THIS WEEK'S COMMUNITY NEWS

Artisans Christmas market
The Artisan’s Hand in Cygnet has invited a group of their artist friends along to host a locally handmade Christmas Market on Friday 1 December. Enjoy the afternoon and evening – and tick off those tricky Christmas lists – with the makers themselves in beautiful historic Balfour House from 3pm to 8pm.
Since opening in September, the working studios at Balfour House have been showcasing the work of four local artisans. By opening up the newly renovated house the makers invite you in to watch them work and make, to talk with each artisan, to explore their unique tools and processes and to become actively involved in their creative process.
This special Christmas Market offers you the opportunity to meet ten more local makers and purchase original and creative handmade gifts made right here in the Huon Valley. In addition, many of the makers will be offering gift vouchers that can be used for future purchases or for classes and workshops in a wide range of activities such as knife making, spoon carving and ceramics. This year the market will feature jewellery, art prints, cards and stationery, ceramics, handmade knives, furniture, textile items, hand carved spoons, home-baked Christmas cakes and puddings and more!
Find your perfect gifts at the Artisan’s Hand Christmas Market.
The Artisan’s Hand

Spoken word poetry in Cygnet
Cygnet Arts Council’s end of year Spoken Word Poetry event is coming on Sunday 10 December at 2pm at the Cygnet Town Hall Supper Room. Come and join us – as a Cygnet-based poet reading your own original work (five minutes maximum), or as part of the audience.
This is the third exciting event this year, showing amazing talent, bravery and variety of styles and content. We are creating a community of local poets to perform their vibrant original works to supportive local audiences. So please come along and bring friends. Entry is by donation,
afternoon tea will be available.
The event is supported by the Huon Valley Council creative grants.
Poets can register by email: cygnetartscouncil@gmail or text: 0400 614 067.
Cygnet Community Arts Council

First Kingston carols planned
Kingborough Council will host its inaugural Christmas carols event at Kingston Park event lawn on Friday 8 December from 5pm to 8pm.
“Christmas Carols at the Park will be a heartwarming event for all in our community, especially those who love to sing together,” said the mayor Paula Wriedt.
“We will have several local school and community choir groups performing our favourite carols, which will be beautiful on the grassed event lawn adjacent to the exercise area.
“A range of food trucks will be available in the Kingston Park carpark from 4pm, so arrive early and enjoy a delicious dinner in the park. We are also suggesting that attendees bring a seat or rug.
“This event has been anticipated for some time, so there will be many in the community looking forward to an evening filled with Christmas songs and festive spirit.”
The choirs will be supported by jazz band the Deep C Minors and there will be face painting, cookie decoration and an appearance from Santa. Community members are encouraged to dress up in their favourite festive clothing for a chance to win one of the many spot prizes.
Kingborough Council media release

Cygnet Bowls and Community Club update
Last Thursday Cygnet’s ladies travelled to Taroona.
Maxine skipped her troop and won six of the first 11 ends but trailed 7-14 at the break. Two more singles was all they could muster as Taroona won this rink 30-9.
Lorna’s team were 8-13 down at the break and won five of the final ten ends but came up just short 19 to 20.
Leonie’s squad lost a first end “5” but fought back to trail 9-11 at the break. Cygnet allowed their opponents just three more singles as they won 19-14.
Taroona won overall 64-47.
Due to the new swimming pool at Sorell Bowling Club no play on Saturday was undertaken. The points were shared.
Robert Davies
Cygnet Bowls and Community Club

