Go for a stroll around Launceston's city centre.
Seaport
I began my stroll around Launceston at Seaport, the marina where the Tamar River meets the North Esk and South Esk rivers. Lovely area on the river with restaurants overlooking the water. I had been on a river cruise that morning, so stopped for lunch at the Levee Restaurant at Seaport. Fuelled up I was ready to exercise off lunch by doing one of the heritage walking trails of Launceston. I had a map that showed three different walks and I ended up blending them a little.
Launceston was a major gateway to Tasmania, the fertile land around Launceston produced food for the other colonies. Taxes were levied on goods coming into Launceston and the Custom's House that was built in 1888 reflected the wealth in the colony.
The Custom House still houses the offices for Customs and Border Protection for Launceston.
Tasmanian Flour Mills
The Oast House at the Esk Brewery, built in 1881.
Originally built as the Dorset Tavern, it was opposite the train station so in a prime location. It later was known as the Terminus Hotel, now known as the City Park Grand, it was the height of a sophisticated hotel, still with the Billiards Room sign!
The Batman Fawkner Inn, it was originally built in 1824. It was at this hotel that Batman and Fawkner planned their crossing of Bass Strait to create a settlement on Port Philip Bay in 1835. That settlement became the city of Melbourne.
The circular windows and facade was a later edition, dating from Federation. The hotel was called the Cornwall Hotel when Batman and Fawkner were there. (They didn't name it after themselves!)
Dating from the 1880s this building was warehouses and commonwealth offices. The corner recess has a statue of the huntress Diana and the one on the left has Venus.
The Brisbane Hotel, known as the King's Head when it first opened in the 1840s. It hosted royalty, governors and the who's who of colonial Tasmania.
It's not named after the Australian city of Brisbane, but rather the road it's on, Brisbane Street. It was named after the Governor of the New South Wales Colony Sir Thomas Brisbane, he was in office from 1821 to 25. He also got a city named after him!
The Quadrant Mall
Whilst the buildings are heritage, the pedestrian mall is a more recent addition to Launceston as it was pedestrianised in 1979.
The Albert Hall
It was built for the Great Tasmanian Exhibition of 1891-92, and it displays the kind of wealth that was found in the Launceston area. It's such a grand building for a small town. It also was used for humanitarian purposes in crisis times, the hall housed influenza patients during the epidemic of 1919. And it provided shelter for people who had lost their homes in the floods of 1929.
Queen Victoria Memorial in City Park.
The children of Launceston donated to built the memorial, originally due for Queen Victoria's golden jubilee in 1887, but actually completed for her diamond jubilee in 1897!
The Town Hall
The Queen Victoria Art Gallery, built in 1891.
Opposite the art gallery is this beautiful building. It began life as an apartment block that offered all the amenities. Now mainly used as office accomodation.
The Umbrella Shop, frozen in time. (Run by the National Trust)
The King's Bridge, looking into Cataract Gorge with the Lady Launceston
The King's Bridge was quite the feat of engineering when it was built in 1864. It opened up the area across the river from Launceston, the bridge was prefabricated in Manchester, (U.K.) and then shipped and assembled on site. At the time it was called the South Esk Bridge, it was assembled on a pontoon and then floated into place. The King's Bridge generally can't be seen all that well from the city side of Launceston as there's now a modern concrete bridge that obscures it. Most traffic travels on the West Tamar Highway bridge but the King's bridge still gives access to residents of the nearby suburb of Trevallyn to the city. I waited until the boat I was on had gone under the modern bridge to take this photo of the old bridge.
The Heritage Walks brochure has some longer walks marked out I stayed close to the river on my blended walk. Launceston has some beautiful colonial era buildings and all are well maintained, no peeling paint! For anyone with an interest in history, heritage walks are the way to go, a nice slow way to see the area. Added bonus of getting some exercise as well!
I began my stroll around Launceston at Seaport, the marina where the Tamar River meets the North Esk and South Esk rivers. Lovely area on the river with restaurants overlooking the water. I had been on a river cruise that morning, so stopped for lunch at the Levee Restaurant at Seaport. Fuelled up I was ready to exercise off lunch by doing one of the heritage walking trails of Launceston. I had a map that showed three different walks and I ended up blending them a little.
Launceston was a major gateway to Tasmania, the fertile land around Launceston produced food for the other colonies. Taxes were levied on goods coming into Launceston and the Custom's House that was built in 1888 reflected the wealth in the colony.
The circular windows and facade was a later edition, dating from Federation. The hotel was called the Cornwall Hotel when Batman and Fawkner were there. (They didn't name it after themselves!)
It's not named after the Australian city of Brisbane, but rather the road it's on, Brisbane Street. It was named after the Governor of the New South Wales Colony Sir Thomas Brisbane, he was in office from 1821 to 25. He also got a city named after him!
Whilst the buildings are heritage, the pedestrian mall is a more recent addition to Launceston as it was pedestrianised in 1979.
It was built for the Great Tasmanian Exhibition of 1891-92, and it displays the kind of wealth that was found in the Launceston area. It's such a grand building for a small town. It also was used for humanitarian purposes in crisis times, the hall housed influenza patients during the epidemic of 1919. And it provided shelter for people who had lost their homes in the floods of 1929.
The children of Launceston donated to built the memorial, originally due for Queen Victoria's golden jubilee in 1887, but actually completed for her diamond jubilee in 1897!
The King's Bridge was quite the feat of engineering when it was built in 1864. It opened up the area across the river from Launceston, the bridge was prefabricated in Manchester, (U.K.) and then shipped and assembled on site. At the time it was called the South Esk Bridge, it was assembled on a pontoon and then floated into place. The King's Bridge generally can't be seen all that well from the city side of Launceston as there's now a modern concrete bridge that obscures it. Most traffic travels on the West Tamar Highway bridge but the King's bridge still gives access to residents of the nearby suburb of Trevallyn to the city. I waited until the boat I was on had gone under the modern bridge to take this photo of the old bridge.
The Heritage Walks brochure has some longer walks marked out I stayed close to the river on my blended walk. Launceston has some beautiful colonial era buildings and all are well maintained, no peeling paint! For anyone with an interest in history, heritage walks are the way to go, a nice slow way to see the area. Added bonus of getting some exercise as well!
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