Entrepreneurial excursions

Last weekend my EO Forum spent four days on retreat in the Hobart region. As a group we go away together twice a year, once for an extended period and once overnight. I organised last year’s event in Wellington where we meet inspiring business people and speakers offering unique life perspectives.

This year we flew into Hobart from Sydney early Thursday morning. Our first day was primarily a boardroom session focused personal and professional challenges. We then took a walking tour of the harbour side district, learning about the colourful characters and historic events that shaped Tasmania’s early years.

Dinner that evening was booked at Aloft, a restaurant located on the upper floor of Brooke Street Pier. The venue delivered a stunning view across Hobart harbour, accompanied by an awesome degustation menu.

The following morning we drove north to scenic Coles Bay. Here we met with Declan Brown, the owner of Oyster Bay Tours, a family business offering tours of the acclaimed Freycinet Marine Farm. Declan and his wife established their tour business six years ago.

At the time the farm was receiving regular enquiries from people seeking to experience the exclusive oyster farm tour offered by Saffire. Garry and I enjoyed one of these behind the scene tours in 2013. Declan had previously worked as a private tour guide for this exclusive resort.

Declan shared with us the experience of establishing and building his own business, before taking into the water to harvest fresh oysters straight from the water. We then learnt to shuck an oyster, a skill that’s always eluded me. We also sampled freshly cooked mussels from the farm’s nearby ocean concession.

We stayed the night in cabins at Freycinet Lodge, enjoying a hearty meal at the lodge’s Bay restaurant. Afterwards we sweet talked an unsuspecting staff member into opening the reception gift store so that we could raid its ice cream freezer.

The following morning we rose before dawn to hike up to the Wineglass Bay lookout in Freycinet National Park. The view was just as spectacular as I recall it a decade ago. We then made our way back to Hobart, stopping briefly at the Killara Distillery for a whiskey testing. The distillery owner, Kristy Booth-Lark, later joined us for dinner and shared her entrepreneurial story in establishing a business it a traditionally male dominated industry. 

We finished our day with a couple of hours at MONA before heading back into town for dinner at Franks on the waterfront. The following morning the rest of the group headed for the airport while I caught the high speed catamaran back to MONA.

I’d decided weeks earlier, I’d like to revisit MONA as it’s always been one Tasmanian venue that Garry steadfastly refuses to visit whenever we’re in Hobart. I booked tickets for two of its new mind-bending visual and auditory exhibits. Both were phenomenal experiences. I particularly enjoyed Event Horizon, by James Turrell, a pulsating light exhibit projected in an enormous white auditorium with seamless, curving walls.