LOOKING out onto the uninterrupted horizon and watching as waves crash on the shore, it is hard to imagine a more picturesque place to spend the night.
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Sitting about 500 metres off the coast of Coles Bay, Picnic Island will soon be home to one of Tasmania’s most unique tourism experiences.
The sandstone island is dotted with penguin burrows and at night, comes alive with the sounds of their scurrying feet as they make their way back home.
Views of The Hazards, Richardsons Beach and the Coles Bay township are just part of what makes this island special.
It was about 10 years ago that Clem Newton-Brown bought Picnic Island.
For many years he spent his summers there, camping with his family, swimming off the rocks and watching their penguin neighbours as they went about their business.
One day it occurred to him, why not share this corner of the world with anyone seeking a unique experience.
It has been about seven years since he first had the idea of adding accomodation to the island and today, the Freycinet Island Penguin Camp is now under construction.
Leading up to this, Mr Newton-Brown took every possible precaution to protect Picnic Island’s natural environment.
He made contact with the Aboriginal Heritage Council and made sure that tourism activity would not harm the precious penguins.
Looking out onto what will one day be the accomodation, you will see the copper shell of two buildings, each designed to blend in with their surroundings.
One building contains four bedrooms, accommodating up to 10 guests, and the other, a communal lounge, bathroom and kitchen area, both designed by Tasmanian architect John Latham.
Guests will be invited to take in the tranquility of the island and to admire the penguins from the boardwalk the loops the island.
The island will also accommodate for the ever-growing arts and culture tourism scene, adding a sculpture trail to its list of attractions.
Throughout the development of the Freycinet Island Penguin Camp, Mr Newton-Brown said he remained conscious of his building and its impact on the landscape and environment.
‘‘The roof of the properties are below the ridgeline and we decided to encapsulate both of the buildings in copper which will blend in with the landscape,’’ he said.
‘‘With the pink granite of The Hazards behind it you can hardly see it from the shore.
‘‘It’s an iconic beach in Tasmania and I wanted to make sure that what I put there was a positive addition rather than a negative.’’
He said that among his top priorities was the safety of the penguins who inhabit the island and that he wanted to create an experience that was as unobtrusive to the animals as possible.
Once completed, the Freycinet Island Penguin Camp will be the only place in the world where guests are able to sleep within a penguin colony, according to Mr Newton-Brown.
‘‘At the moment, if somebody walks over the colonies they crush a burrow so it’s important to have more controlled access around the island,’’ he said.
‘‘There will also be geolocating exercise where all the burrows will be plotted to keep an eye on things.
‘‘We don’t want to have one of the attractions being impacted.’’
Mr Newton-Brown said that idea of creating a sculpture trail came after seeing the success of other tourism ventures that were based on art and culture, such as MONA in Hobart.
‘‘I wanted to build on that and provide a high end arts attraction that will get people who come to Tasmania to come up to the East Coast,’’ he said.
‘‘The idea is to have an outdoor sculpture park and that a highly renowned artist would come in every year and do a residency during the winter months.’’
Mr Newton-Brown said that he hopes the camp will one day become one of the state’s accommodation icons.
He hopes to have the build complete in the next few months and the accomodation open by the end of 2016.
