You may wonder what it's like to actually own and run an island: Is it all sunshine and lazy afternoons on the beach, iced tea in hand and a good book?<\/p>\n
Or is it filled with challenge after challenge, pushing the owners to question whether they made the right decision, or if they should abandon ship?<\/p>\n
In the early 2000s, Clem Newton-Brown and his family bought Picnic Island and used it for regular camping trips.<\/p>\n
Based in Melbourne, they would fly to Tasmania, hire a car, drive two and half hours to Coles Bay on the east coast and then try to organise a lift out to the island or hire a tinny.<\/p>\n
\"When our family bought the island 15 years ago, we never thought we could do anything with it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We knocked up a little shed to store camping gear and used to come down from Melbourne for wild camping trips with our young kids.<\/p>\n
\"They grew up appreciating the wild outdoors.\"<\/p>\n
The Newton-Brownsthink it is, but they also admit it's hard work.<\/p>\n
\"Running an island is hard really hard, but we also love it. There is a lot that can go wrong and often does. You have to love the challenges, be self-sufficient and a little bit mad,\" Clem said.<\/p>\n
\"The environment is harsh, so there is always maintenance to do.\"<\/p>\n
It took two years and dozens of boat trips to and from Tasmania to set up and build the current accommodation on the island.<\/p>\n
\"Having all the systems running for power and water is a real challenge, as we do not have [an] on-island manager however, we have set the place up such that most people can enjoy the island on their own and in comfort,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The 5-bedroom retreat is now used for private bookingsof up to 10 people for$2,200 per night.<\/p>\n
\"We spent a lot of time working as labourers, carting materials out to the island by tinny,\" Clem said.<\/p>\n
There are about 5,000 islands off Tasmania's coast and only nineare freehold.<\/p>\n
One of them is Satellite Island, which a Melbourne-based couple, Kate and Will Alstergren, inherited 12 years ago from Will's uncle, Ian Alstergren, one of the founders of Tasmania's salmon-farming industry.<\/p>\n
It's situated in the D'Entrecasteaux Channelin southern Tasmania, a five-minute boat trip from Bruny Island.<\/p>\n
\"It is hard to describe the magic of staying on your own private island,\" the couple has said on the island's website.<\/p>\n
\"Time seems to stand still. Satellite Island is about slowing life down and enjoying the simple things.\"<\/p>\n
The owners are also sharing their island life with paying guests.<\/p>\n
Their renovated summer housetakes private bookings, at $3,350 a night for two people.<\/p>\n
Queensland investor Peter Huang saw an advertisement for Ninth Island off Tasmania's north-east coast in a Chinese newspaper in 2015, and called to make an offer shortly after.<\/p>\n
He hadn't seen the island but said it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.<\/p>\n
Seven and a half years on, he said it was time to part ways.<\/p>\n
\"It's very sad the decision to sell was made clear for my family during COVID,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ninth Island is about 1.3km long, 550 metres wide and covers 16 hectares (40 acres). It's 11 kilometres from the Tasmanian coast.<\/p>\n
It has been on and off the market for years.<\/p>\n
\"We had big plans for it, to build an eco-resort, but then the pandemic happened and we had to reconsider,\" Peter said.<\/p>\n
In 2016, nearby Waterhouse Island sold to Singaporean businessman James Koh the owner of Fragrance Group for $5.5million.<\/p>\n
Flinders Island deputy mayor, David Williams, said buying and running an island comes with a lot of responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\"There's a lot to it. You do need to have regard for the environment, otherwise it just destroys everything,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"You need to be very eco-friendly and conscious.\"<\/p>\n
For lots of reasons, it seems, life on aTasmanian island may not be for everybody.<\/p>\n
Set the ABC News website or the app to \"TasmaniaTop Stories\"from either the homepage or the settings menu in the appto continue getting the same national news but with a sprinkle of more relevant state stories.<\/p>\n
Here's a taste of the latest stories from Tasmania:<\/p>\n
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See the article here: <\/p>\n
What's it like owning an island? These people can give you a heads up - ABC News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You may wonder what it's like to actually own and run an island: Is it all sunshine and lazy afternoons on the beach, iced tea in hand and a good book? Or is it filled with challenge after challenge, pushing the owners to question whether they made the right decision, or if they should abandon ship? Continue reading