He moved here with his wife a number of years ago after she got a job as a doctor in the South.

"We had to leave everything behind ... I came over with two crates, that's all," Mr Barkhuizen said.

"The first six months were really difficult - my sons, sister, brother and parents are all still in South Africa ... to adapt to a new culture and new way of thinking and a culture with so much red tape - it was difficult."

Mr Barkhuizen, however, was not deterred from acclimatising to Tasmanian life, and saw opportunities for his entrepreneurial attitude to flourish.

"I'm a chaser and I have drive, I want to achieve and I want to have success," he said.

"There's only one way to do it and that is to put in a lot of effort and have dreams."

For three years Mr Barkhuizen worked as a professional wedding photographer.

"Unfortunately, it's a seasonal occupation and there are not many weddings during winter," he said.

Mr Barkhuizen and his wife moved to Windermere in 2019. It was one of his new neighbours that suggested Mr Barkhuizen start a tour business and study tourism at TasTAFE.

He said TasTAFE deserved credit for its ability to equip him with the skills to start his own business: Tamar Valley Food and Wine Tours.

"They've [TasTAFE] got really good teachers and they gave me the skills. There's a beautiful balance between theory and practical work," he said.

"You get the skills and meet people and see there is hope out there."

Mr Barkhuizen said his dream of operating a tour business needed some fine tuning and a lot of hard work, but after two weeks of operating his "boutique" tours, he's really enjoyed it.

"I like to meet new people everyday and take them out and share the history of Tasmania with them - the valley and people that shaped it," he said.

"They go away with the taste of food and wine ... but also they take away stories they can tell about Tasmania and the valley.

"I want people to share in that story of hope."

The tour stops at iconic valley locations and businesses including Loira Vineyard, Moores Hill, St Matthia's Church, the Hillwood Berry Farm, Batman Bridge, Goaty Hill, Miners Gold Brewery and Turner Stillhouse.

For more information on the business, visit tamarvalleyfoodandwinetours.com.au.