Bellerive Oval funds cause stir

A POST on the Tasmanian Labor Facebook page criticising the State Government's $15 million Bellerive Oval funding was making waves in political circles last night.

A comment appeared yesterday berating Premier Lara Giddings for spending the money on the oval instead of healthcare and infrastructure.

Late last night the original post was no longer visible on the Tas Labor page but was still accessible - and had garnered nearly 1700 "likes" in about 10 hours.

State Labor secretary John Dowling said that among the comments following the post was an extremely offensive remark and he had removed it because of that.

"People are free to have open debate about issues but it's a public site and minors can see it,'' Mr Dowling said.

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Hunt on for city arsonist

AFTERMATH: The remains of the Bridges Brothers building.

THE blaze that caused up to $10 million damage to Hobart's Bridges Brothers building was deliberately lit, Tasmania Police says.

Inspector David Plumpton said yesterday police were investigating the suspicious fire that started between midnight and 4am last Saturday.

"The Tasmanian Fire Service have concluded their investigation and identified the fire as being deliberately lit," Insp Plumpton said yesterday.

But he said it could still be some time before police charged anybody.

"We are undertaking a rigorous and detailed investigation, but it will take some time.

"We are still going through a lot of evidence and we want anyone who has any information or saw someone to contact police."

Meanwhile, Insp Plumpton said officers were still investigating a fire on Hobart's Queens Domain on Thursday night.

The blaze that destroyed 17ha of grass and bushland on the eastern side of the Domain also appeared to have been deliberately lit.

The fire continued to burn yesterday, preventing investigators from accessing the scene until late in the day.

It was initially estimated that the fire had burnt 5ha, but the full extent of destruction became apparent later.

Insp Plumpton said police believed the fire was deliberately lit because of the time it occurred and its location.

"But we will await final advice from the Tasmanian Fire Service," he said.

Fire Service officer Michael Netherton said a number of fires were still burning inside trees on the Domain, making the area unsafe.

But heavy showers yesterday helped fire officers and Hobart City Council crews douse parts of the fire in the morning.

"The rain had a significant impact on it but there are still a lot of fires inside trees," Mr Netherton said.

Investigations to determine the fire's cause were continuing.

-- with JENNIFER CRAWLEY

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Former top cop attack

THE man credited with ending Melbourne's violent gangland war has been the victim of an alleged assault on the Hobart Waterfront.

Former top cop Simon Overland, now the high profile head of Tasmania's Justice Department, was walking with his wife near the waterfront on Thursday evening when he was allegedly king-hit by a man trying to steal two bottles of wine being carried by the couple.

However, it appears Mr Overland the former Victoria Police chief commissioner was no easy target.

After being struck to the ground, Mr Overland regained his feet and immediately restrained his alleged attacker, while Mrs Overland called police on her mobile phone.

Tasmania Police arrived a short time later and apprehended the man before charging him with assault.

The Mercury understand Mr Overland went to hospital for a check-up but was released a short time later.

Mr Overland spent nearly 20 years in the Australian Federal Police force before joining Victoria Police, where he headed the Purana Taskforce that tackled Melbourne's organised crime.

He replaced Christine Nixon as Victoria Police Chief Commissioner in 2009.

Mr Overland is credited with playing a major role in bringing an end to the Melbourne gangland wars which resulted in convictions and lengthy jail terms for underworld figures Carl Williams and Tony Mokbel and became the subject of the first Underbelly television series.

Yesterday Mr Overland, who took over as head of Tasmania's Justice department in July last year, declined to talk to the Mercury.

It is believed Tasmania Police have charged a man who will appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court at a later date.

matthew.smith@news.com.au

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Four hurt in Tamar crash

One of the vehicles involved in the Tamar Highway car crash.

FOUR people have been injured in a head-on crash in slippery conditions near Bell Bay on the East Tamar Highway.

Launceston police said the two-vehicle accident happened just before noon today.

Emergency crews used cutting equipment to free two people trapped after the crash.

Four people were taken to hospital for treatment but their injuries were not believed to be life threatening.

It is believed the driver of the northbound vehicle lost control in wet conditions and slid into the path of the other car.

Police officers were diverting traffic around the crash scene.

Southbound motorists were advised to travel via Dalrymple Rd, with northbound traffic diverted via East Arm Rd to Dalrymple Rd.

Police issued a warning to motorists earlier today to beware of slippery road conditions because of wet weather.

A vehicle roll-over occurred at the intersection of Bell Bay Rd and Temco Rd, Bell Bay, about 9.30am today.

The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, escaped without injury.

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Taking the pledge at Huonville

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Armed robbery at Sandy Bay

TWO men have held up a Sandy Bay newsagency during peak hour on the main road.

Tasmania Police said the two suspects were men wearing hoodies, masks and were armed with some type of weapon.

They said the men ran off into the adjoining Woolworths complex.

It was unknown whether anything was stolen from the newsagency on Sandy Bay Rd.

Police would not reveal what weapons were used in the incident, which took place about 4.30pm.

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Chopper rescues injured rafter

A FEMALE rafter with a suspected broken ankle has been airlifted from the edge of the Franklin River on Tasmania's West Coast.

Police said the 21-year-old woman was part way through a 10-day rafting trip when the accident happened yesterday.

The Tasmania Police Westpac Rescue Helicopter was sent to the scene about 7am today, with access made easier by the low water level in the river.

The woman was taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital, where she is in a stable condition.

The helicopter was also called out overnight to rescue a walker who became lost while tackling Mt Amos in Freycinet National Park on the East Coast.

Police said the Victorian man set out late in the day and lost his way while returning from the summit.

He used a mobile phone to alert police to his plight about 6pm yesterday.

