Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

April 2011

We stayed in Launceston on either side of our Bay of Fires walk (post coming!), so we had a few hours to spend here. It's a very small, quaint city, which apparently has the highest concentration of 19th century buildings in Australia, which was part of the appeal. It is a very quiet town however, and I would recommend it as a stop over town.

A short taxi drive from the airport took us to our hotel at Peppers Old Seaport. After lunch we took a stroll through the city, including the outside of the Boag's Brewery and walked along the river back to the hotel.

After our walk along the Bay of Fires, we spent the morning cruising along the Tamar River.

Stay

Peppers Old Seaport. We had a nice large riverside room, which did have a great view over the seaport.

Eat

Fish N' Chips Old Seaport - we had the flake with small chips and chili squid

Pierre's - I had the steak tartare (don't tell my mother!) and DH had the Char grilled Cape Grim Steak, both very tasty and a very nice atmosphere

The Levee Food Co - We had dinner here and the steak was perfect. I had the Rib Eye with Truffle Bearnaise Sauce and DH had the Scotch fillet, cooked exactly as ordered. We also tried the Tasmanian Pacific Oysters.

Cube Cafe - The coffee here is great, but the service was a bit average

The Black Cow Bistro - We didn't get to eat here, we tried on both nights, so if you want to give it a go book ahead, I've only heard good things

See

A quick look at Tripadvisor will show you there's not a whole lot to do in Launceston. We did enjoy our walk around the city (give yourself a good 1.5 - 2 hours).

Tamar River Cruise - a great way to see the Cataract George and the river without all the walking (perfect for our limited time). We had a great morning for it weather wise and thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Tamar.