Devil Sitting and Goat Doofs on offer in Tourism Tasmania’s new ‘Winternships’ campaign via HAVAS Red, Starcom, Orchard and BMF

Tourism Tasmania has launched “Winternships”, a tongue-in-cheek Off Season activation inviting Australians to undertake a Tasmanian internship experience, designed to help them become winter people. The campaign follows the success of last year’s Odd Jobs and continues the brand’s playful approach to celebrating winter in Tasmania.

Winternships was developed by HAVAS Red, supported by Starcom, Orchard and BMF. The campaign brings to life 10 different Off Season experiences created by Tasmanian tourism operators, with each designed to challenge perceptions of winter and inspire a fresh perspective on the season.

In a bid to understand how Australians truly feel about the colder months, research commissioned by Tourism Tasmania revealed 68 per cent of Australians wish winter away, and only a third consider themselves ‘winter people.’ With only 12 per cent feeling their best during the season, the research highlighted an opportunity to shift perceptions and encourage Australians to embrace the chill.

To bring the earned first campaign to life across PR and social media, Tourism Tasmania recruited Comedian, Writer and Actor, Celia Pacquola, to take on a series of Winternships and discover what it really means to become a ‘winter person’.

A 60-second video on Tourism Tasmania’s website follows Celia as she trades winter hibernation for hands-on discovery, diving headfirst into her very own Winternship adventure. Celia is seen stoking the fire at Kuuma Nature Sauna as a Sauna Skipper, babysitting nocturnal troublemakers as a Devil Sitter at Devils@Cradle, preparing for a party in a paddock as a Goat Doofer at Hideaway Farmlet, and hitting the mountain bike trails with Blue Derby. Celia experiences the weird and wonderful side of winter in Tassie with her trademark humour and warmth, discovering what it really means to be a winter person – less hibernation, more celebration.

Lindene Cleary, Chief Marketing Officer, Tourism Tasmania says, “We know Australians don’t love winter, with 68 per cent wishing the season away – but down here, we know how to do it differently. With Winternships, we’re turning the coldest season into the most invigorating one, giving Aussies the chance to trade doona days for devil-sitting and fragrance foraging. Off the back of Odd Jobs, we’re once again showing the country that Tassie doesn’t just embrace winter – we make it something to look forward to.”

Says Georgina Thompson, Client Services Director, HAVAS Red: “Our goal with Winternships was to shine a light on the passionate Tasmanian operators across the state who make The Off Season such a special time of year. Following the global success of last year’s Odd Jobs campaign, we knew we needed to evolve the idea – and what better way to do that than by inviting Australians to become winter people through a Winternship experience that captures the variety and wonder of Tasmania in winter.”

Tourism Tasmania’s Winternships is now open and accepting applications. Visit DiscoverTasmania.com.au/winternships for more information. Applicants must complete a short submission explaining in 50 words or less why they want to become a winter person with a Winternship in Tasmania. Up for the taking are one-off, uniquely Tasmanian experiences, with each successful applicant receiving travel, accommodation, a bounty of local artisanal goods for their time – plus they will get to add their Winternship title to their resume and all bragging rights that come with it.

The 10 Winternships available include:

•          Sauna Skipper – Kuuma Nature Sauna – When temperatures dip, so do Tasmanians. As a Wintern, you’ll be responsible for keeping the floating sauna toasty enough to make dunking into the icy North West Bay water worth it. One minute, you’re human gazpacho. The next, you’re a sizzling slow roast. It might look a little different to the snug winter lie in you’re used to but in Tassie, not a minute of this season is missed.

•          Devil Sitter – Devils@Cradle – Clock in at 4pm for the only babysitting job that doesn’t require Bluey on repeat – looking after Tasmanian devils. As a Wintern, you will be keeping a watchful eye on the wide-awake devils who’d rather stay up all night having a yarn than hibernating through their social life. Forget lullabies, tone-deaf applicants ready to communicate exclusively via screech are welcome.

•          Goat Doofer – Hideaway Farmlet – Think winter is a slow season? Not for Tasmanians. As the Goat Doofer Wintern, your job will be helping put on a mini music festival. At a farmlet. In a place called Penguin. Home to a herd of vibe-seeking miniature goats. Get ready to enjoy the tiny, ridiculous and – very possibly – only Goat Doof in the world. You’ll keep the mini goats on their best behaviour as they prepare for this truly unique bush doof.

•          Trail Trialler – Blue Derby Pods Ride – Blue Derby Pods Ride is seeking a Wintern without training wheels to spend two days off-road and off-grid, racking up KMs around the legendary mountain bike trails in Derby. You might leave with legs more ‘wobble’ than ‘walk’ but you’ll learn that being off-road and off grid during the Off Season is the ultimate way to grip winter by the handlebars.

•          Calf Concierge – Borradale Stanley – In Tasmania, winter isn’t endured – it’s embraced. At Borradale Stanley that means waking up before dawn, pulling on your gumboots, and stepping into a paddock where the newest members of the farm are finding their feet. You’ll need 20/20 vision to standby on maternity watch in case a calf is about to make its grand entrance. Then, it’s time to help out the smallest residents of the farm and give our lambs extra care. You’ll be bottle-feeding them, keeping them warm and helping them find their footing – one tiny hoof at a time.

•          Scenic Seat-Warmer – Gorge Scenic Chairlift – Tasmanians are brave people – unfazed by heights and rarely rattled by a little winter weather. While the rest of the country is curling up indoors, Launceston’s Cataract Gorge is transforming into a real-life dreamscape. As the Wintern, you’ll be responsible for making sure the historic Chairlift is running smoothly – if the views don’t take your breath away, the fresh cold air is guaranteed to!

•          Tunnel to Table Taster – Tunnel Hill Mushrooms – In Tasmania, we prefer to grow winter feasts rather than get them delivered in a soggy takeaway bag. At Tunnel Hill Mushrooms, a Tunnel to Table Taster Wintern is needed to grow, pick and prepare the award-winning mushrooms cultivated inside an old railway tunnel.

•          Barrel Butler – McHenry Distillery – As Australia’s southernmost distillery, McHenry has climates so close to Scottish conditions that you may start hearing the wee sounds of bagpipes rolling over the hills. If learning how to make the kind of whisky that’ll whack some hair on your chest sounds like your kind of thing – this is the Winternship for you.

•          Fragrance Forager – Undersong Perfumery – In Tasmania, the coastal air in winter carries a sharp, tangy saltiness that feels fresher and more biting, as if the sea breeze has been intensified by the chill. Your job, as the Wintern, is to help bottle up that silent scent of the season. Candidates with a keen sense of smell will be favoured.

•          Splinter Specialist – Huon Pine Shop and Creative Paper Tasmania – In Tasmania, there’s a certain respect for things that take time and winter just happens to be the most creative season for craftsmanship. At Huon Pine Shop, woodworkers whittle winter away in the best smelling workshop in Strahan and now it’s your turn to chip in, learning about everything from crafting Huon Pine apples, to making paper from twigs and offcuts. If you’re good with your hands and keen to touch some timber –  apply for this woody Winternship that’ll have you beaming with productive pride.

Following strong interest from international travellers, Tasmania’s Winternships campaign is also launching in Singapore for the first time. In partnership with Trip.com, one Singapore resident will be selected for a sponsored six-night winter escape – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to embrace Tasmania’s cooler climate and discover what it really means to become a ‘winter person’.

Applications are open from 27 May until 17 June via the Discover Tasmania website. For Aussies that miss out on their dream Winternship, there are plenty of Off Season experiences to explore. Head to DiscoverTasmania.com.au to learn more.

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