Join us for a study tour to explore more of what Tasmania has to offer.   

There are some amazing tours to choose from – it will be tricky to settle on just one! 
Each tour has been designed to showcase the region – designed by planners that are locals
so you will get the absolute lowdown on whichever tour / region you chose to go on.

Tours do have limited numbers – first in best dressed – so be sure to secure your spot ASAP.
Full day tours will include lunch and morning / afternoon tea

STUDY TOUR 1: 1806 to 2030
Heritage Highways and City Deals (Launceston to Hobart)

Tuesday 17th May - Join us for dinner 6pm / Wednesday 18th May 8.30am – 4pm 
$220 per person

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Want to start your conference early, in one of Australia’s oldest cities?

Why not fly into Launceston on Tuesday, 17 May (or earlier if you want to do some touring) and discuss city deals. Launceston is one of UNESCO’s newest Cities of Gastronomy, so join us for dinner and a discussion with a panel of experts about what the city deal has done for Launceston.  We will discuss the good, the bad and the ugly and how the City deal has translated into specific projects.

Wednesday, we will start the day with a walking tour around the City and you can see some of the heritage and projects from the previous discussions, and experience some of the city’s best coffee.

We will then board a bus and travel the Heritage Highway to be in Hobart by mid-afternoon.

Along the way, we will stop at two heritage towns through the midlands valleys and discuss different approaches to planning for heritage, tourism and agriculture have impacted established towns with iconic status and what this means for their future.  

Lunch will be at historic Ross and perhaps have a quick tipple in Oatlands, before we arrive in Hobart in mid-afternoon to check in to your hotels and prepare for the Welcome Function and National Awards for Planning Excellence to kick start #PIACongress22. 

[SOLD OUT] STUDY TOUR 2: Huon Valley Agrarian Tour
- The challenges, realities and joys of escaping to the country

Ever have that dream of escaping the hustle of urban life, feel tired of seeing the same four walls and long for rolling green hills and bountiful streams or want to hide among the apple blossoms. Then sneak out of Hobart with us, as we explore the rural lifestyle of the Huon Valley. Our full day tour will be full of wonder and secret gems as we traverse the Huon Valley and examine the challenges and realities of escaping to the country. 

A stronghold for the apple industry until the 1960s when international and local events transpired to end the region’s dominance of the industry, the Huon Valley’s isolation and landscape has historically seen it avoid large scale agriculture and development pressures. In recent years major change to the region’s agricultural sector and the desirability of small holder farms has resulted in some of the fastest growth rates in the State, making it one of the core economic sectors. This change is juxtaposed with major developments in large scale farming in the area. Challenges abide including issues of employment, affordability of housing, sustainability, the tyranny of distance, climate change and the uncertainty that change brings to local communities. 

Before sitting down for the Conference, tiptoe away with us to a secret valley bountiful of cider, sparkling wine, cheese, saffron, salmon and, of course, plenty of apples.  

STUDY TOUR 3: Glenorchy to MONA- 'Go beyond the curtain'

Wednesday 18th May 9am – 4pm
$110 per person

Glenorchy is a multi-cultural and inclusive city celebrating arts and culture, fostering community spirit and embracing exciting new opportunities. It is the home to MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Australia’s premier modern art museum, which draws visitors from across the world. Join us on a full day tour exploring and learning about the planning and development of this vibrant area!

The morning session will cover walking tours and discussions at Moonah and Glenorchy, the key precincts in Greater Glenorchy area, and a presentation to tie it all together. You will be introduced to the assets of these precincts, analyse the changing CBD and some of the major projects that are currently underway. Walking tours will cover interesting sites at the Corridor of Modern Art (COMA) activation project and its linkage to MONA along the Intercity Cycleway, GASP! (Glenorchy Arts and Sculpture Park), KGV Oval, MyState Bank Arena, and the planned surrounding retail, sport and entertainment precinct at Wilkinsons Point that is currently in development along the foreshore. There will be bus transfers where required, and refreshments and lunch. 

Following this you will have an afternoon session at the world class MONA, where you will walk around the museum grounds, and hear firsthand from the planner involved in the development of MONA. The topics of discussion will include approvals process for this significant facility, opportunities and constrains of the development including consideration of architectural design, landscape values, traffic, aboriginal heritage, vulnerability to coastal flooding and erosion, geotechnical and heritage values, with regard to the State Costal Policy, the Glenorchy Planning Scheme, requirements of the Tasmanian Heritage Council and approvals involved for development on Crown Land. 

STUDY TOUR 4: Derwent Valley
Growth and competing interests in the Valley of Love

Wednesday 18th May 9am – 4pm
$110 per person

Join us on a full day tour where we will take you to the Derwent Valley, affectionately referred to as the ‘Valley of Love’ by locals. Starting off at the charming township of New Norfolk, the third oldest settlement in Tasmania and bronze medallist in the Australia’s Top Tourism towns in 2021, we will discuss placemaking, place activation, heritage conservation and more. The infamous Willow Court in the heart of the town is currently being transformed into a thriving arts and culture precinct, and the previous derelict fringes of the township are revitalised by an exciting urban renewal project that is underway. 

In the afternoon we will change up the pace as we drive up the Valley to visit Meadowbank Dam and Power Station and explore infrastructure and resource planning in a changing climate. We will dive into the extensive range of competing interests for a common resource – water, including but not limited to hydropower, aquaculture, drinking water supply, irrigation demand and social/recreational endeavours. How can we manage increasing demands in the face of climate change? What does it mean for developers, community and utility providers alike? What’s the role of planners in facilitating these discussions? Come and hear the first-hand information from a handful of in-field experts who will join us for the day. 

[SOLD OUT] STUDY TOUR 6: North Hobart Micro Brewery Walking Tour

Wednesday 18th May 1pm – 4pm
$60 per person

Micro-breweries are becoming the latest Big Thing. With a recognition of the value of small scale, bespoke industries, and the interest in the community of understanding how their food and drinks are produced, a number of micro-breweries, combined with entertainment establishments have popped up in the Hobart area.

Join us for a 3 hour walking tour in North Hobart, to discuss the approval processes for new industries in what can be a rigid regulatory framework. Learn about how these industries don’t fit neatly into existing planning frameworks, and how regulatory organisations have addressed this to provide the necessary flexibility. 

Attendees will walk between three micro breweries, and have an opportunity to sample some local brews and speak with the brewers about their experience.

Wednesday 18th May 1pm – 4pm
$60 per person

Hobart stands on the edge of a generational transformation from much loved but often overlooked southern outpost to rapidly expanding place of commercial, residential, educational and visitor interest. Long blessed with largely unchanging streetscapes, heritage listed properties, stable demographics, a strong tradition of community spirit and affordable housing, the influx of developer interest has created growing pains within the State capital. Infill development has started to remake the townscape and for the first time in years, the State, City and community are debating both the costs and the benefits of suddenly being a sought after location. 

In response, the City of Hobart, in partnership with the Tasmanian State Government, are in the process of delivering a strategic plan to guide development over the next 20 years for the 64 inner blocks of the city. Its goals are to ensure that Hobart continues to grow into a vibrant, sustainable and economically diverse global city whilst retaining its special and unique sense of place and community.

Take a guided walk with members of the Central Hobart Precinct Plan team to visit some of the sites and neighbourhoods that represent the fault lines in the debate in how Hobart grows into the future and learn more about the issues, process and ideas that have helped shape the emerging strategic plan.