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Press, 16 March 1982, Page 23

Tasmania, New Zealand’s nearest overseas neighbour, is as friendly and hospitable as good neighbours should be. Barely three hours by air due west from Christchurch, Australia’s “Treasure Island” offers South Islanders their nearest holiday destination abroad and a surprising trove of tourist gems: from the sophisticated glitter of casino gambling to the serene splendour of natural wilderness. Within moments of arriving in Tasmania South Islanders cannot help but feel instantly at home. The Tasmanians are warm and quietly genial hosts, the climate is familiarly changeable, the cuisine superb, and the scenery of seascapes, pastoral tranquillity, and forested wilderness irresistibly appealing to South Island eyes. But delve deeper beyond the common bonds and the visitor discovers an island which is the cradle of Australian history * and a unique wildlife laboratory, both precious facets of Tasmania which is anything but loath to share its many treasures with visitors. Les Bloxham, travel editor of “The Press,” recently spent a week on a treasure hunt of Tasmania. His discoveries appear in reports and pictures published in the following nine pages.