CosBeauty Magazine #81

Feature
day 1
Launceston &
Deloraine
A good tip is to catch one of
the early morning flights into
Launceston (population 85,000)
to allow a full day sightseeing.
Rental car desks are conveniently
adjacent to the baggage collection
exit – book in advance and your car
will be ‘ready to go’ in the car park
immediately adjoining the compact
airport terminal.
A relaxing mid-morning stop
is colourful Launceston City
Park (established 1820) featuring
magnificent mature shrubs and trees
(many of English origin) shading
a series of notable monuments and
fountains; a huge duck pond and
mini-train ride for youngsters; the
John Hart Conservatory and historic
Albert Hall; the famous Japanese
macaque monkey enclosure (also
known as ‘snow monkeys’ because
they can cope with temperatures
as low as -20C) which was donated
in 1965 by the citizens of Ikeda
when Launceston became a
‘sister city’ with that municipality
in Japan; a children’s playground;
and a tree-sheltered café with
multiple outdoor settings across
soft, lush lawns.
Just a 15-minute walk (or
three-minute drive) from the city
centre is Cataract George, boasting
the world’s longest single-span
chairlift (457m, with a central span
of 308m). The panoramic ride across
the canyon takes five minutes,
overlooking landscaped gardens,
numerous hiking trails for the more
adventurous, and two
large swimming pools for family
picnics. The site also includes a
café and restaurant, plus dozens of
roaming peacocks.
A short walk along the cliff edge
stands a magnificent suspension
bridge over the South Esk River,
which delights (and simultaneously
frightens) visitors by swaying
unpredictably as you pass across
its centre strands.
A 30-minute drive (50km) to the
west of central Launceston sits the
3,000 citizen agricultural centre of
Deloraine (named after a character
from Sir Walter Scott’s poem The
Lay Of The Last Minstrel) on the
aptly named Meander River. Visitor
attractions include Quamby Bluff
and Lobster Falls walking tracks;
and cheese factory, salmon and
truffle farm tours.
Deloraine is also one of
Tasmania’s most significant
regional centres for arts and
crafts. Particularly notable is its
celebrated Yarns Artwork In Silk,
a large-scale textile treasure created
in four panels, each measuring
3.5mx4m. Crafted by more than
300 local artists, it took 10,000
hours and 200 metres of hand-dyed
silk to complete.
Back in Launceston for
the evening, La Cantina
Italian restaurant (on George
Street) offers good value for
money holiday fare, with quick
service, friendly staff and lots
of tables to accommodate
unplanned tourist arrivals.
day 2
Bay Of Fires
& Freycinet
National Park
Heading east from Launceston,
it’s an easy 2.5-hour drive
(minimal traffic) to the
spectacular coastline along
Bay Of Fires – a conservation
area (famous for its crystalclear
waters, sugar-white sandy
beaches and orange lichencovered
granite boulders)
stretching 50km from Binalong
Bay in the south to Eddystone
Point in the north.
In 2009 Lonely Planet
named it the ‘world’s hottest
travel destination’.
The bay was given its name
in 1773 by English navigator
Captain Tobias Furneaux (who
accompanied James Cook on his
second voyage of exploration).
While charting the cost from
his ship Adventure, Furneaux
observed the many fires set by
the local Aboriginal people along
the beaches.
On the road into scenic
Binalong Bay (population 200), a
‘must stop’ is Lichen Restaurant
and Café, offering a spectacular
verandah view up the coastline
and across both the nearby
viewing platform for passing
pods of migrating whales and
playful visitors strolling over,
and swimming in, the large
natural rock pools.
Down the scenic east coast
another 1.5-hour drive is the
magnificent Coles Bay and
nearby Freycinet National Park
(a peninsula defined by Schouten
Island and a granite mountain
range known as the Hazards).
The most popular walking trails
all lead to Wineglass Bay.
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