Blooming flowerboxes, rich timber, glassy lakes and old-fashioned window shutters — you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a Swiss village.
And technically, you wouldn't be wrong.
But you're not in Switzerland, you're in northern Tasmania.
On the top of a hill in the Tamar Valley, north of Launceston, sits Grindelwald — a Swiss-inspired town with a population of around 1,000 people.
The village was created by self-made Dutch businessman Roelf Vos and is modelled on the town of the same name in Switzerland.
After holidaying in the Swiss Alps with his wife, Mr Vos hatched a plan to build his very own Grindelwald, beginning work on the project in 1980.
That was around the same time he sold his Roelf Vos supermarket empire to Woolworths.
Roelf Vos' son, Michael, said his parents both fell in love with the quaintness of Switzerland.
"Dad always wanted a village concept, with homes and shops," he explained.
"I said to him, 'Dad, this is not going to make money', and he said, 'Son, I don't care. It's going to be great for people'.
Swiss design, almost
By 1989, Grindelwald had been basically completed, situated around an artificial lake, with the original houses, as well as a tourist resort, chapel, retirement village and shopping area, all constructed in a traditional Swiss-style.
Michael Vos recalled the idea was somewhat controversial at the time.
"Not everyone wanted to buy a typical Swiss home, so that was a bit hard to get going," he said.
"We had to loosen up quite a bit on the design, otherwise people wouldn't buy them."
These days, people who want to develop in certain parts of Grindelwald still need to follow the Swiss theme.
"Plans still have to be approved by the Vos family. The council won't approve them until the Vos family business approves them."
Long-lasting memories
For many Tasmanians, Grindelwald holds special memories, whether as a unique venue for a wedding beside the lake, or school holidays spent at the town's tourist resort.
Michael and his brother Harry managed the resort until 2007 when it changed ownership (and name) to the Tamar Valley Resort.
The current general manager of the resort, Damien Pinkerton, describes the area as a "special" place, which attracts visitors from around the world.
"It's peaceful, it's quiet, it's really spacious," he said.
Mr Pinkerton said the resort, which also has its own lake complete with paddleboats and a putt-putt golf course, continues to attract a lot of returning guests.
"Regularly you'll get people checking in and they'll just say, 'Oh, I got married here 15 years ago'."
The real Grindelwald
Surrounded by towering mountain peaks carrying names like Wetterhorn and Eiger, Switzerland's Grindelwald is 1,000 metres above sea level, meaning it's often covered in snow in winter.
In comparison, Tasmania's version has an elevation of around 180 metres and has only seen snow on a handful of occasions, most recently in 2020.
Michael Vos said it also snowed shortly before his father died in 1992, allowing him to see what he created in full effect.
"It was really lovely that it happened while dad was alive," he said.
"It was only a light snow but it was enough to take a lot of photos and we capitalised on that and used it for a bit of marketing.
"It's very rare but that makes it so special when it does happen."
Bruno Hauswirth, the director of the Grindelwald Resort in Switzerland, said he's "well aware" of his town's namesake in Australia.
"There seem to be similarly strict building regulations as here in Switzerland," he said.
"If you love mountains, you won't be able to avoid a visit to here though."
An ongoing legacy
Michael Vos said later in life his father learned the art of wood carving, with many of his sculptures still scattered around the town of Grindelwald.
"He bought a few hundred dollars' worth of carving tools and got to work," he said.
"He learned on the job and was amazing."
Despite a number of modern-design homes which have recently appeared on the edge of Grindelwald, Michael hopes the buildings, gardens and carvings in the town will be maintained into the future.
"We can be very proud we had a dad that was so innovative, hard-working and wanted to make a positive difference."
