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The Cockle Creek Improvements Project is scheduled to start on ground works soon

25/7/2020

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Parks and Wildlife advise that civil works in the ‘gateway’ (area immediately across the bridge when entering the national park) will commence Aug 10 and take approximately 2-3 weeks to complete.  During this time, there may be some traffic control in place once visitor cross the bridge and enter the National Park.  The carpark in the National Park will be closed for the duration of the civil works. Visitors wishing to undertake the South Coast Track or South Cape Bay walk are asked to park at the pull off area prior to the bridge, which will be signed to inform visitors.  Access to the Whale Sculpture and Fishers Point will be open, noting there may be some slight changes to traffic flow once across the bridge due to civil works.
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Post completion of the civil works, building construction for a new shelter and new toilet in the ‘gateway’ area once you cross the bridge will be underway from Sept to Dec.  Sections of the carpark and visitor areas will be closed to the public due to construction, but access to toilets, information, parking and walking tracks will be available and well signed.  The carpark in the national park will be open, but have a reduced capacity during the works.  Other small toilet construction sites throughout the precinct will be closed to the public during construction and these will be well fenced and signed, and alternate toilets identified.
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Aussie Backyard Bird Count 2107

3/10/2017

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23-29 OCTOBER 2017 
Spring has well and truly sprung, and birds are singing and nesting – ready to be counted for BirdLife Australia's fourth annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count.

Huon Bush Retreats and Buttongrass Retreat are offering discount rates for selected multi night stays around the time of the Great Aussie Backyard Bird Count. Spend two or three days enjoying nature walks and counting birds as you go.
Minimum stay is 2 nights, (minimum 3 nights if including a Friday or Saturday night at Huon Bush Retreats) Rate includes 2 adults using one bed. Extra people can be added $40/nt. All cabins include one queen bed. Extra beds might be bunks or rollaway beds. The exact cabin will be allocated on arrival.
Full payment by Visa or Mastercard at time of booking, no refunds, no changes.

​Book your accommodation using the chart below, then go to the Great Aussie Bird Count website to register and get your app.

The #AussieBirdCount is a great way to connect with the birds in your backyard, no matter where your backyard might be — a suburban backyard, a local park, a patch of forest, a farm, down by the beach, or the main street of town. Your backyard can be anywhere you find birds.

Each count takes 20 minutes and the data collected helps BirdLife Australia to better understand the birds living where people live. You can do one or more counts during your stay. Maybe do 2 different times of day in 2 different habitats. And as a little extra incentive, there are some incredible prizes to be won!
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Delta Aquarid meteor shower, peaking now

29/7/2017

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Book your meteor gazing retreat
​The Delta Aquarid meteor shower is about to peak. It will continue through August, overlapping with the Perseids meteor shower. The best viewing time is roughly 1-4 a.m. Find an open sky away from artificial lights, lie down on a deck chair or an outdoor bath and look directly upward. This will naturally direct your gaze to near the apparent centre of the shower. Delta Aquarid is expected to produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour, under a clear dark country sky, like at Huon Bush Retreats or Buttongrass Retreat.
You don’t need to locate a shower’s radiant point to enjoy the meteors, but the concept of a radiant point adds a new perspective.  If you back trace all the Delta Aquariid meteors, they appear to radiate from a point within the constellation Aquarius. That is pretty much directly overhead during late winter in southern Tasmania.
Find the Great Square of Pegasus, draw a line to Fomalhaut. That is the very bright star in the dim constellation Piscis Austrinus, or Southern Fish. Half way along that line is the apparent origin of the Delta Aquarid meteors. See the graphic of the Southern Hemisphere Star Map, and Clifftop cabin at Huon Bush Retreats.
Winter discounts are available. Click here to book now.
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Buttongrass Retreat Habitat Burning

19/5/2017

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Buttongrass Retreat at Lune River in Tasmania's far south will be closed for a couple of days due to a fuel reduction and habitat management burn. Buttongrass moorland requires a fire frequency of 5 to 15 years to remain as predominantly low grass and shrub type vegetation.

