Full steam ahead for Adventure Forests

  Ken Jeffreys, General Manager, Corporate Relations and Tourism

FT's Adventure Forest tourism portfolio is looking forward to a busy visitor season with the addition of the Maydena Adventure Hub and the introduction of an e-commerce enabled website for all venues.

An outstanding range of activities to keep the family occupied for a whole day has been developed for the Maydena Adventure Hub.

However bookings for most of the activities are essential. To help, Forestry Tasmania has developed the e-commerce enabled  www.adventureforests.com.au site, so make sure you get online and be one of the first to book a Maydena experience

A pedal powered rail rider developed by the Maydena Community Association looks likely to be in heavy demand, having captured the imagination of the public, wherever it has been on display in recent months.

Pedal your own Rail Rider along the old Maydena Railway track into the past the historic railway siding and into the rainforest or grab a reclining bike and follow the river that disappears. On the way, experience Maydena's timber heritage, ford pristine streams (look out for the trout). At the end see how the river disappears into the Junee Cave. Make sure you grab a lunch pack and a drink before you leave.

There's also a fully guided tour to the magnificent Eagles Eyrie lookout. When you get to the top, enjoy a gourmet lunchbox with a glass of wine and take in an eagle's view from of the Styx and Florentine Valleys, the wilderness of the World Heritage Area and the rearing peaks of Tasmania's mountain ranges.

For those who want to see more of the surrounding forests, there are tours including one to Churchill's Hut - the home of Elias Churchill, the trapper responsible for the capture of the last known thylacine and for the more energetic, day bush walks are on offer.

Before you drive to Maydena, make sure you book in advance at www.adventureforests.com.au

Tarkine Forest Adventures

Yes, it is open and rearing to go for the sunny summer. Severe weather events including gale force winds and the wettest winter in 100 years has made the off season challenging for our manager Heather Grey and her staff. Fallen trees and strong winds forced the site to close for 70 days this winter, but that's all behind us, and the staff are rearing to get outside and make the most of a beautiful summer.

You might remember that Forestry Tasmania initiated an expression of interest process in August to assess whether there were opportunities to engage a partner to take over the day to day management of the site.

We are still working through the EoI process. We have been working since November 5 with one of the parties that expressed an interest. We have now exhausted that possibility and will now go back to other parties to see if we can identify a partnership that will enable the site to grow. In the meantime, it's business as usual.