Cape Grim / Woolnorth Tours, Tasmania
Breathe the cleanest air in the world at Cape Grim and walk the coastal beaches where the Great Southern Ocean collides with Bass Strait at Tasmania���s extreme north west corner on a tour to Woolnorth and Cape Grim.
Enjoy a fascinating trip to the historic Woolnorth property on Cape Grim. Passing the dairy operations of the Van Diemens Land Company, arrive at the Roaring 40s largest wind farm in Australia. Here the prevailing winds generate about 10% of Tasmanian���s power needs. Cape Grim is the next stop, with panoramic views of Suicide Bay, the Dough Boys, Victory Hill and offshore islands. See livestock grazing, the lime-sand pit, shearing shed and the cookhouse, the oldest cottage in north west Tasmania.
At the director���s lodge, enjoy a delicious lunch of tender Cape Grim beef, fresh salads and a generous Tasmanian cheese and fruit platter, whilst seated at the 1780 boardroom table. Following lunch, the coach travels to Woolnorth Point, where the remains of the S.S.Colliboi have lain since 1932. The wooden steamship, of 310 tons, purchased by William Holyman & Sons in 1929, struck a reef near Hunter Island, whilst under the command of Captain Neilson.
Half day tour : designed for the individual travellers,��and will be transported in Woolnorth tour vehicle. ��Minimum of 2 people per tour.��Includes��Wind farm Morning tea at the Directors Lodge Cape Grim Woolnorth Homestead area.
Full day tour:��See Cape Grim, Woolnorth Point, Homestead area, Roaring 40s Windfarm. ��Enjoy refreshments and lunch at the Directors Lodge. Duration: 7.5 hours.
Bus tours: choice of four tours ��� Best of Woolnorth Morning Tea; Best of Woolnorth Lunch; Taste of Woolnorth (2 hrs); Woolnorth Wild Farm.
Location: Woolnorth Tours, Smithton. Ph (03) 6452 1493 Mobile 0428 340 579
Cape Grim
Cape Grim was discovered and named Cape Grim by Matthew Flinders on 7 December 1798, as he sailed from the East in the Norfolk and found a long swell coming from the South-west, confirming for the first time that Van Diemen's Land was separated from the Australian mainland by a strait which he named Bass Strait.
It is the location of the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station which is operated by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in a joint programme with the CSIRO. The Station was established in 1976 and has been operating ever since.
What makes Cape Grim unique is its isolated geographic location. The next land mass directly west of Cape Grim is not Africa, but the southern tip of Argentina. Winds that make their way to Cape Grim from Antarctica and the Indian Ocean hit no significant land mass. Air pollution values collected at Cape Grim are said to represent the closest representation attainable of a global average.
The dairy farm of Woolnorth is operated by one of Australia���s oldest companies, The Van Diemen���s Land Company (VDL). The property is still under Royal Charter. VDL was established by royal charter in 1825, encouraged by Tasmania���s ability to raise fine-wool sheep in the 20 years since its settlement. In the charter, King George IV granted 143,500 hectares of land to VDL, covering much of the area between Burnie and the north-west corner of the island. Today, at 16,800ha, Woolnorth remains tasmania���s largest property, and is all that remains of the original land grant. Woolnorth station is the country���s biggest milk supplier.
Accommodation
The Directors lodge is available by special arrangement. All enquiries and bookings need to be pre-arranged by phone: 0428 340 579