Launceston: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Few cities have a wild river gorge a ten-minute walk from the main street. At Launceston the South Esk River squeezes through cliffs of dark dolerite before it meets the Tamar, and the town has strung paths, bridges and a chairlift along it. This walk goes up one side to the First Basin, crosses over, and carries on upstream to an old power station that once lit the whole city. Allow three hours for the full walk; the paths are well made but have steps, and the gorge is cool and shady even in summer.
A short history of Launceston
Launceston was founded in 1806 by William Paterson, at the head of the Tamar River in northern Tasmania, and it is one of the oldest cities in Australia. In 1847 the first anaesthesia in the Southern Hemisphere was carried out here, using ether. In 1895 a hydroelectric power station opened in the nearby Cataract Gorge, and Launceston became the first city in Australia to light its streets with electricity from water. The city grew rich in the 19th century from wool processing and the tin mines of the island's north-east, which is why many Victorian buildings remain. Right on the edge of the city centre runs Cataract Gorge, a rocky canyon cut by the river.
The ten best sights in Launceston
1Launceston SynagogueConsecrated in 1846 and still in use; it opens to visitors only on some days, so check ahead
2QVMAG InvereskFree entry; natural history, a planetarium and the old railway workshops in one place
3QVMAG Royal ParkThe art half of the museum, in a Victorian building by the river; also free
4Boag's BreweryBook the tour ahead; the tasting at the end is the point
5Albert HallThe grand Victorian hall on City Park; look in if a concert or fair is on
6Franklin HouseA Georgian house ten minutes south, kept by the National Trust; under an hour
7Woolmers EstateA UNESCO-listed convict farm 25 minutes south; pair it with Brickendon next door
8Cataract GorgeTen minutes' walk from the centre; come at dusk for the wallabies on the lawns
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9Gorge Scenic Chairlift
Crosses the First Basin in about ten minutes each way; feet dangle high above the water
10Alexandra Suspension BridgeCross it to walk back along the other side of the gorge
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Launceston →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Launceston:
Free walking tours in Launceston
The gorge on foot
Few cities have a wild river gorge a ten-minute walk from the main street. At Launceston the South Esk River squeezes through cliffs of dark dolerite before it meets the Tamar, and the town has strung paths, bridges and a chairlift along it. This walk goes up one side to the First Basin, crosses over, and carries on upstream to an old power station that once lit the whole city. Allow three hours for the full walk; the paths are well made but have steps, and the gorge is cool and shady even in summer.
- Kings Bridge · Right here the South Esk leaves the gorge and meets the North Esk, and together they become the Tamar. The Tamar is really a tidal estuary, about 70 km long, so the water under the bridge rises and falls with the sea.
- Alexandra Suspension Bridge · The bridge was opened in 1904 and named after Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII. Before it, walkers on the two sides of the gorge had no way across short of going back to town.
- Gorge Scenic Chairlift · Opened in 1972, it crosses the First Basin with a central span of about 308 metres between towers, said to be the longest single chairlift span in the world.
- First Basin Swimming Pool · The open-air pool on the lawn beside the basin is free and open in summer, while the basin itself is cold and deep. For more than a century the gorge has been where the city goes to swim on hot days.
- Duck Reach Power Station · When this station opened in 1895, Launceston became the first city in the Southern Hemisphere lit by hydro-electric power. The building you see is a later rebuild; the original was swept away by a flood in 1929.
- Trevallyn Nature Recreation Area · Upstream of the gorge the Trevallyn Dam, completed in the 1950s, sends most of the South Esk through a tunnel to a power station on the Tamar. That is why the river in the gorge is often a trickle, until heavy rain forces the dam to open.
Colonial Launceston
Launceston was founded in 1806 and is the third-oldest city in Australia, after Sydney and Hobart. Its centre kept much of its 19th-century look: squares with fountains, Victorian halls, a brewery and one of the oldest synagogues in the country. This walk links them in about two hours on flat streets, ending at the museum in the old railway workshops across the river. On Saturday morning, start at the Harvest Market, a few steps from City Park.
- Princes Square · The fountain in the middle was bought from the Paris Exhibition of 1855 and shipped out from France. The square around it was once a brickfield, before it was laid out as a garden.
- Launceston Synagogue · Consecrated in 1846, it is the second-oldest synagogue in Australia, a year younger than Hobart's. Its early congregation included former convicts who had been transported for petty crimes and stayed on as merchants.
- Albert Hall · The hall was built for the Tasmanian Exhibition of 1891, a world's-fair-style show that the city staged to display its wealth from tin and gold. It is still the city's main hall for concerts and events.
- City Park · Since 1965 the park has kept a troop of Japanese macaques, a gift linked to Launceston's sister city, Ikeda in Japan. Snow monkeys in a Tasmanian park are as odd as they sound, and the enclosure is free.
- Boag's Brewery · James Boag and his son took over the Esk Brewery on this site in 1883, and the family name has been on the beer ever since. Launceston and Hobart still split Tasmania by beer: Boag's in the north, Cascade in the south.
- QVMAG Inveresk · The museum moved into the city's old railway workshops, and inside it stands a Chinese temple brought from the tin-mining towns of the north-east. Chinese miners came to Tasmania in the 1870s and 1880s, and the joss house is one of the few traces they left.
