Tasmanian tourism project goes up in smoke

Things can move glacially in Tasmania - and sometimes they just don’t move at all.

Take a multi-millon dollar tourism project designed to boost visitation to the Huon Valley in the far south of the state following major bushfires in February 2019.

Seven years after those fires, with not one brick laid, proponent DarkLab announced that it will cease further work on the Transformer project at Ida Bay with activities to be wound up by the end of July.

Despite receiving approvals from Huon Valley Council and Tasmania Parks and Wildlife in 2023 and 2024, an increase in projected costs, particularly in relation to visitor service structures, has rendered the project untenable.

DarkLab CEO and creative director Leigh Carmichael said: “It is with a heavy heart that we make this announcement today. We have given the project every opportunity to succeed, but after seven years’ work we have made the decision not to proceed.

“We would like to thank the far south community for their support, and we are disappointed that we have been unable to finish what we began. It’s difficult to walk away from the unrealised potential.

“We would like to thank the Huon Valley Council, the State Government, and the Federal Government who have worked patiently with us throughout this process, along with the artist and many people who have worked on the project since its inception.

“Unfortunately, the environmental and economic landscape is very different from when we were first asked to look at this project back in 2019. The long approval process, Covid and rising construction costs have all worked against us this time.

“While we still believe a catalyst project is urgently needed to spark further tourism visitation and investment in the Huon Valley, the timing for this project is no longer right.

“We will now focus on working with the Office for the Arts to acquit the Federal Government grant and ensure the funds are returned in full. 

"DarkLab, with [Mona owner] David Walsh, will cover the costs incurred in attempting to realise the project.”

Transformer was to be a site-specific commission by American artist Doug Aitken, a pavilion with a reflective interior, creating a lens consisting of angles and facets, a kaleidoscope that interacted with the landscape over the changing seasons.
 

Dark Mofo returns to brighten up Tasmania's winter

Tasmania's Dark Mofo mid-winter solstice festival,will return in 2026 from Thursday, June 11-Monday, June 22.

Alongside large-scale public art installations, live performances and musical acts, Dark Mofo 2026 will include familiar rituals: Winter Feast, Night Mass, the Ogoh-Ogoh burning and the Nude Solstice Swim as the sun rises after the longest night of the year.

While the full festival program will be announced next year, organisers have revealed that a strictly limited first release of tickets to Night Mass - Dark Mofo's late-night takeover of Nipaluna/Hobart CBD - will go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, November 5, to those who have pre-registered via the Dark Mofo website.

"Mark your calendars," urged Dark Mofo artistic director Chris Twite. "It’s exciting to share Dark Mofo’s 2026 dates today as we take our first steps towards next year’s festival where we’ll once again bathe the streets in red, feast by firelight and indulge in a smorgasbord of art, music and performance.

"With plenty of surprises in store, revellers have an opportunity this week to access an early release of tickets to Night Mass and get a head start on planning their winter debauchery."

Following a one-year hiatus, the return of Dark Mofo in 2025 attracted over 50,000 interstate and overseas visitors to Tasmania and delivered over $67 million in economic benefit to the state.

"We’re so grateful for the continued support from David Walsh, and that of the Tasmanian Government, not to mention Tasmanian businesses, residents and visitors - all of whom enable us to continue celebrating the dark," Twite says.

Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events, Jane Howlett, said: "Dark Mofo is an iconic Tasmanian event, which drives visitation to the state during the off season and one that is recognised as a world-class winter festival. The Tasmanian Government is a proud supporter of this event.

‘Dark Mofo has something for everyone and we know how important it is to our tourism and hospitality sector during the quieter months. Visitors to Tasmanian events stay longer than the average visitor, and stays have grown, now 2.5 nights longer than they were in 2019."

 # Dark Mofo is a project of the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania, with additional support provided by the City of Hobart.