Tourism operators readying for cruise ship season with more than 80 boats expected

Tasmania remains a popular destination for cruise ships, and this upcoming season is expected to be the same. Here’s what that means for the award-winning Curringa Farm.

Tim Parsons of Curringa Farm, Jill Abel CEO Australian Cruise Association, Alex Heroys CEO Destination Southern Tasmania. Launch of cruise ship season with the first boat arriving in late October. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Tim Parsons, who is co-owner of Curringa Farm, has a long family history of entertaining passengers on ships coming to Tasmania.

His ancestor was an officer of the government who was posted on the penal settlement on Sarah Island in 1823.

“His job involved providing food, drink and entertainment to cruise ship passengers in Tasmania back 200 years ago, and we are still doing it here at Curringa Farm today,” Mr Parsons said.

Fred Olsen Cruise Line ship Bolette.

Curringa farm is a working sheep and cropping farm, with nine luxury accommodation cottages at Hamilton.

Mr Parsons said the cruise ship season was really important to his and other tourism businesses that were away from the city with day trips bringing tourists out to explore regional outposts.

He said the international tourists that visited his farm stay from the cruise ships were “really excited” to learn about the whole of Tasmania, meet the locals and hear their stories.

Curringa Farm is celebrating 40 years in the agritourism business — having become one of the most successful regional agritourism businesses in the state in that time. So much so that Mr Parsons travelled to Italy earlier to accept the world agritourism award earlier this year.

Destination Southern Tasmania chief executive Alex Heroys said the first ship would arrive on October 29.

More than 80 ships are expected to follow over the 2024-25 season.

Cruise ship Carnival Splendor at Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

Tourism operators from across the state joined Mr Heroys at Wrest Point on Wednesday to discuss opportunities to leverage the cruise ship passengers.

Australian Cruise Association CEO Jill Abel said she was in Hobart to give a national and global perspective on the sector, which she said was “booming”.

“Tassie is always high on the agenda for the cruise lines, it’s such a popular destination,” she said.