Be amazed by Tasmazia's attractions

LOSE yourself - and maybe the kids - in life-sized puzzles where humour and quirkiness abound, writes Leanne Edmistone.

tazmazia

TURN left at No Where Else, stop in The Promised Land and get lost in Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot - where a sense of direction helps but a sense of humour is essential.

Named one of the world's top 10 family attractions by South Africa's GoTravel24.com, Tasmazia has eight mazes that offer plenty of opportunity to enjoy a journey rather than just reach a destination.

The rural complex is home to four permanent hedge mazes as well as the balance maze, cage maze, Irish maze and the very picturesque Yellow Brick Road Maze, set around the quaint miniature village of Lower Crackpot.

The star attraction is the Great Maze, the world's biggest permanent hedge maze when planted in 1985 but since superseded by the Pineapple Garden Maze in Wahiawa, Hawaii, which has a total path length of 3.962km.

Master Three and Master Five spent hours - across two visits, they liked it so much - exploring this cool, green world where every corner seemed to reveal a new attraction designed to tickle the funny bone and fire the imagination.

Our destination was the Three Bears' Cottage in the centre, but along the way we explored Cubby Town, complete with its own fire station, theatre and haunted Spooky House, visited the Three Little Pigs, climbed Jack'n'Jill's Hill, were Led up the Garden Path, surveyed our domain from The Tower, found the Fork in the Road and paid our respects at the grave of Big Ron Who Died With His Boots On.

The Great Maze is also home to the wooden Cage Maze, the Irish Maze and the Secret Passageway - my children's favourite element.

But don't worry, there is plenty to keep adults entertained with lots of humorous quotes, jokes and sayings on sign posts to keep you giggling/groaning along the way.

The Crackpot Correctional Centre is a good place to put your kids in the docks and rest a minute, or threaten them with a stint in the dungeon if they've started to whine. Climb the stairs to reach the low wall Balance Maze.

Emerge from the Great Maze into the Village of Lower Crackpot, which has its own postcode and official Australia Post stamp, built to one-fifth the scale of typical buildings in concrete and brick. Again humour is used to best effect in both the design and names of the different buildings.

See the World's smallest World Heritage Centre, try to pull Arthur's Sword from the stone and see what happened to the witch who didn't watch where she was going.

The village is bordered by the Hampton Court Maze, a replica of the maze in Britain's Hampton Court Palace, with a central viewing platform; the six-sided Hexagonal Maze hiding a tribute to poles and posts; and the Confusion Maze, which has a reputation for being harder to get out of than into.

The Yellow Brick Road Maze is a footpath maze full of fairytale magic for toddlers and young children, complemented by lavish flower gardens and featuring the Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe, Rapunzel's Tower and the obligatory Pink Princess Castle.

The adjoining lavender farm - home of the Tudor Lane product range - blooms in January and February.

Refreshments are available at the Pancake Parlour but there are plenty of facilities for picnickers, as well as some play equipment to amuse fidgety littlies.

You could easily spend half a day at Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot.

But the drive there and back could be used to stop in at the local wineries, inspect the Lake Barrington International Rowing Course, and enjoy the views of the Mt Roland.

Go2 - Tasmazia

Getting there: There are direct flights from Brisbane and the Gold Coast to Hobart or flights to Launceston via Sydney and Melbourne.

Doing there: Tasmazia is 15 minutes from Sheffield, 40 minutes from Devonport, 40 minutes from Cradle Mountain and just over an hour from Launceston. Entry is $10 children and $20 adults. Phone [phone].

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