For the next few months, part of the view from Buttongrass Retreat will be blackened, but come Spring, the fresh growth will bring a field of green shoots and wildflowers. A mix of different aged vegetation created by differing fire regimes, is essential for the ground parrots living in this heathland.
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During Autumn, Tasmania Fire Service and Forestry Tasmania will be conducting burns across Tasmania, subject to suitable weather conditions. These burns are part of the Fuel Reduction Program, aimed at reducing Tasmania's bushfire risk to protect lives, property and the environment.

See more info about:
  • Tas Fire Service Fuel Reduction Program: www.fire.tas.gov.au/Show?pageId=colFuelReductionProgram
  • Buttongrass habitat:
  • Buttonrgass Retreat Eco-cabin  http://www.huonvalleyescapes.net/buttongrass-retreat.html

​
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Many years since fire, the moorland around Buttongrass Retreat is becoming more of a scrubby heathland. Today's planned burn will reset the vegetation to a grass dominated landscape.
Within a year after buttongrass moorland has been burnt the vegetation starts to regrow, producing succulent shoots that attract herbivorous animals such as wallabies, wombats and grasshoppers. However, these species, particularly wallabies and wombats, also require nearby areas of unburnt habitat were they can shelter.
See more info about Buttongrass habitat response to fire at:
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/indeX.aspX?base=2876
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Built in a fire susceptible and fire dependent vegetation area, the eco-cabin at Buttongrass Retreat has been designed to provide short term protection.
If you are ever in the path of an approaching fire, leave well before the fire reaches you. However if you become trapped, a fire resistant building is a good refuge. Radiant heat is the biggest killer in a wild fire. Radiant heat can be blocked by a solid object or barrier such as a concrete wall or building. This heat travels in straight lines, radiating out from a bushfire ahead of the flames and will bounce off solid objects and will travel through glass.
Stay inside, shielding yourself behind solid furniture, away from windows, while the main fire front passes. This will only take a few minutes. Houses mostly burn down after the fire front has passed.
For more fire safety info see:
www.cfa.vic.gov.au/fm_files/attachments/plan_and_prepare/frk_2013/Section3_Duringafire_ifyoucannotleave.pdf
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Second Tallest Tree in the World: Centurion in Tasmania

21/3/2017

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About 45 minutes drive and 20 minutes walk from Huon Bush Retreats, is the worlds tallest flowering plant. Named Centurion (vaguely translated latin for 100), this monster is just over 100 metres tall. It is surprisingly slender raising the question how does it stay up.

The answer is partly the protection offered by the surrounding other super-tall trees. Lightning and wind are common causes of tall tree damage, knocking the top metres off. Centurion is protected by other trees around 80 metres and is on a slope protecting it from the westerly winds.

Another risk to very old trees is disease. It is really important to thoroughly clean your shoes before visiting a native forest. Great attention to all the little crevices with a scrubbing brush dipped in a tray of bleach does the trick. Be sure to remove your laces and complete the cleaning process with the shoes off your feet. You might like to choose an old pair of shoes so the bleach does not damage your good ones. The walk is quite easy, you don't need fancy walking boots but you do need moderate fitness and good navigation skills.

Book at least 2 nights at Huon Bush Retreats and we can loan you a tray, bleach, brush and map.

It is quite a challenge to get a good photo. The full height photo shown here is a composite of 3 images.
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Aussie Backyard Bird Count

17/9/2016

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AUSSIE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT: 17-23 OCTOBER 2016

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In 2015, Huon Bush Retreats participated in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count.
AUSSIE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
17-23 OCTOBER 2016

The Aussie Backyard Bird Count is back for its third year — with over 40,000 participants and over a million birds counted last year, this is becoming one of Australia's largest citizen science projects.

It’s easy to get involved. You can:
  • Register your interest as a Counter on the ABBC website
If you already have the Aussie Bird Count app on your phone or tablet, don’t delete it, an update will be available on 1 October
If you don’t have the app, download it for free from:
  • the Google Play or
  • iTunes app store
The results from 2015 saw the 10 most common bird species remain unchanged from the previous year, with the Rainbow Lorikeet once again taking out the number one spot. There were minor changes in the order of some of the top 10 birds – Common Myna, Galah and Silver Gull were bumped down a place or two, with House Sparrow, Red Wattlebird and the Welcome Swallow moving up the list.
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What do visitors think about Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs ?

