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Launceston is a city in the north of the state of
Tasmania, Australia, with a population (greater urban
and statistical sub division) of 103,325 located at
the juncture of the North Esk, South Esk, and Tamar
rivers. It is the second largest city in Tasmania after
the state capital Hobart. Settled by Europeans in March
1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities
and is home to the largest selection[not specific enough
to verify] of nineteenth century buildings in Australia.
Like many Australian places, it was named after a town
in the United Kingdom — in this case, Launceston, Cornwall.
Launceston has also been home to several firsts such
as the first use of anesthetic in the Southern Hemisphere,
the first Australian city to have underground sewers
and the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity.
The city has a cool temperature climate with four distinct
seasons. The average February maximum temperature is
24.4 °C (76 °F) with the average maximum dropping to
12.5 °C (54 °F) in July.
Geography
Launceston is located in the Tamar Valley, Northern
Tasmania. The valley was formed by volcanic and glacial
forces over 10 million years ago. The city is located
approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of the Bass
Strait, with its closest city Devonport, approximately
99 kilometres (62 mi) to the north west. Most of Launceston
is very swampy as it was built around the Tamar River.
Launceston combines steep (originally heavily wooded)
ridges and low-lying areas (originally wetlands — with
parts of the suburbs of Inveresk and Invermay below
high-tide level). As a result, areas of Launceston are
subject to landslip problems, while others are liable
to poor drainage and periodic flooding. The topography
of the area, isn't conducive to easy dispersion of airborne
pollution, due to the phenomenon of thermal inversion.
Launceston has been built around the merger of the Tamar
River and its tributaries; the South Esk River and the
North Esk River. The Tamar River is a navigable estuary,
and is still used for tourist cruises. For many years,
ocean going shipping used the river to obtain access
to the Port of Launceston located in the city centre.
The Port of Launceston is now located at Bell Bay, some
40 kilometres (25 mi) by road from the city, on the
east bank of the Tamar estuary, close to its mouth.
The South Esk River is the longest river in Tasmania.
It starts in the mountains of Fingal and flows through
Avoca, Evandale, Longford, Hadspen and finally Launceston.
The river is dammed at Lake Trevallyn although some
water flows into the Cataract Gorge and eventually merges
with the Tamar River. The North Esk River starts in
the mountains in Tasmania's north-east and winds its
way to Launceston.
During recent years the city's air quality has improved
dramatically. Studies indicate that 73% percent of air
pollution in Launceston and surrounding areas during
the winter period is caused by wood smoke, while about
8% is from motor vehicle pollution. During the early
1990s about 60% per cent of households used wood heaters,
but now only 25–30% of households use wood heating.
The 2008 winter was the first time Launceston's air
quality did not exceed PM10, since air quality monitoring
began in 1997.
Urban structure and architecture
The urban areas of Launceston are organised into local
suburbs, industrial areas and villages. A large portion
of the city is part of the City of Launceston Local
Government Area. Some outer suburbs are part of adjacent
council districts; Riverside and Legana are part of
the West Tamar Council; Prospect Vale and Blackstone
Heights are included in the Meander Valley Council.
Launceston still has many well preserved Victorian and
Georgian buildings and has the largest collection of
nineteenth century buildings in Australia, along with
a diverse collection of art-deco architecture, such
as Holyman House. The Government offices of Henty House
in Charles Street are one of the cities examples of
Brutalist architecture. Others include the Police Station
Building. The Launceston synagogue is a rare example
of architecture in Egyptian Revival style. As with the
rest of Tasmania, Launceston has height restrictions,
with many buildings in the central business district
(CBD) being less than five storeys. The majority CBD
buildings were constructed in the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, although of late modern offices
and apartments have been built.
Tourism
Launceston serves as the commercial hub for the north
of Tasmania, and like many parts of the state, is becoming
a major tourist centre. Visitors to the city have grown
over the past few years, during 2004 Launceston attracted
412,800 visitors, up 51% from 2001. The United Kingdom
is the origin of 25% of all international visitors to
the city and 17% originate from the USA.
The Cataract Gorge is Launceston's largest tourist attraction
and is in close proximity to the city. It's home to
the longest single span chairlift in the world, stretching
308 metres (1,010 ft) from Basin 1 all the way to Basin
2.[40] Launceston has many parks throughout the city
including City Park, located next to the city centre.
City Park is home to Albert Hall. The park also has
a large enclosure for Japanese Macaque monkeys, which
is a gift from sister city Ikeda, Japan. The Launceston
General Post Office dates back to the 1880s, with a
clock tower added in the early twentieth century. The
GPO clock chime chimes every quarter hour.
Launceston is home to the Tasmania Zoo, which is known
for its wildlife conservation work, including a breeding
program for Tasmanian Devils.
Culture
Arts and entertainment
Launceston is home to the Queen Victoria Museum and
Art Gallery. The museum was established in 1891 and
is the largest museum located outside a capital city
in Australia. The museum is located at two sites across
the city; the original purpose built building at Royal
Park and another at the Inveresk Cultural Precinct,
on the grounds of the former railway station and rail
yards in buildings largely converted from the former
Railway Workshops. 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 other
memorabilia. The restoration has taken place over a
number of years and the museum is run entirely by volunteers.
The state's largest preservation railway, the Don River
Railway, also has a carriage rebuilding workshop on
the site. Australia's oldest bookshop, A.W. Birchall
& Sons (Birchalls), that opened in November 1844, is
still located at its current site in the Brisbane Street
Mall.
Located in the Southern Launceston suburb of Prospect,
the Country Club Casino is a hotel, casino and golf
course complex. It was the second casino to be built
in Tasmania and one of the first in Australia. Launceston
Aquatic, a $26.3 million regional aquatic centre was
completed in July 2009. The site, just outside the central
business district spans approximately 6,450 square metres
(69,400 sq ft)
From 1999 to 2003, Launceston was the home of three
of the four Gone South music festivals. Since 2006,
it has hosted the MS Fest, a music festival held at
the Inveresk Show grounds each summer to raise funds
for multiple sclerosis research.
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