@stevenjphipps
Climate science, sustainability and climate solutions | International relations and humanitarianism | Tasmania and Japan | Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) | Optimist, problem solver Location: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Website: stevenphipps.com
It was great to meet Taz from Spring Bay Distillery at Salamanca Market. Spring Bay's Tawny Port Cask was named the Best Oceania Single Malt Whisky at the 2023 Tokyo Whisky and Spirits Competition. This was followed last year with a Gold Medal for their Solera Muscat Cask Finish. Congratulations!
The Australian Institute of International Affairs Tasmania is delighted to present this special event with the Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne, Mr Tokuro Furuya, on 24 March 2026.
Registrations: aiiatas.glueup.com/event/24-mar...
It's such a remarkable Tasmanian institution, isn't it? I take visitors there whenever I can and they always have an amazing time.
On Monday, we visited Maria Island. The island is dry at the moment but we saw several wombats, including a rare white wombat. On Tuesday, we enjoyed a final cheese platter at Coal River Farm. My guests then flew back to Tokyo, where the temperature upon arrival was just four degrees.
‘The Journey’ allows visitors to experience a self-guided tour of Bonorong's new Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Facility, which opened late last year. This is truly excellent. Everything that they do is funded entirely by the entry fees and I can only encourage people to visit for themselves.
On Sunday, we visited Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, the Coal River Valley and Richmond.
Bonorong was one of the absolute highlights of the tour. As well as being an outstanding attraction in its own right, it operates Tasmania’s largest 24-hour wildlife rescue service.
It was great to meet Todd from 7K Distillery at Salamanca Market. Todd lived in Japan for ten years and Tyler Clark, the distillery’s founder, travelled to Japan last year as part of the Tasmanian Trade and Investment Mission.
It was a whirlwind conclusion to the tour of southern Tasmania for my guests from Japan. On Friday and Saturday, we visited Mount Field National Park and the Derwent Valley, Street Eats @ Franko, Salamanca Market and the Huon Valley.
You can always rely on Bruny Island to deliver the goods. Thanks to Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Company, Get Shucked Oysters and Bruny Island Honey for helping to make it a very memorable day for my Japanese visitors.
I’m spending the next six days showing a group of visitors from Japan around Tasmania. And to kick things off, a perfect Hobart moment: the view from the summit of kunanyi/Mount Wellington on Wednesday evening as the French Antarctic vessel, L’Astrolabe, comes into port.
Tonight (Tuesday 3 March) sees the last total lunar eclipse until 2029. The show will begin at 8.50pm and end at 12.17am AEDT, with totality lasting from 10.04pm to 11.02pm AEDT. Viewing conditions in Hobart are looking good right now. Enjoy!
As record numbers of Australians travel to Japan, they are falling in love with the clean and crisp taste of Japanese beer.
Red Connect marks the beginning of a new chapter for Australian Red Cross in Tasmania, with future activities planned to bring people together and to build a stronger sense of community. A launch event will follow on Wednesday 18 March.
Australian Red Cross held the inaugural Red Connect Tasmania summit today, bringing members, volunteers and supporters together to explore how local action can strengthen communities. Highlights included a performance by the Choir of High Hopes and a talk by Mitch McPherson of SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY.
In a world where there are more armed conflicts than at any time since the end of World War II, it is more important than ever to protect women from gender-based violence, to guarantee their human rights and to ensure that they have access to essential services such as education and healthcare.
Thank you to the Tasmania State Office of DFAT for the invitation to attend today’s celebration of International Women’s Day 2026. It was an inspirational event, with the highlight being a powerful speech by the Australian Ambassador for Gender Equality, the Hon Michelle O'Byrne.
NHK recently reported on the story of the Cyprus Mutiny, including a visit to Tebajima by a descendant of one of the mutineers. This improbable historical encounter continues to bring people from Tasmania and Japan together, nearly two centuries later.
Good governance is essential for community groups to succeed in their missions. That's why I'm thrilled to see that The Governance Hub Inc. is working with Clubs Tasmania to run free, hands-on governance workshops around Tasmania during April.
Register here: events.humanitix.com/governance-w...
The Australia-Japan Society of Tasmania was delighted to join the 2026 Lunar New Year Festival at Parliament Lawns in Hobart. Thousands of people from all walks of life came together in a spirit of peace and harmony to celebrate the Year of the Horse and Tasmania’s cultural diversity.
Happy Birthday to Wain, the world's oldest-known wombat, who recently turned 37.
Wain lives at Satsukiyama Zoo in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, and is a goodwill ambassador for Ikeda's sister city of Launceston, Tasmania. The special occasion was celebrated with a livestreamed birthday party.
The exhibition is on display at the Maritime Museum of Tasmania until 24 May. There will also be a free lunchtime talk by the artist, Sue Pedley, on 14 April.
Prevailing Gales: www.maritimetas.org/whats/exhibi...
Lunchtime talk: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lunchtime-...
On Friday evening, I was honoured to open the Prevailing Gales exhibition by Sue Pedley at the Maritime Museum of Tasmania.
Prevailing Gales is inspired by the voyage of the Cyprus from Tasmania to Japan and the remarkable encounter, in January 1830, between the mutineers and the local samurai.
Tasmanian buckwheat is now regarded as some of the finest in the world.
Ironically, while it’s possible to enjoy Tasmanian soba in Japan, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, there are no soba restaurants in Tasmania itself. We really need to do something about this!
While in Melbourne, I was sure to visit Shimbashi Soba for a taste of Tasmanian soba noodles.
One of the motivations for establishing a Tasmanian buckwheat industry in the 1980s was that the southern seasons mean that Japanese consumers can enjoy premium shinsoba (new season soba) twice a year.
I was delighted to attend a reception hosted by the Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne, Mr Tokuro Furuya, in honour of the 66th birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
It was a wonderful opportunity to make new connections and to celebrate the relationship between our two countries.
On Sunday, I was delighted to attend the Japanese Arawa Festival in Latrobe. Held alongside the Mersey River on a perfect summer's day, the event brought the local community together to celebrate Japanese culture and the connections with Tasmania.
Japanese Economy, Critical Minerals and the Energy Transition
Tuesday 17 February, 2-4.30pm AEDT
In-person and online
This free seminar will examine Japan’s economic outlook and its strategic position in the global energy transition.
Further information: sydney.jpf.go.jp/events/econo...
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
What do current geopolitical challenges mean for the Australia-US alliance? The Australian Institute of International Affairs Tasmania is hosting the @usstudiescentre.bsky.social for a moderated conversation. Please join us and share your thoughts.
Registrations: aiiatas.glueup.com/event/4-marc...
Red Connect Tasmania is a FREE community summit bringing together stories, music and practical ideas that show how small actions can make a big difference across Hobart and Tasmania.
Further information: events.humanitix.com/red-connect-...