they were vexatious, frivolous, would waste court time and were oppressive, prejudicial and embarrassing to the defendant.

Mr Neasey said some of Ms Etter's claims -- such as having her name wiped off a whiteboard which detailed commission staff -- were insignificant.

"They can all be met with the same response, and that is: 'So what?'," he said.

"At best all they do on one view -- if they are proven to be true -- is to show that the Integrity Commission wasn't a very happy place to work for the plaintiff; in fact, it was a horrible place.

"So what if her name was rubbed off a whiteboard? We don't know when, we don't know why and we don't know who did it.

"It is simply a meaningless and vacuous allegation."

The case has been adjourned until a date to be fixed.

david.killick@news.com.au

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