Graham Freeman’s love affair to share with the world

INTREPID traveler Graham Freeman today bids an emotional farewell to the island he has grown to love.

A wallaby on the beach at Wineglass Bay. Picture: Graham Freeman

SIX months ago, South African-born Los Angeles native Graham Freeman was a stranger to Tasmania.

Today the intrepid traveler bids an emotional farewell to the island he has grown to love, after winding up his stint as Tourism Tasmania’s first social media ambassador.

After sharing his thoughts and photographs of Tasmania with the world via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter since August, Mr Freeman will reluctantly hang up his camera to reflect on the once-in-a-lifetime travel experience.

“Emotions are running high, which I really wasn’t expecting,’’ the 25-year-old said yesterday.

Traversing Bathurst Harbour by kayak. Picture: Graham Freeman

“This place really gets under your skin. It will be very hard to say goodbye.

“I came here without any expectation about the place, which was the best thing I could have done because Tassie constantly found ways to surprise me and keep me on my toes.’’

Beautiful Tasmania: Graham Freeman's stunning pictures

A wallaby on the beach at Wineglass Bay. Picture: Graham Freeman

Mr Freeman was snapped up by Tourism Tasmania after just missing out on a gig in the Australian Best Jobs in the World campaign, for which he had secured the celebrity backing of supermodel Heidi Klum.

And although he nominated the idyllic locations of the Freycinet Peninsula and Flinders Islands as among the highlights of his stay, it was a cold, sodden rafting trip down the Franklin River in October he rated as his favourite experience of his time in Tasmania.

“It was freezing, pouring with rain the whole time,” he said.

“But the experience was so valuable, it reminds you that you are so small in this huge world.”

He said that the biggest surprise of his social media experience was the huge response his photos received whenever he posted images of Tasmania’s night sky.

Because of smog and light pollution issues in much of the rest of the world, he said followers of his adventures were astounded by what turns out to be a stargazer’s paradise.

“My top five photos were all star photos – people seemed to love them,” he said.

“They couldn’t believe that you could be in Hobart – a capital city – and see more stars than you will see in countryside locations in many other parts of the world.”

After a whirlwind tour that has taken in every corner of the state, Mr Freeman was praised by Tourism Tasmania chief John Fitzgerald for bringing Tasmania to the world.

“Graham has been a fantastic social media ambassador for Tasmania,” Mr Fitzgerald said.