Tasmania is getting a giant immersive chocolate attraction

As if Dark Mofo, MONA and Whisky Week aren’t enough, Hobart will soon have a new, and perhaps even more enticing, attraction to lure in visitors: a three-story, $150 million chocolate factory.

Dubbed the ‘Chocolate Experience at Cadbury’, the project has been unanimously approved by Glenorchy City Council and will be built at Cadbury’s historic factory site in Claremont, north of Hobart.

Described as “a reinvention of the chocolate factory”, the new project will include immersive chocolate experiences and feature an exterior design inspired by foil chocolate wrappers.

There’s an NRMA connection, too. The project’s developer is Simon Currant, the Tasmania entrepreneur behind Pumphouse Point, the jaw-dropping hotel on Lake St Clair where NRMA members can enjoy discounts.

It’s expected the new chocolate factory will attract more than 430,000 visitors each year, injecting around $120 million annually into Tasmania’s economy. 

While the project is yet to be built – construction is tipped to finish in September 2028 – the site’s list of attractions and experiences read like something Willy Wonka would conjure up.

Visitors will move through immersive experiences including a cacao forest, a virtual chocolate whirlpool, tasting kitchens and a “paint your flavour” room. Chocolate workshops and masterclasses will also feature alongside a lounge, café and retail emporium.

Cadbury has a long history in Tasmania, having started its Australian story on the Apple Isle back in 1922. The old Cadbury factory used to hold popular chocolate tours but they were stopped in 2008 due to changes to health and safety regulations. The factory’s visitor centre was then also closed in 2015. 

Cadbury itself is contributing a brand licence and land lease to the new project but no funding. Tourism Tasmania is investing $12 million, although 95 per cent of the project costs will be privately funded, according to developer Simon Currant.

With the project now approved, the wait is on for the grand opening. Here’s hoping it includes some kind of Golden Ticket.