From the moment Curly Haslam-Coates stepped off the plane in Tasmania, she knew she was in a “magical place”.
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But when she left her home in Yorkshire for a study tour, she never imagined the apple would become her home.
For about eight years the German-born food-and-wine-love has called the state home.
“I came to Tassie for a visit for the first time in 2010. That was for a bursary prize that I’d won for wine exams,” she said. “I came here to live in about 2011. I went to New Zealand to look after my friend’s daughter for a few months while I waited for my visa.”
She has been in Tasmania ever since.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I pretty much came here for wine, that was pretty much the whole focus, really,” Ms Haslam-Coates said.
“It was winter when I came here for the holiday and it was just magical.”
In the first couple of days, she had a few “lovely little” moments that made her realise how special Tasmania is.
“I was down in Hobart and saw star fish in the harbour. It was a random thing. There were just loads of them and it was something that I’d never seen before,” she said.
"Then driving up the coast to Spiky Beach. I love it because no one is ever there because they always go to the other very famous beaches close by.
"It’s so lovely, it’s just always pretty empty. The sea is just clear as everything and you can see the mountains. It was just this feeling that I was really special.”
The people, and the north’s proximity to the mountains, seaside and lakes are just a few things she loves about Tasmania.
While she admits the tea is better in England, and they have a better biscuit, Tasmania is a “delicious” island.
“The biscuit selection is not up to scratch I’m afraid,” she said.
“But, living in Launceston is perfect. It reminds me of Yorkshire and I prefer that kind of small town.”
"It’s lovely getting to actually know my neighbour.”
Now Ms Haslam-Coates teaches wine and spirit education trust qualification.
"It’s an international qualification and that’s why I got my visa - because I’m the only person in Tassie who can teach it at the moment,” she said.
Ms Haslam-Coates was also instrumental with getting Harvest Launceston off the ground and shaping it into what it is today.
“Now I do just run around with Hawka at the market and we introduce the kids to different farmers and they get to taste different things,” she said.
With plans to stay in the state for a “fair while”, she cant wait to watch Tasmanian “go from strength to strength”.
- Know someone who has made Tasmania their home? nominate them here.