Officers who walked into the area were unable to locate the man. The helicopter found him on the western side of Mt Amos about 2am and winched him to safety.

Police said the man -- dressed in shorts and T-shirt -- was cold but not injured. He was taken back to his car at Coles Bay.

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Fans embrace mad fashion

SUMMER DRESS-UP PARTY: Katrina Greenham, left, of NSW, Fusha Benson, of Launceston, and Coralie Menel, from France.

CRICKET Australia's theme throughout the one-day international series has been "summer's biggest dress-up party" and the crowd at Blundstone Arena certainly got in on the action yesterday.

Encouraged to dress up in the name of fun with a $1000 prize for best outfit on offer plenty of the 8102 who attended the final match between Australia and Sri Lanka joined in.

Katrina Greenham, left, of NSW, Fusha Benson, of Launceston, and Coralie Menel, from France, joined the fun with Melon Man, Smurfs, sumo wrestlers and a Buzz Lightyear.

A half-time show on the hill provided entertainment during the change of innings, with patrons dancing away waiting for the on-field action to resume.

Ms Greenham, who hails from NSW and is embarking on an Australian-wide tour to watch cricket at all the Test venues, made sure she didn't miss the chance to throw her support behind the cause.

Although her outfit may not have been as eye-catching as some - two smurfs, a couple of sumo wrestlers, a handful of fairies and Buzz Lightyear were among those spotted - she was enjoying her first visit to Bellerive, teaching a couple of foreigners the finer points of the game in the process.

"I love the cricket, I'm currently travelling Australia and want to see it in every stadium," Ms Greenham said.

"I'm taking a few years doing it, I've been to the MCG, the SCG and now Bellerive.

"It is wonderful, you couldn't ask for better weather, it has been a good game, we are doing better than we did the other day.

"I'm actually here with two French backpackers who I'm teaching cricket to as well, we are having a great day."

Ticket prices have been a huge talking point throughout the summer, but Ms Greenham had no issues with the $43 general admission.

"I have found it really inexpensive actually for a day of cricket."

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Epic trip begins in earnest

The expedition team before its departure on Elephant Island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Picture: AFP

AN Australian-led expedition retracing Sir Ernest Shackleton's audacious 1916 crossing of the Southern Ocean has set sail.

The team of six took off in a small lifeboat from Elephant Island, in the South Shetland Islands, about 6am today (AEDT).

They are bound for South Georgia in the Southern Atlantic, about 800 nautical miles across the fearsome Southern Ocean, following the course of the explorer's perilous voyage.

Sir Ernest's crossing took 17 days, with a three-day trip across South Georgia.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard offered the expedition her best wishes today.

"On behalf of our nation, and in the warm spirit of Anglo-Australian friendship, I wish you well in the challenging days ahead," she said in statement.

Leading the crew aboard an exact replica of the 6.9-m whaler James Caird is 46-year-old Adelaide environmental scientist Tim Jarvis.

"Clearly there are inherent dangers involved in attempting an expedition of this magnitude," Mr Jarvis said shortly before taking off today.

"Shackleton's journey certainly defied the odds."

"I hope this expedition not only does his memory justice but also reminds us all of how incredibly beautiful, yet fragile, this part of the world is."

The crew's boat has been renamed the Alexandra Shackleton after the explorer's granddaughter.

"The expedition will be incredibly demanding both at sea and on land," Ms Shackleton warned today.

In the final leg of the journey, the crew plans to use only the equipment and food available to Shackleton during a two-day climb to 900m over the mountainous, crevassed interior of South Georgia.

Shackleton set off from Elephant Island in April 1916, after his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition's vessel, Endurance, became stuck in ice and was abandoned.

He made it to South Georgia and raised the alarm at a whaling station, and rescuers were eventually able to save the stranded party without loss of life.

Shackleton died of a heart attack off South Georgia in 1922 during his fourth Antarctic expedition when he was trying to circumnavigate the continent.

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Oz Day spirit on tap at Dunalley

Prime Minister Julia Gillard posed with firefighters Jose Navarro, Joe Templeman and Simon Leonard at the Dunalley pub earlier this month. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

THE unofficial headquarters of bushfire-hit Tasmania's community effort will be the centre of the state's Australia Day spirit on Saturday.

The Dunalley pub, which provided refuge from the fires that tore through the bayside town and has been a meeting place for locals and support workers since, will host a concert to raise money for the recovery.

Falls Festival sound engineer Dave Campbell, who has organised the outdoor gig, says anywhere from 500 to 5000 people could turn up.

"I'm calling it the official (benefit concert) because it is the only one here in the local area," he said.

"This is the only one actually in ground zero."

Seven local bands have been officially booked but a spot has also been reserved for a high-profile mystery guest.

"We're expecting a surprise guest but we don't know who," Mr Campbell said.

"There's a lot of people interested, they're just trying to check their schedules to see if they can sneak in after their other commitments on the day.

"I don't want to mention names."

Mr Campbell had the idea for the concert while talking with his muso mates at an evacuation centre on the Tasman Peninsula.

He was one of the lucky ones -- his home at White Beach was not among the 170-odd that were lost across Tasmania.

"Everyone's sort of looking forward to it as a release, a bit of relief, just some fun and just to take their minds off everything," he said.

"We're not going to focus on the bad things that have happened."

The gig threatens to overshadow the area's official Australia Day beach barbecue but Sorell Mayor Kerry Vincent, who admits he's barely had time to think about formalities, isn't concerned.

"It's just an explosion at the moment of public enthusiasm and you don't want to stop that," Cr Vincent said.

He said the Australian spirit had shone through in the relief effort, with examples like Dunalley's oyster growers pooling their equipment to help those who were wiped out.

"They're all swapping and changing things around to keep one another going," he said.

"Everybody's in awe of what everybody's doing."

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