The Cadbury Factory waterfront parklands in Claremont, Tasmania are receiving a $150 million upgrade led by tourism investor, Simon Currant and Associates. Glenorchy City Council has just approved plans for the Chocolate Experience at Cadbury (CEC), forecast to inject over $120 million into the Tasmanian economy annually, with Cadbury acting as brand partner.
The Cadbury Factory has had its doors closed to the public for almost a decade, offering significant tourism potential for Tasmania. Prior to 2015, the Cadbury Factory ran regular tours of its facilities, before shutting them down for health reasons.
There were plans in the works to create a visitor centre, with $16 million promised by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott during his 2013 election campaign, but Cadbury turned down the money after failing to meet certain requirements.
The new Experience is forecast to welcome 431,000 visitors a year, and support more than 300 construction jobs and over 200 ongoing roles.
“This is a huge win for Tasmania and for Claremont. It represents a generational boost for the local economy, creating jobs, attracting investment, and helping move Tasmania’s visitor economy to the next level,” said Currant.
“Securing Development Approval has taken years of working closely with the local community, Council and Cadbury, and it’s fantastic to see all that hard work starting to pay off. From the moment visitors arrive, this will be unlike any chocolate attraction in the world.
“It will be an innovative, immersive and deeply emotive experience that uses storytelling and technology to bring the magic of chocolate-making to life. It will be full of surprise, nostalgia, creativity and joy and, of course, there will be plenty of chocolate along the way. It is one Tasmanians will be proud of and one I’m privileged to help deliver,” he said.
Plans for the project were initially brought to media attention in March 2024, with Currant stating that it had been in the works for 15 years. Information released at the time stated the CEC would feature the world’s largest chocolate fountain, and would be completed by 2026.
An update in September 2025 slated construction to begin in early 2026, with the Experience opening in 2027. New information this week stated the project is due to be complete by September 2028.
Tasmanian architecture firm Cumulus Studio, together with MONA enterprise, Art Processors, have shaped the creative direction of the project. The team stated the facility would bring together immersive visitor experiences, a premium chocolate studio featuring Tasmanian ingredients, a chocolate lounge, emporium, and the infrastructure to welcome visitors arriving by purpose-built ferries via the River Derwent – in partnership with Navigators, operators of the MONA ferries.
Mondelēz International president of Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, Toby Smith, said Cadbury was proud to support the Experience as brand partner.
“Cadbury's story and Tasmania's story have been intertwined for more than a century and this project will bring that story to life for hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and help write the next chapter for Claremont, for Cadbury and for Tasmanian tourism,” said Smith.
Melbourne-based investment bank, Kidder Williams, is the sole financial advisor raising capital for the Experience. The company is in the market and engaging with interested parties to secure capital. Currant stated 95 per cent of the project cost will be privately funded, with existing government support providing the confidence for its future success.
