Freycinet Peninsula walking holiday, Tasmania
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
The lodge used on this low impact walk is set in 130 acres of private property surrounded by the Freycinet National Park and is the only building on Friendly Beaches: a truly pristine location.
The lodge has won national awards from the Royal Australian Institute of Architecture for its sustainable design. Constructed from Tasmanian plantation hardwood, it sits lightly in delicate coastal bushland.
The lodge is not connected to town-water or the electricity-grid; we have composting toilets, solar lighting and we recycle all food waste. But environmentally responsibility only adds to the lodge’s comfort: there are hot rain water showers and deep baths to wallow in – sustainable comforts courtesy of the sun and the rain.
Our company is privileged to operate in some of the most pristine landscapes on earth, many of them exclusively. The Tasmanian environment boasts some of the world’s freshest air, ancient forests, some of the earth’s oldest trees and rivers you can still drink from. We are committed to assisting travellers to experience and understand these precious environments and to help protect and maintain them at the same time.
Our entire team shares a deep commitment to maintaining the integrity of the Tasmanian wilderness. Accordingly we have established an operation that follows a Leave No Trace philosophy and are proud of the fact that we have effectively left no human trace behind over two decades of operating in Tasmania’s most delicate environs. The places we take our travellers remain in the same excellent and pristine condition as when we first found them.
Our leaders encourage and promote an understanding to our travellers of local conservation, including:
Stay on track: If no track, fan out and do not follow in each other's footsteps. On beaches, walk below the high-tide mark.
Pack it in - pack it out: Take all of your rubbish out with you! Collect any other bushwalkers' garbage off the track!
Flora/Fauna: Don’t disturb or feed nesting birds or browsing animals. Avoid introducing weeds or seeds into new areas by thoroughly cleaning boots tents and other equipment before and after each trip. small amounts of human waste present a major environmental threat. these fragile environments we effectively “Leave No Trace”
We were delighted that our efforts were nominated by our travellers and subsequently long listed for the Responsible Travel Awards 2011.
Community
Supporting the local community is part of our operational philosophy. We are committed to buying locally and assisting local projects wherever possible.
As part of our operations manual we make it very clear that resources, where and when possible, should be purchased from local sources. We have a food policy, whereby it states that the produce on trips should be both Tasmanian owned and produced. If both are not possible it should then be either produced or owned locally before even considering any mainland or overseas alternatives.
All guides and support staff are locally employed.
We employ people to do our food drops – rather than helicopters.
All vehicles are maintained frequently locally in Launceston.
As a pioneer and leader in the Tasmanian adventure industry, we help to bring together smaller operators and include some of their experiences in our multi-activity packages so they benefit from our marketing activities as well.
There is a check of local gear and equipment before every tour at a local gear shop. If a client is deemed lacking essential equipment we have obtained favourable rates for them to purchase the gear from the locally owned outdoor shop.
Each year we run at least one charity fundraising trek which benefits a Tasmanian charity financially as well as through raising their profile through the marketing activities we undertake to promote the trek.
We take Youth Groups to visit the Devils at Cradle Sanctuary to learn about the important work being done to help save this endangered Australian animal.
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