Ross Wool Centre project features on national television

The Ross Wool Centre has featured as part of Tasmania’s Off Season tourism promotion and pulled out all the stops, and the knitting needles, for a live cross from the Channel 9 TODAY show.

On a morning weather cross last week Wool Centre staff and volunteers and their famous “door ram” Jim the Merino, met the film crew and weatherman Tim Davies in Launceston’s Cataract Reserve to talk about the popular attraction that showcases the best products and history from the famous Midlands wool-growing region.

Wool Centre manager Jessica Newton said she was more than happy to meet in the early, dark hours more than an hour from home to showcase the Centre and promote Ross as a winter destination.

She was joined by a handful of locals at 6am to talk about the town's latest art-meets-community mischief project.

“We knitted a very long scarf for Jim last year and this year it’s the trees we’re rugging up in woolly layers to add some colour to the village,” Ms Newton said.

“The beautiful elm trees are more than 100 years old and their branches are bare in winter so it seems quite fitting.

"Anyone can come along and add some stitches and if they can't knit - we'll show them what to do."

Tourism Tasmania’s Off Season campaign crackles to life every May to August, with a series of winter festivals and events to get visitors and locals out and about and remind them that the cold air is worth enduring.

From Dark Mofo in Hobart to penguins and lights in Bicheno there’s a fun list of activities on the discovertasmania.com website.

View the TODAY Show segment below: