Where to Stay in Launceston, State of Tasmania

What is Launceston known for?

Two rivers, the North Esk and the South Esk, converge in the middle of Launceston and leave the city as the River Tamar, which also carries the name kanamaluka. It ranks second in Tasmania after Hobart. The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery carries the public art and museum collections.

Travellers use it as a base for exploring northern Tasmania.

What are the main landmarks in Launceston?

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery holds the city's museum and art collections, and it is the landmark most visitors reach first. St John's Church and St Andrew's Kirk add two older names. Athletic venues round out Launceston's list.

The Elphin Sports Centre and the Silverdome are the two large venues carrying the events of Launceston.

What is the history of Launceston?

Settlement began in 1805. The town was established the year after, in 1806, on the ground where the North Esk and the South Esk run together and continue as the River Tamar. The water carries a second name, kanamaluka.

That junction fixed the position of the town, and the northern part of Tasmania has been reached from it ever since. Hobart stayed the capital. Launceston grew into the second city of the state, and among the inland cities of Australia it ranks fifth.

Its older institutions carry names from the colonial century: St John's Church, St Andrew's Kirk, and the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, which keeps what the city has gathered since. In 2022 it was named Australian Town of the Year. It still works as the base for the northern part of the state rather than a stop on the way through.

Where is Launceston?

The North Esk arrives from one side and the South Esk from the other, and the two become the River Tamar in the middle of the city. Downstream that water is also kanamaluka. Launceston lies inland in northern Tasmania, far enough from open water to count among the larger inland cities of Australia.

Hobart, the state capital, is the bigger of the two.

What is the climate of Launceston?

Seasons run on the southern calendar, so January is a summer month and July a winter one. The island lies in the temperate band, well clear of the tropics. Winter daylight is short.

Launceston is inland rather than coastal, back at the junction of the North Esk and the South Esk, without open sea alongside to even out its days.

How do you get to Launceston?

Most arrivals come overland, because the city stands inland at the head of the River Tamar rather than on the sea. Traffic between the two largest cities of Tasmania connects it with Hobart. From the centre, the drives that matter run out into northern Tasmania, which is why many visitors book a single room here and spend their days elsewhere.

Day trips do the rest.