5/9/2015

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" It's a long drive out there but well worth it, out guide was wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly, and it was great to see more of Tasmania's natural wonders." Read the full review on Trip Advisor

or Read more about Hastings on Huon Valley Escapes
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First Total Fire Ban of the year

2/1/2015

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TOTAL FIRE BAN DECLARED FOR SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN REGIONS 3rd January 2015.

Due to hot weather conditions throughout today and forecasted very high to severe fire weather for tomorrow, TFS Acting Chief Officer Gavin Freeman has declared a Total Fire Ban for the for southern and northern regions of Tasmania from midnight on the 2nd of January 2015 until midnight on the 3rd of January 2015.

Total fire ban procedures at Huon Bush Retreats.

As an eco-tourism village we see our native vegetation as a resource to be treasured rather than a fire hazard to be removed. Instead of clearing 50 metres all round our cabins, we have constructed fire resistant structures and have a fire plan. On days of total fire ban, or if a known fire is close by, we activate our fire plan. This involves taking onsite measurements each hour and evacuating the property if the Fire Danger Rating goes over 24. So this means our guests get to enjoy the natural bush setting, the conservation values are protected and everyone stays safe. FDR of 24 is quite rare here (about 5 times in 11 years) because of the influence of our microclimate. No need to make any special changes to your schedule but we might have to ask that guests delay arrival until after 6pm.
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Reading the Fire Weather at Huon Bush Retreats
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New Season Baby Possums

20/10/2014

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Towards the end of winter, brushtail possums give birth. The babies are born tiny and hairless. They make their way to the pouch, attach to the teat and grow to miniature adults. A couple of days ago, the first baby for this season emerged and is now riding on mum's back. She will carry the baby for a few weeks until he is too heavy. Then he will follow behind for a few moths more, learning how to climb, find his own food and learn the hierarchy of the possum mob.
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Mysterious Lyrebird

16/10/2014

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Almost invisible in the dark recesses of the rainforest the lyre bird becomes noticeable only when it moves. But the sound can alert us long before we see the mysterious bird. A wonderful mimic, the dawn chorus is sometimes just one individual, running its repertoire of 10 or 20 other birds. Maybe even a phone ringing or vehicles passing.
Imported from New South Wales as an insurance population when the NSW species was seriously threatened by habitat destruction, they were initially released at Mt Field and Hastings. Now they roam the forests from the Florentine River to the South Coast.
 
This photo was taken near Mystery Creek Cave by
Max Wellstead during his stay at Buttongrass Retreat.
Lyre birds are often heard and occasionally seen at
Huon Bush Retreats
as well.
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Cute Wallaby Joey in Pouch

29/9/2014

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Ruby is one of the resident wallabies at Huon Bush Retreats. Hand raised, she is now 5 years old and her 3rd joey is quickly growing in the pouch. For the first couple of months after being born, the joey is attached permanently to the teat and is almost immobile. As they grow, they detach from the teat and begin squirming in the pouch. Today, Ruby's joey stretched his legs for the first time. Too long to fit in the pouch, the little feet experienced the cold morning air for the first time. A moment later, joey retreated back into the warmth and security of mum's pouch.
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Spring in the Huon Valley, Tasmania

5/9/2014

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The first obvious sign of spring in southern Tasmania is the wattle trees bright yellow flowers, but look closer and you might notice the unfurling of the ferns, a myriad of wildflowers in the native grasslands and the bulging pouches of the marsupials. A few weeks later, the cherry and apple trees buds open. A perfect time to visit Tasmania before the crowds arrive after Christmas.

Let us help you design a perfect Huon Valley Escape. We know Hobart and the Huon Valley, so ask us for our local guidance. Phone 1800 770 224, 8am to 8pm, 7 days.
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Lost or Found Possum ?

13/8/2014

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This little possum appeared unexpectedly at Huon Bush Retreats. His habits make us think he was raised by humans and brought here for release.

Instantly tame and looking for cuddles and treats, he needs to learn the ways of finding his own food and his place in the possum hierarchy (right at the bottom).