Down the Tamar
North of the city the Tamar widens into a long, calm estuary lined with vineyards, orchards and old river towns. The West Tamar road runs down one side to the mouth at Beauty Point, passing a bushranger's lookout, a bridge and a gold mine with a famous rescue story. This is a full day by car, about 50 km each way, and you can come back on the east bank across the bridge. Start with the wetlands while it is cool, and book the seahorse tour if you want a set time.
- Tamar Island Wetlands · The boardwalk crosses reed beds and mudflats where the fresh river water meets the salt tide. Black swans, ducks and wading birds feed here, and the walk ends on a small island in the estuary.
- Josef Chromy Wines · Josef Chromy escaped communist Czechoslovakia in 1950, arrived in Tasmania with almost nothing and built a meat business. Late in life he turned to wine, and he was one of the people who helped make Tasmanian wine known across Australia.
- Brady's Lookout · Matthew Brady was a convict who escaped from the prison at Macquarie Harbour in 1824 and became the most famous bushranger in Van Diemen's Land. He was said to watch the river road from this rock. He was captured and hanged in Hobart in 1826.
- Batman Bridge · Opened in 1968, it was one of the first cable-stayed bridges in Australia, its deck hung from a single tall steel tower. It is named after John Batman, who farmed in Tasmania's north before he led, in 1835, the party that founded Melbourne.
- Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre · On 25 April 2006 a rockfall in the gold mine killed the miner Larry Knight and trapped Brant Webb and Todd Russell about a kilometre underground. They were brought out alive after 14 days, and the whole country followed the rescue live.
- Seahorse World · In seahorses it is the male that gets pregnant: the female lays her eggs in a pouch on his belly, and he carries them until they hatch. The farm here breeds seahorses so that aquariums do not have to take them from the wild.
Getting to Launceston and getting around
- Launceston Airport · Fifteen minutes south of the city, with flights from Melbourne and Sydney; many Tasmania loops pick up the car here
- Launceston Regional Transit Centre · Coaches to Hobart and the north-west leave from here, in the centre
Cheap eats in Launceston
Launceston is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, and even its quick food shows it: bakeries, small-batch coffee and a Saturday market full of Tasmanian produce. The local pie to try is the curried scallop pie, a Tasmanian speciality. Prices are in Australian dollars. Cafés open early and many close by mid-afternoon, so lunch is the meal to plan around.
- Banjo's Bakery Cafe · Tasmanian bakery chain on Brisbane Street; pies about A$6-10
- Harvest Market · Saturday mornings; breakfast from the stalls about A$10-18
- Sweetbrew · Coffee and cakes on George Street, about A$5-12
- Bread + Butter · Bakery-café; sourdough sandwiches about A$12-18
- City Park Store · Takeaway by City Park for a picnic, about A$8-15
- Picnics · Sandwiches and salads to take away, about A$10-15
- Exeter Bakery café · City outlet of a Tamar Valley bakery; pies about A$6-10
Museums in Launceston
- QVMAG Inveresk · Free; natural history, planetarium, railway workshops
- QVMAG Royal Park · Colonial and Tasmanian art; free
- Franklin House · Georgian house and garden; about 45 minutes
- National Automobile Museum of Tasmania · Classic cars and motorbikes near the gorge
- Woolmers Estate · UNESCO convict site with a rose garden; 25 minutes south
Nature and day trips near Launceston
- Cataract Gorge · Walks, bridges and the chairlift, ten minutes from the centre
- Bridestowe Lavender Estate · Purple fields in December and January; entry fee in season
- Tamar Island Wetlands · Flat boardwalk and bird hides; free
- Trevallyn Nature Recreation Area · Bush trails and the dam above the gorge
- Brady's Lookout · Rock lookout over the Tamar, 20 minutes north
- Hollybank Treetops Adventure · Zip lines through the forest, 20 minutes north-east
Things to do in Launceston with kids
- City Park · Free monkeys and playground in the centre
- Platypus House · Guided tour about an hour; at Beauty Point
- Seahorse World · Seahorse farm tour next to Platypus House
- First Basin Swimming Pool · Free outdoor pool in the gorge; summer only
- Gorge Scenic Chairlift · The ride over the gorge is the highlight for most kids
- Hollybank Treetops Adventure · Zip lines and rope courses; check the age and height limits
Where to eat in Launceston
- Stillwater · Fine dining at the gorge; book ahead
- Black Cow Bistro · Steak house on Paterson Street; mains about A$45-70
- Mud Bar · Modern dishes on the Seaport waterfront; mains about A$35-50
- Pickled Evenings · Nepalese food in a cosy room; mains about A$25-35
- Hallam's Waterfront · Seafood by the river; mains about A$35-50
- Du Cane Brewing · Local craft beer and dining hall; about A$25-40 with a beer
Frequently asked questions about Launceston
What is there to see in Launceston?
The top sights in Launceston are Launceston Synagogue, QVMAG Inveresk and QVMAG Royal Park. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Launceston?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Launceston without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Launceston?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Launceston, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The gorge on foot.
How do you get to Launceston and get around?
The main ways are Launceston Airport and Launceston Regional Transit Centre. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Launceston, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Launceston that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Launceston for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.