BITS AND PIECES

Easy Tiger (7 Pendrigh Place, St Helens) is a 48-seat cinema, showing everything from new release blockbusters through to old classics. The cinema also has a snack bar for popcorn-loving movie-buffs and will be open seven days. There are plans to extend the venue into a bar, eatery and microbrewery, so watch this space. Lovers of hot and spicy are in for a treat with the launch of a fermented Wakame Hot Sauce, the second collaboration between Adam James of Rough Rice fame and Keep Tassie Wild. The spicy condiment is made with Tasmanian-grown and sourced ingredients and is bound to add a kick to your meal or snack. Head to www.keeptassiewild.com/collections to bag your bottle of this limited-edition sauce.

New New New

Eastern Shore locals have a new neighbourhood eatery with the opening of Marla Singer (34-36 Cambridge Rd, Bellerive). The menu focuses on seasonal, produce-driven food, good wine and quality coffee. Esteem Cafe (286 Elizabeth St, Hobart) has recently opened, serving up hot coffee with a shot of community spirit. Along with serving hot and cold drinks, the cafe provides a space for migrants new to Hobart to settle in and share their culture with the community. A new Hamptons-inspired cafe has opened in Lutana. Marina Cafe (20 Bender Dr, Lutana) is on the water, so lap up the coastal atmosphere and a communal long table, perfect for a laid-back breakfast or brunch. The Bush Inn (49-51 Montagu St, New Norfolk) has had a face-lift. The oldest continually-licensed pub in Australia reopened its doors in July, with a rejuvenated menu offering classic pub eats including prime-cut steak, parmies and Guinness pot pies. Open 7 days from 11am. There’s even more choice for coffee lovers in North Hobart with the opening of Dune Espresso (431 Elizabeth St, North Hobart). The new, coastal-inspired cafe has made its home at the bottom of the FOUR31 apartment building and offers a range of simple eats and single origin coffee. Brand new accommodation has opened a stone’s throw from Russell Falls. Mt Field Retreat Accommodation and Conference Centre (17 Lake Dobson Road, National Park) has been a decade in the making with four self-contained units now open for guests, perfect for a quick weekend away just outside of Hobart. Hobart realtor, Ed McKay, has just launched his own real estate agency, New Haus Agency (www.newhaus. agency) in Hobart. Working alongside his wife, Kelly, and colleagues Jules Hamilton and Christian Bugden, the team want to redefine what it means to be a real estate agency in Tasmania. A new bricksand-mortar music shop, MelRock Music (92 Channel Hwy, Kingston), has opened at Channel Court Shopping Centre. Going against the modern-day music grain, the store specialises in used CDs and records, tapes and DVDs, offering collectors a step back in time to the days before Spotify. Heading to the East Coast?

Tassie Lags Out Digitally

In not-so-great news, a new report conducted by the Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS) has revealed that Tasmania - for the sixth time since 2016 - is the most digitally disadvantaged state in the country. The report showed Tasmania remains at the bottom of the pile for digital inclusion, with an estimated 54,000 Tasmanians highly excluded from the digital world and around one-in-four Tasmanians locked out from fully participating in economic, social and community life.

“Tasmania also recorded the worst digital literacy and skills score in the country, which is having a profound effect in the broader community,” TasCOSS CEO, Ms Adrienne Picone said. “There are also concerning trends borne out of the data, with Tasmanians with low levels of income, education and employment, those living outside of Hobart and Launceston, older Tasmanians, Aboriginal Tasmanians and those living in public housing, all reporting higher rates of digital exclusion than the rest of the population.”

The TasCOSS report highlights a need to close the digital divide by improving digital access, affordability and ability in Tasmania, along with boasting digital skills throughout the community. To find out more about digital inclusion, head to www.digitalinclusionindex.org.au.