Dark days lure visitors from the warmth and into a cold winter wonderland

DARK Mofo has “broken the back” of the traditional aversion to visiting Tasmania in winter with even locals now wanting to get out and about in the cold, tourism leaders say.

Huge crowds disembark from the Mona ferry for the opening of the ZERO exhibition as part of Dark Mofo. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

DARK Mofo has “broken the back” of the traditional aversion to visiting Tasmania in winter with even locals now wanting to get out and about in the cold, tourism leaders say.

Hobart’s accommodation sector is reporting solid bookings over the next few weeks with city rooms starting to get scarce.

Tasmanian Hospitality Association chief executive Steve Old said things were looking really solid a week ago and building as the festival began.

This year’s Dark Mofo program runs from June 8-24 with the Winter Feast, which begins on Friday, signalling the festival’s peak — when visitation to the capital almost equals the summer high.

Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said the industry is expecting a big few weeks.

“We expect June to be the equivalent of summer and a visit up the East Coast this long weekend showed there were plenty of mainland visitors around,” he said.

“Dark Mofo has broken the back of the traditional aversion to coming to Tasmania in winter. Even Tasmanians are getting into it and getting out of the house.

“Add in the upcoming Festival of Voices and the winter hoodoo really is a thing of the past due to event-driven tourism. We now have to find ways of getting more people out into the regions before and after Dark Mofo.”

Activist and humanitarian Madeleine Habib speaking during a TMAG panel discussion around its exhibition A Journey to Freedom. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

Salamanca Inn has reported solid bookings with accommodation becoming very tight next week.

The story was the same at Customs House Hotel, where rooms were “basically sold out” and there was also a steady flow of people going in to eat and drink.

Dark Mofo continued on Monday, with international artists gathering at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery to explore issues relating to incarceration.

A Journey to Freedom is guest-curated by Swiss-born Barbara Polla and brings together thought-provoking works by 13 European and Australian contemporary artists, including a photographic series by Tasmanian Ricky Maynard.

— with JIM ALOUAT