DISCOVER LAUNCESTON

Established in 1805, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and has many historical buildings and sights. Like many Australian places, it was named after a town in the United Kingdom - in this case, Launceston, Cornwall.

HISTORY OF LAUNCESTON

Europeans originally settled at the mouth of the Tamar River (historically called Port Dalrymple) at George Town in 1804 but moved to the present site of Launceston in 1805. From 1803 until the proclamation of Van Diemen's Land in 1823, Launceston was the administrative capital of one the dependencies of New South Wales on the island.

Launceston was once the home of John Batman. From Launceston, Batman planned and designed the city of Melbourne, and in 1834 he sailed with John Pascoe Fawkner across Bass Strait to settle at Port Phillip, Victoria. (The spelling of John Batman's surname is Bateman in some literature.)

For some years after 1848, Launceston was the place of exile of the Irish nationalist leader Terence MacManus where his cottage still stands.


GEOGRAPHY AND LANDMARKS

Launceston serves as the commercial hub for the north of the state and, like many parts of Tasmania, is a major tourist centre. Some points of attraction are:

• The Cataract Gorge, a natural wonder of Tasmania and only five minutes walk from the city. Home to the longest single span chairlift in the world.
• The City Park, which includes an enclosure for Japanese Macaque monkeys, a gift from the sister-city of Ikeda, Japan.
• The Tamar River and tributaries.
• The Tamar Valley, which is home to some of Australia's best vineyards.
• The Boag's Brewery, which produces one of Australia's premium beers.
• Launceston Lakes Wildlife Park in Riverside.
• Aurora Stadium - The State's only venue for Australian Football League matches.
• Launceston's GPO dates back to the 1880s, when Launceston was proclaimed a city the post office got redecorated with a clock, the clock chimes every quarter hour as well as every hour.
• The University of Tasmania has a large campus close to the city, at Newnham. The Australian Maritime College is located on the grounds.
• The Silverdome is an indoor sporting and entertainment venue.
• The Country Club Resort is a hotel, casino and golf course complex.
• Launceston synagogue, a rare example of the Egyptian Revival style.

The city is home to a large collection of magnificently preserved Victorian architecture.

Launceston has a diverse collection of impressive art-deco architecture that includes the dominant art-deco landmark, Holyman House. There are also several landmark houses in Launceston built in the art-deco style.

Launceston is the hub for the state's medical retrieval service. The Royal Flying Doctor Service is serviced by the state's ambulance service, and doctors from the Launceston General Hospital.


INVERESK PRECINCT

This precinct, near Royal Park, hosts the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (the largest museum and art gallery in Australia located outside a capital city), Chinese Temple, Railway Workshops and a Planetarium.

The latest addition to the precinct is the new Launceston Tramway Museum. Included in the museum is the fully restored No 29 tram, the fully restored 'Mary St' shelter shed and a host of memorabilia. The restoration has taken place over a number of years and the museum is run entirely by volunteers. Also the states largest Preservation Railway, Don River Railway, has a carriage rebuilding workshop on the site.

The University of Tasmania also has two of its schools located at the Inveresk site. The School of Visual and Performing Arts is situated next to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and offers a range of course from visual arts, theatre and contemporary music. Adjacent to this, is the School of Architecture. The school's major emphasis is on environmental sustainability, which makes it one of the leading architecture schools in the country.


SPORT IN LAUNCESTON

Cricket enjoys massive popularity in Launceston. The Current Australian Cricket Captain Ricky Ponting hails from Launceston. Launceston is the home of Aurora Stadium (previously York Park), which is the state's only first-class sports ground equipped with lights for evening games. It hosts several first class Australian rules events, including the Northern Tasmanian Football League and Victorian Football League team, the Tasmanian Devils Football Club. The Melbourne team Hawthorn (and previously St Kilda) have played a small number of AFL (Australian football) games there each year. Launceston holds the record attendance for a VFL/AFL crowd in Tasmania (20,961) set on June 18, 2006 when Hawthorn played Richmond Football Club.

There is heated (but friendly) rivalry between residents of Launceston and the southern capital Hobart. The AFL games mentioned above are an example -- Hobart residents are disappointed about missing out -- while Hobart hosts all international cricket games played in the state at the Bellerive Oval.

Launceston is also the city where the controversial finish to the St Kilda v Fremantle game occurred, on April 30, 2006.

The city was also one of the venues for the 2003 Rugby World Cup attracting a record crowd for the sport of rugby union in Tasmania to a game between Romania and Namibia at York Park.


TRANSPORT

Launceston has a public bus service operated by the Tasmanian government owned company Metro Tasmania. Buses operate on an irregular time table and take commuters between city suburbs. Services run from some stops per hour, Monday to Friday and with only a few services on weekends.

Launceston is the hub of five of the state's major highways:

• The Midland Highway, the primary route to Hobart
• The Bass Highway, the primary route to Devonport and Burnie
• The Tasman Highway, the alternate scenic route to Hobart via Scottsdale and the east coast.
• The West Tamar Highway and East Tamar Highway, on either side of the Tamar River.

LAUNCESTON TOURS AND TRAVEL

LAUNCESTON HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION