James Johns
"I think Tasmania’s strength is that the type of people you see in each of the regions are so different. There’s a commonality of hard work, but I think the Central Highlands is that hidden gem within the whole state."
"We want to do an eco-tourism project that complements, not competes with, the history of this place. We don’t want to take over the pie, we want to make the pie bigger, and sustain more people within the community."
Generations of Tasmanians hold fond childhood memories of holidays in the Central Highlands.
Summer stays in the family shack, long bushwalks, and endless hours of fishing for trout in yingina/Great Lake.
James Johns is one of these Tasmanians. He has a longstanding, heartfelt connection to the region, and is now helping a new generation of visitors create their own memories.
James is the grandson of David Johns, the founder of well-known Tasmanian car dealership DJ Motors. He enjoyed a varied and highly successful career with roles in the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Rugby and Football Leagues, and within his family’s much-loved local business.
But in 2019, the motor vehicle franchises were sold, and Johns Group Tasmania was born. With James at the helm, the group’s first venture was the purchase and redevelopment of the Great Lake Hotel and Miena Village site.
“I’ve always been a regional person at heart,” says James. “My father and my great grandfather were fly fisherman, and I had friends who lived in the Central Highlands, so I’d spent time in the area when I was younger. The people here are fantastic. I think Tasmania’s strength is that the type of people you see in each of the regions are so different. There’s a commonality of hard work and no-nonsense, but I think the Central Highlands is that hidden gem within the whole state.”
I think Tasmania’s strength is that the type of people you see in each of the regions are so different. There’s a commonality of hard work and no-nonsense, but I think the Central Highlands is that hidden gem within the whole state.
There has been a hotel in the Central Highlands for over 100 years, sitting alongside the quiet shack town of Miena. Hunting, fishing and walking have long been popular activities for visitors to the region, but the Central Highlands also has a complex industrial history, with farming, forestry and hydroelectric developments all providing employment opportunities for the local community.
“There are older guys here who talk about how they were effectively dropped into the forest and had to cut their way out – one person responsible for felling, dressing and sectioning trees,” says Johns. “A lot of people are also very proud and passionate about the hydro heritage that really made the place. You’ve got the largest freestanding dam in the southern hemisphere. People don’t always understand the importance of the Central Highlands and the contribution it has made to engineering and power advancements.”
As the new owner of Great Lake Hotel and the Miena Village Site, James has ambitious ideas for the property that extend well beyond the refurbishments that have taken place to date. These include improved food options, additional accommodation including upgrading and expanding the caravan and camping area, and a walking and cycling trail around the lake.
James’ hope is that investment in the Great Lake Hotel and Miena will attract more people to the region, revitalise tourism in the Central Highlands, and bring an economic benefit to surrounding towns such as Deloraine, Longford, Bothwell and Cressy — at a pace and scale that is appropriate for the local community.
“There needs to be something here that fits and respects the area. We want to do an eco-tourism project that complements, not competes with, the history of this place. Our business philosophy is that we don’t want to take over the pie, we want to make the pie bigger, and by doing that we’re able to sustain more people within the community.”
The drive to do right by the local community is one that is shared by other members of the Johns family, and although James freely admits that car dealerships were never his passion, he still credits his father and grandfather with instilling in him a strong belief in the value of giving back.
“As a family we spent sixty years working in the automotive industry, and we focused a fair amount on supporting the local Tasmanian community – from medical research to sport to arts,” says Johns. “There was always a degree of cynicism, with people thinking we were only in it to sell cars, but if organisations came to us telling us what they could offer us in return, we’d say ‘we’re not interested in what you can give us – just tell us about the program and if it’s worthwhile, we’ll do it.’ We never really cared about the promotional sign.”
Having made the decision in 2019 to sell the car dealerships, Johns and his family could easily have rested on their laurels – or as he puts it ‘we could have sat on our bums and done nothing for the rest of our lives’. But that’s not the Tasmanian way, and it’s certainly not the Johns way.
Instead, the family decided to challenge themselves with something new that had the potential to positively impact an oft-overlooked region.
It’s true that living up here can be quite hard – it’s more than just a byline. But the other side of that is that it’s nice to get up and think you might go and fish for a couple of hours, or explore the highlands, or just drop in on someone and have a coffee.
Their commitment to Great Lake Hotel is not just a financial one. The whole family has taken a very hands-on approach to managing the hotel and associated projects. James Johns’ wife Andrea has switched her career as a registered nurse for a behind-the-scenes position in the hotel kitchen, and his children Truen and Kiirra have both taken on active roles in the business since finishing school.
“There have been days when Kiirra and Truen have been up here dealing with snow and snakes and lighting fires, and they’ve really grown into that,” says Johns. “You know it’s true that living up here can be quite hard – it’s more than just a byline. You might get home from work at 10 at night. The fire’s gone out, you have to carry the wood in from inside, light the fire. The pipes are frozen and you’ve missed your opportunity for a shower. But the other side of that is that it’s nice to get up and think you might go and fish for a couple of hours, or explore the highlands, or just drop in on someone and have a coffee.”
There’s also the sense of satisfaction that comes from creating opportunities for others, and potentially revitalising a community where in more recent years, young people have had to leave the area to find employment.
“With mechanisation and the pressures on agriculture and forestry in particular, there aren’t jobs in those industries anymore,” says Johns. “When we did a feasibility study for the adventure trail, one of the things that came out loud and clear was the erosion of community and the fear that the whole Highland social network would disappear. So while success for us is making sure that we have a solid foundation of a business, it's also that we’ve been able to positively impact the area. Knowing that our efforts will continue to benefit the community when we’re gone.”
We worked with north west Tasmanian photographers Moon Cheese Studio and southern Tasmanian writer Ruth Dawkins for this Tasmanian story.
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