China investment a poll issue in sleepy northern Tasmania

Canberra

THE China boom came to Tasmania the moment model Zhang Xinyu posted a selfie from Shanghai cuddling a lavender-stuffed teddy bear named Bobbie made at Robert Ravens' farm.

The picture went viral, creating so much interest in the bears that Chinese tourists began scaling Mr Ravens' fences after closing time to frolic in his purple lavender fields. Three years on, the farm in the Australian state's north still attracts up to 1,000 Chinese tourists a day in peak season. "Northern Tasmania is going through a rare period of sunshine and China is underpinning that," says the farmer, 71.

Tasmanian-branded exports to China, including salmon, apples, cherries and education, have soared 37 per cent since a 2014 visit to the state by China's President, Xi Jinping, bolstered trade ties. Tourist numbers are up 15 per ce…