Launceston

• Summary
• Weather for Launceston

Launceston is an elegantly laid-back city in the north of Tasmania, just 45 minutes flying time from Melbourne, and 95 minutes from Sydney. Where three rivers meet and flow down to the ocean, Launceston is Australia's third oldest city and Tasmania's second largest.

Launceston is a true city of contrasts, where modern marinas meet graceful Victorian and Edwardian-era facades, streetscapes and parks - where you're seldom without a view of the Tamar River or surrounding valley.

Just a 15-minute walk from the City Centre, find the famous Cataract Gorge Reserve - a spectacular wilderness area nestled in the heart of Launceston. A place of the unexpected, it is dramatic, romantic, and breathtaking both day and night, and throughout all four seasons - especially when flood rains cascade through the dolerite cliffs like a mini Niagara Falls. Find a dozen walking and hiking trails, as well as the world's longest single span chairlift, lookouts, a swimming pool, restaurant and cafes, an Interpretation Centre, abseiling and rock climbing.

A short walk from the centre of the city are the two renowned Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) sites - Launceston's cultural heartbeat and gateway to Tasmania's history and character. The historic railway yards of the Inveresk site tells the fascinating story of Tasmanian's past, holding superb collections of Australian Colonial Art, Contemporary Craft & Design, and Tasmanian Natural Sciences. Nearby, the Launceston Tramway Museum pays homage to Launceston's early tramway system.

The QVMAG's separate, original Royal Park site features a Chinese Temple and Planetarium, with its displays of the southern night sky being one of only a handful in Australia. The gallery pays homage to Grote Reber, the world's first radio astronomer who lived and died in Tasmania.

If your passion is design, don't miss Australia's only museum collection of contemporary wood design at the Design Centre. The Tasmanian Wood Design Collection brings together the beauty of the state's natural timber resources and the design skills of its fine craftspeople - a showcase for everyday elegance. So too is the National Automobile Museum - a collection of motor vehicles and motorcycles from the 1900s to the 1990s.

Or if your appetite is for sport, catch an A-League Soccer or AFL game at Aurora Stadium York Park. It's Hawthorn Football Club's second home, and holds the record attendance for a VFL/AFL crowd in Tasmania (20, 961) set on June 18, 2006 (Hawthorn v Richmond).

With so many award-winning restaurants serving famously fresh and delicious local produce, you could send your taste buds to heaven on a gourmet weekend. Enhance a meal with one of Australia's best Sparklings, zesty Rieslings, superb cool-climate Chardonnays or complex Pinot Noirs from award winning Tamar Valley and North East wineries, or enjoy the "world's best beer" from J Boag & Son.

Be sure to visit when Launceston and the Valley come to life with a diverse calendar of events from Festivale - a celebration of local food and wine culture, to AFL games at Aurora Stadium, or the myriad of music, arts and theatre events showcased in a range of venues from the elegant historic Princess Theatre to the modern University Academy of the Arts.