Kingborough leads housebuilding uptick
Kingborough is the focus of housing development in southern Tasmania, with almost 4,500 new residents since 2017 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The Mercury reports that Kingborough Council approves around 200 new homes each year.
In 2022, the Kingborough population was 41,000.
Around 475 new homes will be built at the Huntingfield greenfield development in the next five years. This follows the Kings Quarter development at Kingston. Around 20 new subdivisions have also been approved in Kingborough since 2020.
There are also plans for a supermarket and retail
precinct at the Fork in the Road roundabout.
Kingborough mayor Paula Wriedt told the Mercury the council was focusing on infill development.
“The Kingborough Land Use Strategy also indicates potential additional housing opportunities at Margate and Snug,” she said.
The state government launched its Tasmanian Housing Strategy last week, which will favour medium density housing and infill development, with the stated aim of maximising existing infrastructure.
The Huon Valley is also expected to be a popular location for new housing.
Property Council Tasmania executive director Rebecca Ellston told the Mercury: “Recent land rezoning in the Huon Valley has unlocked new opportunities and will see growth of this area as well. However, travel distances remain
a challenge for many.”
Meanwhile, the annual Rental Affordability Index recently highlighted the ongoing problem of high rents in the state, with most renters close to the widely accepted definition of housing stress, which is defined as when housing costs exceed 30% of gross household income.
The Classifieds

Fitness centre gets facelift
Kingborough Council will soon start upgrading the Kingborough Fitness Centre to provide better accessibility and improved bathroom facilities.
Starting on Monday 27 November, upgrades will begin on the existing bathroom facilities, including a new multi-access toilet and shower.
The fitness centre’s reception will also be moved to create a better gym environment.
While work is underway, members will still have access to the gym, along with group classes, by way of the main front entrance of Kingborough Sports Centre.
To ensure safe work practices, centre users are asked to follow any signage directing access.
More information on Kingborough Fitness Centre can be found on the council’s website.
Kingborough Council

Helping refugees in the community
The Huon Refugee Support Group (HRSG) has been busy with lots of activities in the past few months. A combination of fundraising, supporting a newly arrived refugee family and helping refugees from Hobart to feel part of the community has kept our volunteers occupied.
The Cygnet Garden Market was held in and around the Cygnet Town Hall on Sunday 29 October and was a fundraiser for the group. Almost $4,000 was raised this year through entry donations and raffle tickets. Run entirely by volunteers, the market welcomes garden-related stallholders and some great information sessions presented by high profile speakers including Hannah Maloney from Gardening Australia.
Combined with money raised at the trivia night held earlier this year, the funds are used to support newly arrived refugees as they settle into Australia. The HRSG welcomed a Syrian family in May. With involvement from local businesses, schools and community groups, the family were given a warm welcome after nine years as refugees in Lebanon. The family has since moved to Victoria and said they are grateful for the warm welcome they received in Cygnet as they started their new lives.
On Monday 30 October, the Hobart-based Red Cross group called ‘Connected Women’ was welcomed to a fun morning of art-making at Port Cygnet Sailing Club. Led by Leanne Devereaux, a talented local artist and experienced art teacher, the group included women from Ethiopia, the Philippines, and the Karen and Iraqi communities. Activities like these are designed to expand refugees’ knowledge of their new home, improve their English skills and importantly to feel connected to Australia and their community.
HRSG is a group of Cygnet and Huon locals committed to supporting refugees locally and more broadly. We expect to welcome a new family in the near future. For more information or to be involved in our activities, email huonresginc@gmail.com
Huon Refugee Support Group

Labyrinth walking: bring peace into your day at Cygnet Market
In Cygnet we love our beautiful village community life. We have activities that bring us together – like our market and creatives who make life rich with concerts, classes and art, cafes to meet in and beauty in our landscape. What’s not to love? We have people who smile and care about our world and each other.
However with care comes ache. For a world out of control, for development reshaping Cygnet, for family and future. We can no longer predict life in five years let alone twenty or fifty. In short this ache is part of being human.
What counts is having ways to return to being peaceful between the moments of very valid heartache, stress and anxiety. Consider for example, how life as we knew it changed with the pandemic. It takes time to make sense of and find our feet again. In the meantime stress and anxious thoughts seem to keep coming.
One way of connecting with peace within is labyrinth walking. It’s a walking meditation that quietens the monkey mind and can slow an anxious/racing heart. It can take five minutes or 50 minutes depending on what you need when you arrive.
Living in Cygnet, we happen to have two of Australia’s most accomplished labyrinth people – Tina Christensen and Mark Healy. In 2022 Mark was commissioned to build a labyrinth in the Southern Remand Centre – that place of limbo and extreme anxiety – at Risdon prison. Tina is an internationally accredited trainer of labyrinth facilitators through veriditas.org. Between them they have 40 plus years of labyrinth passion in addition to skills in body and breath work, arts based psychotherapy, wood, paint and horticulture.
This Christmas Mark and Tina are offering the community ‘Peace Circle Labyrinth Walks’ on December 3 and 17. They’ll roll out a full size canvas labyrinth upstairs at the Cygnet Town Hall, from 10am to 2pm, for anyone to come and walk, in a quiet space, bringing their gifts and resources to our community. Walk for peace within, take five from the end of year flurry, walk to send peace into the world, to Ukraine, the Middle East, a friend in need, our southern oceans, anywhere.
Labyrinth walking is a practise which the more you do, the more you benefit, like a martial art. Unlike a martial art however, you can do it once and receive benefit. As a practise, it builds resilience. Your body comes to know you’re giving it (and your nervous system) a way to calm.
So drop by and say hi, if you’re curious about what a labyrinth is and isn’t or would like to take a moment and walk for peace. Let’s continue to be people who can smile and care about our world and each other.
Labyrinth Lane

