Hobart Toy Trail, TASMANIA
Airing Date: Aug 26th, 2002
Teddy bears aren't just for children - in fact, seven out of ten teddies bought at the shop are actually for adults.
After coins and stamps, bears are the world's third most popular collectable. Valuable or rare bears are often classed as limited editions or anniversary specials and can be quite expensive, but true bear fanatics believe you can't put a price on a good bear.
An original German Steiff bear, for example, costs $3,000. Steiff teddies are the most prestigious of the bear world and in 2000 the German company released a special limited edition Australian teddy at a price of $1,300.
The Teddy Bear Shop houses thousands of bears, so if you're looking for a teddy to cuddle, not collect, you'll be glad to know that the regular bears start at just $29.95
Once you've covered the bear necessities, follow the toy trail to Alpenrail, Hobart's giant model railway. Covering 200 square meters, Alpenrail is a replica of a Swiss village called Grindelwald. The model is rated as one of the top five model railways in the world, with 350 metres of rail and 1.4 kilometres of wire.
The trail continues to the town of Nicholls Rivulet, home of Adrian Hunt's woodturning studio, The Deepings. At the studio Adrian hand-turns Sassafras, a gorgeously scented Tasmanian wood, into carefully crafted souvenir dolls. In addition to the standard dolls, Adrian also sculpts dolls based on customer's personal photographs.
At the end of the day, Hobart offers cosy and comfortable accommodation. Corinda's Cottages feature cottages equipped with self-contained kitchens and period bathrooms. Meals are available, or you can enjoy your very own teddy bears' picnic with a gourmet hamper from Wursthaus Kitchens.
The facts:
Qantas flies to Hobart daily from all capital cities. Prices start from $410 ex Sydney and $686 ex Perth. Prices include charges, levies and taxes.
Qantas
Tel: 13 13 13
Accommodation at Corinda Cottages costs from $195 per night.
Corinda's Cottages
Tel: 03 6234 1590
Teddy bears start from around $29.95 at The Teddy Bear shop.
The Teddy Bear Shop
Tel: 03 6234 7716
Alpenrail is open seven days. Admission costs $25 for the family.
Alpenrail
Tel: 03 6249 3748
The Deepings is open on Sundays from 12 noon. It is free to look around. Dolls start at around $35.
The Deepings
Tel: 03 6295 1398
A gourmet hamper from Wursthaus Kitchens costs $33
Wursthaus Kitchens
Tel: 03 6224 0644
Tourism Tasmania
Tel: 1800 623 191