So small that in the wild he would still be following his mother, and with fluffy fur, not quite ready to totally fend for himself.
For the next few weeks, he will receive privileged treatment, while he learns how to look after himself in the semi-wild habitat here.

Orphans ready for release are welcome at Huon Bush Retreats. If we know they are coming, we can help them settle in with supplementary food and shelter during their transition.
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Native Pepper available now $6 for 50 grams.

27/5/2014

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Native Pepper can be used in place of traditional pepper in all sorts of recipes including sweets adding a touch of spice.

Locally harvested and dried in Tasmania's Huon Valley, the label says, "Native pepper or Lanceolata Tasmania is high in antioxidants and has anti microbial and anti-fungal properties. Grown on the slopes of Mount Wellington, these pepper berries have needed no pesticides or herbicides and so have left minimal eco-footprint."

Fifty gram packets are now available from Huon Bush Retreats. $6 + $1.50 postage within Australia.

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Southern Lights Aurora Australis at Huon Bush Retreats

1/5/2014

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I was about to go to bed at about 10pm. I noticed the sky behind the trees was unusually bright so I called Olivier, from France, who is staying at Huon Bush Retreats. A few hundred metres to the labyrinth gave us a clear view of the southern sky, where the Aurora was active. Not a spectacular show tonight but a subtle green glow with just a hint of a few pulsing red beams.
Several Huon Valley Escapes properties have views to the south. Come for the waterways, wilderness and wildlife that we have on display every day. maybe you get lucky and see an Aurora as a bonus.
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RIP Rosie Wallaby 2006 to 26/10/13

26/10/2013

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After 6 years with us at Huon Bush Retreats, Rosie died this morning.

She had enjoyed a privileged life at the head of the wallaby mob. With the freedom to come and go as she pleased she would be seen wandering the village and no doubt roaming further.

Equally at home inside destroying the pot plants, or outdoors in the snow, Rosie was the easy one to tell from the other wallabies by the white spot on her left shoulder. Frequently bounding into reception to meet newly arriving guests, she was the wallaby most comfortable with strangers.
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Mischievous new arrival destroys the pot plants
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Impervious to snow, rain, frost. Only wind disturbed her.
Rosie was raised a few km away at Crabtree. To prevent her wandering and being killed on the road, she had lived in a bird aviary. Arriving at HBR as an agoraphobic one year old, we transitioned her in the release pen, allowing her to meet the other wallabies through the wire. After a few days, we let her out, half expecting her to bound off into the wild and never be seen again. But after her first few hours of freedom, she wandered back and has been coming and going ever since.

Rosie raised two joeys who are now part of the wild mob, browsing the grasslands around the village.
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Rosie at left, Slasher at right.
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Raising her first successful joey
The past year has seen her retain her position as head of the wallaby mob, but spending more time inside. Many days have been spent asleep on the sofa or by the fire, heading outside to do wallaby things each night.

Ten days ago, at the grand old age of 7, she became very lethargic, spending less time outside and rapidly losing weight. The last 3 days she has been totally dependent, struggling to eat and declining offers to go outside. Eventually too weak to stand up, last night was spent on the bed with us. Rosie died at 8 this morning.
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Last days, too weak to go outside
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RIP Rosie
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Penguin Rehabilitation Pool

14/9/2013

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Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary has recently installed a pool for rehabilitating seabirds. Watch as Greg Irons, introduces an injured penguin to the pool.
http://video.news.com.au/2405510483/A-pool-for-penguins#
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The night Benjamin Died

5/9/2013

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It was a very cold night on September 7 1936 in Hobart, the night that Benjamin died. Threatened Species Day was founded to remember Benjamin and those like him. Benjamin was the last captive Tasmanian Tiger, and his death marked the end of his species. National Threatened Species Day is held every year around Australia to remember Benjamin and to try to prevent the same thing happening to other Australian species.

Read more at

http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s2026235.htm




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    Huon Country Cottage and Buttongrass Retreat provide accommodation locations in the Huon Valley.
    Call us from 9am to 7pm on 0427 648465 or 1800 770 224.
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    Compiling news relating to tourism in Hobart, Huon Valley, Bruny Island and Far South Tasmania.

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