Southern adventures

Like their counterparts at Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island, Cairns, Broome and Rose Bay, the focus is on eco tourism. With most of Tasmania within one Beaver hour flying time from Hobart, Tasmanian Air Adventures ranges to such famous sites as Wineglass Bay, Gordon River-Wilderness World Heritage Area and the southwest wilderness. There are also local Hobart City scenic flights and the company’s signature scenic Wild Capes flight to Port Arthur.

Conscious of environmental aspects at the seaplane base and at places visited, Christiaan noted: “The company has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure its services would be considered a world class eco tourism experience that employs leading environmental practices and is consistent with the values of Hobart’s working port and Tasmania’s tourism positioning.’

A unique aspect of the Beavers operation is a partnership with the Save the Tasmanian Devil project: the Beaver flies scientists and researchers into remote locations within the State in search of disease-free devils.

The Beaver also goes to the Museum of Old and New Art on the Derwent River west of Hobart. A relatively new tourist attraction, it has become well-known around the world, attracting over 400,000 visitors since opening in January 2011. The museum houses one of the largest private art collections in Australia and lies sculptured into the side of a sandstone hill.

The presence of a DHC-2 Beaver in Tasmania is not a first for the island. In the 1950s and 1960s the RAAF operated five Beavers (A95-201 to A95-205) in the Antarctic, regular visitors to Tasmania as they transitted. One of the ex-RAAF Beavers still flies in Canada.
Another Tasmanian Beaver operator was Benders Spreading Services, which cross-hired them from Aussie Miller, Super Spread and Aerial Agriculture for a few years before Ray Bender acquired his own Beavers, VH-WOG, BSL, BSC and BSY, to spread superphosphate.

The view around the Hobart waterfront is certainly an unusual one during the summer months, with the Beaver nestled among icebreakers, Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research ships, racing yachts, fishing boats and boutique restaurants.

And beyond the docks, the wilderness beckons.