All Travel Guides

Provided by: Jarrad Seng/Tourism Tasmania

Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.

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Oceania Australia Tasmania Do & See Launceston

Overview

Launceston

The guide was updated: 2024-06-25

Launceston is Tasmania's second major city and a vibrant hub for food and wine, culture and nature. The city is full of character, eye-catching architecture, quaint shop fronts and interesting stores. Discover handmade local products in boutique stores, galleries and design hubs.

Useful Information

Website: www.launceston.tas.gov.au

Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.

*this will be downloaded as a PDF.

Price

€4,95

Purchase

West Coast

West Coast

A network of mining towns, tales of convicts, rugged empty coastlines, and dense rainforests embody the west coast. See everything from old growth rainforest, waterfalls, mirrored alpine lakes and highlands mountain ranges. But it’s not just about exploring the wilderness, it’s about uncovering the personal stories of pioneers, convicts, miners and piners. Witness nature at its most pristine and meet down to earth people that lead a frontier lifestyle in a rugged, unspoilt land.

East Coast

East Coast

Along the east coast you can dine on plump oysters and other fresh seafood, sip wine with the winemaker at one of the wineries along the coast, kayak with dolphins or take the ferry to Maria Island — a wildlife haven set amongst natural beauty and convict history.

North West Coast

North West Coast

Pull back to a slower pace and soak in natural beauty, wild coastlines, picturesque towns and a slower lifestyle. Be transformed by wilderness, waterfalls and the greatest expanse of cool temperate rainforest in Australia, and second largest in the world — The Tarkine. The north west is also a bountiful food bowl and you can pick up fresh farm grown produce along the Cradle to Coast Tasting trail or taste it in the local restaurants.

Launceston

Launceston

Launceston is Tasmania's second major city and a vibrant hub for food and wine, culture and nature. The city is full of character, eye-catching architecture, quaint shop fronts and interesting stores. Discover handmade local products in boutique stores, galleries and design hubs.

Flinders Island

Flinders Island

With only 900 residents, Flinders is largely untouched wilderness and sometimes eerily quiet — bordered by more than 120 deserted beaches and surrounded by at least 65 shipwrecks.

King Island

King Island

King Island lies off the north west coast of Tasmania, surrounded by rugged coastline and full of fresh seafood, famously good produce and some of the cleanest air in the world. This is a destination for foodies who want to get close to the source and travel far from the rest of the world.

Bruny Island

Bruny Island

Bruny Island is known for its delicious produce and spectacular scenery. Taste fresh seafood, sample fine Tasmanian whisky, eat handmade fudge and chocolate, pick berries and sample artisan cheeses.

Maria Island

Maria Island

Explore the breathtaking beauty of Maria Island National Park. If you think this island is all about nature because you're in a national park, think again — the convict station at Darlington pre-dated Port Arthur.

Tasman Peninsula

Tasman Peninsula

Explore the natural wonders of the Tasman Peninsula. A place of breathtaking seascapes, some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world and wild ocean views. From Eaglehawk Neck to Port Arthur Historic Site, this fascinating journey is rich in convict history and natural beauty — but also thrilling adventure experiences that will take your breath away, encounters with sea and coastal wildlife that you will never forget and quality food and wine to savour and enjoy.

Freycinet National Park

Freycinet National Park

When you first arrive at Great Oyster Bay set against the backdrop of Freycinet National Park and the three pink-granite peaks of the Hazards mountain range — you know you're somewhere different (and special). Located on Tasmania's beautiful east coast, the Freycinet National Park occupies most of the Freycinet Peninsula. The 10,000 ha park is loaded with natural assets, including the granite peaks of the Hazards that dominate the Peninsula and the iconic and much-photographed Wineglass Bay. It is also a wildlife haven to Tasmanian pademelons, white-breasted sea eagles, and red-necked wallabies. There are long and short walks across the park to secluded bays, clean beaches and bird-filled lagoons.

