The 2014 Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival was officially launched tonight at a gala fundraising event.
The biennial festival began in 2010 and has become a significant contemporary cultural event for the West Coast region.
The 2014 festival will encompass the centenary of the heritage listed Lake Margaret Power Station – the oldest operating hydro-electric power station in Australia and a site of high cultural and industrial significance to Tasmania. The overarching theme of the 2014 festival is Power of Water.
The Liberal Government, through Events Tasmania and Arts Tasmania, is proud to support this event.
Events like the Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival are an important driver for tourism, both to attract visitors to the West Coast and to encourage visitors to stay and explore.
The State Government has provided $50,000 to the festival as part of our election pledge for the West Coast, which we have brought forward in response to the closure of the Mt Lyell mine.
I was delighted to be part of the official opening of this great event and I would encourage all Tasmanians to come and experience the Festival.
The 2014 Festival will be held from 10 to 12 October 2014, further information is available from the festival website www.qhaf.org