Following the success of Storm Bay Guest House (which we sold in 2010), we opened Harpers on the Beach in July 2009. We have travelled extensively and have now lived in Tasmania for five years. Jill is from Auchterader in Scotland, Jonathan was born in London, England. We are both now proud Australian citizens. Like many people, we stumbled across Tasmania on holiday when we were living in Queensland, fell in love with the state and moved here as soon as was humanly possible.

Jill, although having a geography degree from Aberdeen University, learned at a young age the 'art' of cooking. There is nothing quite like home cooking; we discovered this when we were on our three year odyssey travelling around the world, looking for a place to start our business.

We stayed at a variety of accommodations but the ones we most enjoyed were the small French and Italian family-run hotels.  This was an eye opener to local and regional cuisine and the environment in which it was served, two key ingredients that are often omitted from restaurants and hotels.

The 'home cooked meal', prepared and served for a small number of people, will always have a certain feel to it that restaurant food can never replicate. Jill collected recipes along the way and is currently working on a cook book entitled 'For the Love of It'.

Jonathan doesn't have a degree in anything, but can boast a litany of jobs, businesses and a multitude of different professions including film producer, baccarat dealer, journalist, photographer, carpenter, flower grower, hotelier and writer. His latest novel, 'Butternut', is published by 40 Degrees South.

If you look out of the window here at Harpers on the Beach, you'll know why we live on White Beach; one of the few remaining unspoilt places on this amazing planet. There aren't many countries we haven't been to but there is something very special about the Tasman Peninsula. Just magic, but you probably already know that.