Launceston is an elegantly laid-back city in the north of
Tasmania where the North and South Esk rivers join the
Tamar and flow down to the ocean. As Australia’s third
oldest city it’s a place of contrasts, where modern marinas
meet graceful Victorian streetscapes and parks - and
you’re seldom without a view of the river or surrounding
valley.
A wine lover’s and foodie’s paradise, Launceston Tamar
Valley is like another world, where you get to wind down
and really appreciate the good things in life. Within an
hour from your hotel, you can be barefoot on a white-sand
surf beach, peering up through the fronds of a man fern
in a temperate rainforest, or getting an adrenalin rush as
you mountain bike down the slopes of local ski-field Ben
Lomond.
River life is the true essence of Launceston Tamar Valley’s
character. The majestic Tamar River is Australia’s longest
navigable tidal estuary, meandering for 58 kilometres
through the heart of high-yielding vineyard country,
orchards, gently sloping hills and forests. At the head
of the river, Seaport is a touch of Sydney in downtown
Launceston: a brand new waterfront apartment and
lifestyle development on the sea-gulled riverbank, just
500 metres from the CBD. Here you’ll find a marina,
restaurants, cafes, river cruises, a day spa and more.
Maritime enthusiasts can visit the fully operational pilot
station at Low Head, Australia’s oldest ship navigation
station. Tours of resident seal and penguin colonies are
close by, inhabiting one of the best coldwater marine
environments in the world (which is also one of Australia’s
best dive sites).
Tasmania is a mecca for bushwalkers and nature lovers,
and Launceston Tamar Valley doesn’t disappoint.
Numerous picturesque day walks are within easy reach
and the famous Cradle Mountain is just 2 ¼ hours’ drive
away. Closer to home, the Tamar Valley Wetlands is a
haven for bird life, with a 3 km boardwalk to Tamar Island,
and food-for-the-soul views from the middle of the river.
Just 20 minutes from Launceston is a wildlife park and
fishing lake complex with a large collection of native and
exotic animals, including wombats, emus, wallabies,
kangaroos, wedge-tailed eagles, alpacas and our famous
Tassie devils. A little further along the West Tamar at
Beauty Point there’s the only seahorse farm of its kind and
the chance to get up close to platypus and echidnas in an
indoor setting.
There’s also plenty for history buffs and antique collectors – you can visit historic homesteads such as Entally
House, or several National Trust properties on a heritagepass, fossick around the delightful Sunday market and
antique shops in the historic village of Evandale (home
to the famous annual Penny Farthing races), purchase a
George Town Heritage Pass and tour the historical sites
of Australia’s oldest town, see last century’s best and
strangest car and motorbike inventions in the National
Automobile Museum in Launceston, discover the first site
of European Settlement at York Town, or explore one of the
country’s most significant regional museums, the Queen
Victoria Museum & Art Gallery at the City’s historic Inveresk
rail yards.
The old gold mining town of Beaconsfield, which caught
the world’s attention in 2006 when two miners were
rescued after fourteen days trapped underground, is also
just 40 minutes from Launceston. Here you’ll find the
fascinating Grubb Shaft Gold & Heritage Museum next to
the spot where Brant Webb and Todd Russell emerged
from their ordeal.
Or you could take off in a classic VW beetle with a Tamar
Triple Pass to three of the valley’s key attractions, board
a cruise down Australia’s longest navigable tidal estuary – the Tamar River, or indulge your senses on a wine tour
and let someone else take care of the driving while you
visit some of the Valley’s 24 vineyards.
With so many award-winning restaurants serving our
famously fresh and delicious local produce, you could
send your taste buds to heaven on a gourmet weekend
(and walk it all off with a City heritage or ghost tour; a
leisurely wander along the beach, a guided discovery of
the Gorge, or a stroll in the bush).
For the more adventurous there’s cable-hang gliding and
mountain bike trails at Trevallyn State Reserve; cooltemperate
reef diving off Barrell Rock at Low Head, as
well as rock climbing and abseiling in the Cataract Gorge
- a piece of dramatic wilderness a few minutes from the
City. This is also the venue for one of the world’s most
challenging biennial white water kayaking events, which
can be viewed easily from the Gorge’s many trails and cliff
walkways.
