“We are looking to focus on the weddings, birthdays, conferences, those kinds of things, which we already are getting a lot of requests and it is very promising for us. “We are only 30 minutes from Hobart, close to the airport, so if people don’t want to go to traditional hotels for a function, we are a very good option.” Being environmentally friendly has been a key focus during the development. All of the buildings have been designed with Australian wood; a solar system will provide all the energy required while an internal water treatment system has also been installed. “That’s the thing in what we’re trying to achieve, as much as possible to be environmentally friendly and be self-contained,” Agacan says. “We are trying to keep everything as natural as possible. “Our orchards are still operational, and we have our orchard team looking after them. I can’t wait for our first harvest of cherries, apricots and apples. When cherry time comes people can again come like before and pick their own fruit.”
A development of this scale is also a massive boon for employment not only in the Sorell region but for the hospitality industry as a whole. Already around 30 staff have been employed by the Iron Creek Bay Farm stay team with plenty more roles about to become available. “We are just focusing more and more to hire the local talent,” Agacan says. “When we hire, we’re looking very long term. We want to be very careful and selective to make sure that we have the people here and they are seeing this place as their home and they treat it like that. “In time this place will then be much more successful.” The complex, designed by Misho Vasiljevich, also includes several rooms for people with a disability and ease of access has been provided across both the café/restaurant building as well as the reception area. More than a third of the rooms were booked prior to the official opening with minimal advertising, leaving deputy general manager Tina Wang confident once more word of mouth
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Hospitality Review: April 2022
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