Traffic solutions proposed
Kingborough Council will consult the community on the council’s proposed traffic management measures for improving pedestrian safety at Kingston Beach.
“Many people have spoken to me about how difficult it can be for pedestrians to move around Kingston Beach safely,” said Mayor Paula Wriedt.
“Through this community consultation, we are aiming to raise awareness about possible solutions to improve traffic calming and pedestrian movement.
“There are six proposals for Kingston Beach, including a wombat crossing near the carpark and business centre on Beach Road, as well as a wombat crossing near the toilets on Osborne Esplanade. A wombat crossing is a zebra crossing that is placed on a flat-top road hump.
“Once we receive community feedback, the council will consider the works in our upcoming budgetary process.”
Community consultation is open until Tuesday 12 December 2023. Visit the council website for more information. For hard copies of the survey, or help filling it out, contact the council on 6211 8200.
Kingborough Council media release

Art sculpture prizes announced
Congratulations to our two 2023 Kingborough Acquisition Prize winners Dan Tucker and Evie Silver.
Mayor Paula Wriedt announced the winners of the 2023 Sculpture Prize organised by Art Farm Birchs Bay, selected from 21 artworks entered.
“The Sculpture Prize exhibits a variety of works by local artists, all at different career stages,” Cr Wriedt said.
“The Sculpture Prize is such a fantastic event, gathering talent from local artists and every year it gets more difficult to pick the winners with the array of sculptures exceeding all our expectations.
“This year’s winners, Dan Tucker for his work ‘Even or Odd’ and Evie Silver for her work ‘Weedy’ will both become part of Kingborough’s public sculpture trail.”
‘Even or Odd’ will be beautifully positioned at the Gordon recreation ground and will make a stunning feature by the sea.
Dan Tucker, a local Bruny Island artist said he was fascinated by the beauty of mechanical things including symmetry, precision and balance.
“We manipulate the landscape around us to make our lives more comfortable but often in this process we disrupt and destroy the balance of nature, it is odd we are doing this at an ever-quickening speed,” Mr Tucker said.
‘Weedy’, by artist Evie Silver is an exceptional piece, featuring a sea dragon within a robust piece of art which will be placed within Kingborough by the sea.
Ms Silver said ‘Weedy’ on face value was the translocation of a delicate under water scene to land.
“It is a product of my exploration with the materials of metal and glass whilst playing with the movements of currents and the combinations of colours and rust.”
“All 21 artworks that participated in this year’s prize will be on display at Art Farm Birchs Bay until 11 February 2024,” Cr Wriedt said.
Kingborough Council

Learn about your library online
Introducing a great new program for anyone keen to learn more about the digital side of your library. ‘Your Library Online’ will run fortnightly on a Tuesday at Kingston Library, starting 5 December.  Get help using our Lending App, website, catalogue, and My Account. Discover the eLibrary including newspapers, magazines, books, and films, and study help with Studiosity.
To book your half hour session (9.30am, 10am, or 11am) visit www.eventbrite.com.au/e/764254233987 or contact Kingston Library.
Kingston Library

