As I wrestled to start a cranky snowblower in subzero temperatures Thursday morning, and a few minutes later with a really cranky Saturn that even defied jumper cables, I couldn’t help but wonder what the good folks in Tasmania were planning on doing when they got up for their Friday morning.

Since they’re 16 hours ahead of our time zone, maybe their dreams for the day were to be sitting on a beach sipping something cold and watching the sunrise? Maybe taking a refreshing dip before heading to work for the day? Maybe taking the day to paddle their kayaks around one of the 300 islands in their Australian wonderland?

Whatever their plans, I was sure it involved less clothes than I had on. I probably was wearing enough clothing to keep half the island state warm, since their temperature doesn’t dip much below 50 degrees or climb much above 80. The average summer (right now) temperature’s 70 degrees and the average winter temperature is 52, according to Jim Bacon, premier of Tasmania, who spoke at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism Wednesday.

I couldn’t help but wonder what was running through his mind as he spoke to those of us attending the conference at the Augusta Civic Center. Winds were whipping and the temperature was around 10 degrees. But he put a good spin on it when he repeated a quote: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” The premier was on a 20-odd day international trip to sell his country as a world-class destination for eco-tourism.

The archipelago state of Tasmania, with its 300 islands, has the cleanest air and rainfall in the world, its soils are fertile, and its wines and beers are world acclaimed, Bacon said. About 40 percent of the state is set aside in reserve status, which means there is no logging, no recreational vehicle trails, but lots of recreational opportunity. And much has been done to preserve the 40,000-year history of aboriginal tribes.

Besides sharing similar features such as clean streams, fly fishing for trout, lobsters (different kinds), and lots of coastline, Tasmania and Maine share the desire to attract tourists whose dollars represent an ever-growing share of state revenues. Tasmania and Maine also share another thing – The Cat. Built in Tasmania, The Cat plies the Gulf of Maine between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth in our warmer months.

What makes Tasmania attractive from Maine’s perspective is its adoption of a 20-year plan called Tasmania Together. It took 17 months and thousands of comments to develop. According to the state’s Web site, this is a “pioneering project that allows the people of Tasmania to have a say in their long-term social, economic and environmental future. As the world’s leading system of community goal setting and decision making, it is enshrined in law and used to guide decision making at the highest levels of the State Public Service. Tasmania Together has set a vision for the State based on the wishes of the people. It also includes 24 goals and 212 benchmarks that were of most concern to the people during more than two-and-a-half years of community consultation.”

With such a plan in place, Tasmania is a model Maine tourism officials want to study.

Another commonality falls under the buzzwords “sustainable tourism.” Last spring, Maine sent a delegation of tourism representatives, the State Planning Office, the Maine Arts Commission and the University of Maine to participate in the United Nations World Eco-Tourism Summit in Quebec. They returned committed to begin a discussion on sustainable tourism, according to the program for Wednesday’s conference.

While there was no clear-cut definition of what is meant by the term sustainable tourism, a panel of speakers from throughout the state told us how they have steered their business and practices to preserve Maine’s natural resources and businesses. This ran the gamut from extolling Maine’s agricultural heritage at the Common Ground Country Fair, to North Star Orchards owner Judy Dimock’s practice of offering visitors an in-depth look at their operation.

Natalie Springuel, president of the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors, explained how her organization, the Bureau of Public Lands, and the Maine Island Trail Association have worked together to establish a comprehensive island-use ethics based on Leave No Trace ethics, and how it is a good model for other eco-tourist businesses to follow. Practices such as carrying out human waste, limiting the use of camp fires, and traveling on durable surfaces help limit the damage we inflict on our environment and leave it in better shape for generations who will follow. Sounds like a pretty good idea as well as being a familiar one.

Those looking to build on the theme of sustainable tourism should look not at entertainment-type tourism (theme parks), said Johathan Tourtelotte, director of sustainable tourism for National Geographic Society, rather at touring and nature-based tourism – geo-tourism and eco-tourism. “Godzilla tourism [theme parks] are best where they’ll not destroy anything,” he said.

If you’re interested in more information on sustainable tourism, the following Web sites will give you a good start. National Geographic has three sites of interest for different groups. The first http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/professionals.html is aimed at tourism professionals; the next, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/travelers.html, is set up for travelers, and the third, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/residents.html , is set up for residents.

And this one, http://www.tasmaniatogether.tas.gov.au/ Tasmania info, has all sorts of interesting information on Tasmania.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.