Holiday homes in Tasmania

Large scale ownership and use of holiday homes is a recent phenomenon in most developed countries. Increased leisure time, affluence and mobility since World War II have enabled many sections of society to own a holiday home. Holiday homes permit a regular change of environment and participation in a wide range of recreational activities. Rural economies often benefit from holiday home occurrence through increased trade for local business, opportunities for farmers to sell surplus land and produce, and increased taxation revenue for local authorities. Due to the large amounts of land they require, holiday homes have become a distinctive element in the settlement pattern in coastal and lacustrine environments of Tasmania. High density ribbon settlement in some areas has led to both physical and visual erosion of these landscapes. The distribution of holiday homes in Tasmania in 1977 and the changes in the distribution since 1960 are examined, The current location of holiday homes and changes in the distribution pattern of holiday homes are shown to be dependent upon the location of attractive sites, access from major population centres and the socio-economic characteristics of the population. These factors combine to produce some distinctive spatial regularities both in the distribution of holiday homes and in the relationship between the permanent homesite. The curnmt state of planning legislation in Tasmania in relation to holiday homes is discussed.