The Tarkine Drive

The Tarkine Drive

The Tarkine Drive in Tasmania's north west is easily accessible for anyone wanting to get back in touch with nature and experience the wilderness. The loop takes travellers through natural and dramatic landscapes surrounded by rainforest and tall eucalypts with impressive widespread views over rivers and beyond. Completing the loop is the Trowutta Arch Rain Forest Walk — a stunning and natural geological structure.

60 Great Short Walks

60 Great Short Walks

Tasmania is home to some of Australia's most iconic walks – the Bay of Fires, Maria Island, and of course, the Overland Track, to name a few. But one doesn't have to embark on a multi-day trek to experience the best of Tassie on foot. Work your way down the list of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks. They give just about anybody the chance to explore some of Tassie's most scenic and iconic regions, in walks ranging from about 20 minutes to a couple of hours.

Central Highlands Fly Fishing

Central Highlands Fly Fishing

Tasmania is one of the last great wild fisheries. Glassy lagoons, remote highland lakes and freestone rivers provide seclusion and excellent dry fly fishing from September to May. There are over 3,000 lakes, rivers and streams in Tassie. You’ll be excited to discover almost all of them hold wild brown and rainbow trout. The varied terrain also creates some pretty memorable challenges.

Cradle Mountain Huts Walk

Cradle Mountain Huts Walk

The Cradle Mountain Huts guided walk is a great opportunity to discover the dramatic landscapes and extraordinary diversity of the Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair National Park within Tasmania's World Heritage Area. Following the iconic Overland Track, the walk extends from Cradle Valley to Lake St Clair through a variety of spectacular landscapes. In the evening, relax in the comfort of private huts, enjoy hot showers and three-course meals.

The Freycinet Experience Walk

The Freycinet Experience Walk

Leave everyday life behind for the Freycinet National Park. Each day a new adventure unfolds as you access the most isolated corners of the park. Snorkel clear waters, walk to magnificent views and walk the powder white sand of Wineglass Bay under the Hazards mountain range. At night enjoy hot showers, deep baths and wine by the log fire. Peruse the lodge’s library, watch wildlife and enjoy indulgent meals prepared by your hosts.

Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery

Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is the second oldest museum in Australia. Today, the gallery's collections sit in a stunning contemporary design, sensitively integrated with the museum's heritage buildings. Known as TMAG to locals, the museum's art collection includes works from Tasmania's colonial period through to contemporary Australian and international artists.

The Tarkine Rainforest Walk

The Tarkine Rainforest Walk

Enter the Tarkine, the largest tract of temperate rainforest in the Southern Hemisphere. Explore with little more than a day pack as you discover the wilderness and dine on fresh produce. Freshen up in a Japanese-style washroom, dine among the ferns and settle next to a fire.

ALL4 Quad Bike All Terrain Tours

ALL4 Quad Bike All Terrain Tours

With four big rubber tyres beneath, accelerate up the sandy path on your way to the southern end of sweeping Friendly Beaches. As you wind through Eucalypt covered hills you might decide this is a terribly fun way to reach isolated nooks of the Freycinet Peninsula. Navigate boulder-filled valleys and drop into an abandoned mining cottage before reaching the coast. In true east coast style, your afternoon tea stop is a cracker with rolling turquoise waves and orange lichen laid out like a picnic rug across granite boulders. A thrilling quad bike adventure for those who seek a unique view of the Freycinet National Park.

Great Eastern Drive

Great Eastern Drive

The Great Eastern Drive — it’s a place of stomach filling soul food and jaw-dropping vistas. Pristine water, rich soil and a mild climate make for a killer oyster and wine road trip. Add ocean-going adventures and friendly locals and you have all the ingredients for the perfect coastal break. Between Orford and the Bay of Fires, you’ll find picture blinding white beaches, azure water and bright orange boulders. See Tassie’s East Coast with your own eyes and it will stay with you forever. Lace up and walk off plump oysters along sandy stretches of shell-strewn beaches. Stop, take your time — the Great Eastern Drive promises a winding coastal sojourn along a blindingly beautiful coastline and ridiculous beaches, topped off with a gentle coastal breeze.

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