Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

622
CHAPTER 14 . TASMANIA
The Plight of Taz
Made famous throughout the world by the rambunctious, spinning
Warner Brothers cartoon character Taz, the Tasmanian Devil is being
struck down by a mysterious cancer. The illness, which was first noticed
in the northeast of the island in 1996, has wiped out up to 85% of the
animals in parts of the island, and is rapidly spreading westward.
There were between 150,000 and 200,000 Tasmanian Devils on the
island before the cancer first appeared, and wildlife officials believe up
to two-thirds of the population will have died out by 2006. It’s thought
that the disease will only be stopped when populations of Tassie Devils
are so small and remote from each other that the cancer ceases to
remain viable.
The lack of Tasmanian Devils could make it easier for foxes to colonize
the island. European red foxes, which have devastated native
wildlife on the Australian mainland, have turned up on Tasmania in
recent years. It is believed that deranged pro-hunting activists introduced
them, while indecisiveness on the part of the Tasmanian State
Government has meant that their numbers have increased. If foxes
gain a strong foothold on the island, which they look likely to do, Tasmania
could be faced with an epidemic of extinctions.
a pleasant city crammed with elegant Victorian and Georgian architecture and
plenty of remnants from convict days. Unfortunately, shortsighted local and
state governments are gradually overseeing the chipping away of its great architectural
heritage in favor of the usual parking garages and ugly concrete monoliths.
However, Launceston (pop. 104,000) is still one of Australia’s most
beautiful cities and has plenty of delightful parks and churches. It’s also well
placed as the gateway to the wineries of the Tamar Valley, the highlands and
alpine lakes of the north, and the stunning beaches to the east.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Qantas (& 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au)
flies to Launceston from Melbourne and Sydney. The Airport Shuttle drops off
at city hotels from 8:45am to 5pm daily. It costs A$10 (US$6.50) one-way.
Tasmanian Redline Coaches (& 03/6336 1446; www.redlinecoaches.com.
au) depart Hobart for Launceston several times daily (trip time: around 2 hr., 40
min.). The one-way fare is A$24.70 (US$16). Launceston is 1 1 ⁄2 hours from
Devonport if you plan to take a ferry from Melbourne across Bass Strait to Devonport.
The bus ride from Devonport to Launceston costs around A$17 (US$11).
The drive from Hobart to Launceston takes just over 2 hours on Highway 1.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Gateway Tasmania Travel Centre on the
corner of St. John and Paterson streets, TAS 7250 (& 03/6336 3133; fax
03/6336 3118; gateway.tas@microtech.com.au) is open Monday through Friday
from 9am to 5pm, Saturday from 9am to 3pm, and Sunday and holidays from
9am to noon.
CITY LAYOUT The main pedestrian shopping mall, Brisbane Street, along
with St. John and Charles streets on either side, forms the heart of the central