Huon Valley named leading travel destination
Huon Valley has been recognised in Condé Nast Traveler’s ‘Best Places to Go in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific in 2024’ list.
The annual list sets out the best places in the region to travel, curated by an extensive network of travel writers.
Liberal Member for Franklin, Nic Street, has welcomed the recognition saying that it is fantastic to see the region’s rich heritage and tourism experiences acknowledged on the world stage, driving regional visitation and supporting our regional communities.
“Condé Nast Traveler is a leader in the travel industry with an excellent global reputation. I’m delighted to see the Huon Valley recognised by such an influential voice,” Minister Street said.
“With around 37,300 jobs supported by the tourism sector across the state, Tasmania’s tourism industry is vital to our regional economies with the Huon Valley flying the flag proudly.”
Tourism Tasmania CEO Sarah Clark, commends the Huon Valley’s contribution to Tasmania’s tourism offering.
“The things that make Tasmania a special place to live are the very same things that make our state so attractive to visitors; our people, products and natural experiences, and the Huon Valley region is a great example of this,” Sarah Clark said.
“With boutique award-winning food, ciders and wine to walks in World Heritage areas, underground dolomite caves, pools fed by mineral-rich thermal springs and the iconic Tahune Airwalk, we’re not surprised that the Huon Valley has made the list of best places to travel in 2024.”
Nic Street
Liberal Member for Franklin

New fishing app ready for summer
A new recreational fishing app is ready to lure fishers in this summer.
Available to download now, the new Fishing Tas app replaces the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide app as the definitive resource for recreational sea fishing information in Tasmania, with many favourite features receiving updates and new looks.
Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Jo Palmer said the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide app was launched ten years ago to give Tasmanian fishers a convenient one-stop-shop for any information they needed when fishing.
“Since then there have been more than 100,000 downloads and 40,000 active users, so it’s done its job well,” Minister Palmer said.
Developed by the state government, the new app is an essential addition to the tacklebox for recreational fishers in Tasmania.
“It includes a guide to more than 150 fish species, recreational sea fishing rules, and offline-accessible maps including fishing areas, restrictions, and fishing facility locations,” Minister Palmer said.
“It’s great to see that this new app has already had more than 2,700 downloads within its first week of release.”
Importantly, recreational fishers can use the new Fishing Tas app to report their rock lobster catch as part of new mandatory reporting requirements which come into effect on 2 December 2023.
“Recreational rock lobster licence holders are required to complete the report after fishing for rock lobster, even if none are caught,” Minister Palmer said.
“Catch reports must be made before leaving the point of landing,
where you come ashore after fishing.
“If you don’t have access to the app there are other means by which you can make your report.”
With fishers providing more accurate reporting of their catch, fishery managers and scientists can rely on high-quality data on the rock lobster fishery, which means better management of the rock lobster stock for all fishers.
The Fishing Tas app will continue to be updated and we encourage fishers to provide feedback and ideas for future development by emailing fishingapp.feedback@nre.tas.gov.au.
For more information about the new app and mandatory rock lobster catch reporting, visit www.fishing.tas.gov.au/fishing-tas-app .
Jo Palmer, Minister for
Primary Industries and Water

Riverside trail opened
The new North West Bay River Shared Use Trail (stage 1) is now open.
This beautiful 3.1km (one way) walk takes you along the North West Bay River and has two river crossings over boulders and a new bridge over Cooke Rivulet.
The trail is designed for walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders but dogs are not allowed on the trail due to the abundance of wildlife and landholders’ wishes. Nearly all other Kingborough tracks do allow dogs on lead.
Access is from either Huon Highway
/Sandfly Road junction, Riverdale Road, or Sandfly Oval (walkers only from this section – no horse or bike riders). All access points have parking.
Kingborough Council would like to thank the Trail Riders Action Club (TRAC) who have worked hard with the council to get this first stage open for many years.
Please be aware that this trail is not suitable for use after heavy rain. Kingborough Council asks that you follow shared use trail etiquette.
Kingborough Council

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