Sights in Launceston
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Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery
The Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery has two campuses. The purpose-built 1891 museum at Royal Park is currently closed, as it is undergoing major refurbishment, and will reopen in 2010 as a home for fine arts; the superb remodelled site at the Inveresk Railyards remains open and showcases an outstanding collection of traditional Aboriginal mareener shell necklaces, an impressive display of early colonial paintings, interactive museum spaces with old aeroplanes and railway workshops, and shifting contemporary exhibits. The popular Planetarium will be relocated to Inveresk site from the Royal Park campus. Both sites have cafes and access for wheelchairs.
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Inveresk Railyards
One of the two campuses of the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery. The superb remodelled site at the Inveresk Railyards remains open and showcases an outstanding collection of traditional Aboriginal mareener shell necklaces, an impressive display of early colonial paintings, interactive museum spaces with old aeroplanes and railway workshops, and shifting contemporary exhibits. The popular Planetarium will be relocated to this site from the Royal Park campus. The site has a cafe and access for wheelchairs.
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Cataract Gorge
A 10-minute walk west of the city is the fabulous Cataract Gorge. Surrounded by a wildlife reserve, near-vertical basalt cliffs crowd the banks of the South Esk River as it enters the Tamar. During the day, teens plunge into the river and rock-climbers defy gravity; at night the floodlit cliffs take on a shifty, shadow-strewn countenance.
Walking tracks on either side of the gorge lead from Kings Bridge up to First Basin, where there's a swimming pool, picnic grounds, a quality restaurant with resident peacocks, and trails leading to vista-packed lookouts. Both a suspension bridge and a chairlift sail across First Basin. A walking track (45 minutes one way) leads further u…
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Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery Museum
Inveresk Railyards Royal Park Launceston's wonderful museum is on two sites. The stylishly renovated industrial warehouses at Inveresk contain natural and social history and technology-focused collections, and host touring exhibitions (entrance fee). Inveresk is also home to Launceston's Planetarium.
At time of writing, the museum's 1890s Royal Park building was undergoing a meticulous renovation to reveal its original Victorian architectural glory. It was expected to reopen in late 2011, housing colonial painting and decorative arts collections.
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Tamar Island Wetlands
A 10-minute drive north of the city, there's a 2km wheelchair-friendly boardwalk through this wetland reserve teeming with bird life. The island has BBQs and is perfect for picnicking.
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National Automobile Museum of Tasmania
Rev-heads get all revved up over the display here, one of Australia's best presentations of classic and historic cars and motorbikes. The '69 Corvette Stingray will burn tyre tracks into your retinas.
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Franklin House
Just south of the city, Franklin House is one of Launceston's most attractive Georgian homes. Built in 1838, it's now beautifully restored, furnished and managed by the National Trust. Franklin Village–bound Metro buses 40 and 50 from the city stop here.
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Wood Design Collection
In the same building as the Design Centre of Tasmania, the Wood Design Collection showcases local designs, with more sassafras, Huon pine and myrtle than your average southwest forest.
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Planetarium
Based in the child-friendly Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, the planetarium will have you seeing stars.
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Design Centre of Tasmania
On the fringes of City Park, the excellent Wood Design Collection showcases local creations in wood, with more sassafras, Huon pine and myrtle than you can shake a stick at. There's also top-notch craftwork for sale – great for classy Tassie gifts.
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City Park
Wonderful, green City Park has enormous oaks and plane trees, an elegant fountain, a conservatory with changing plant displays, a Victorian bandstand and a playground and mini train for kids. A glass-walled enclosure of Japanese macaques, a gift from Japanese sister city Ikeda, will fascinate little ones for hours.
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