About Launceston & Beyond Urban Tours

This tour business is now in its 3rd year of operation and I have met some wonderful people from many countries of the world.  Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, North America, Spain, Germany are countries that come to mind, so far!  The reason I started this business is because there is so much to see in the north of Tasmania.  I know Tasmania looks so small on the map but once you are here, unless you have a car or hire one, it is larger than you think!

We take for granted the beautiful scenery and don’t realise that many people want to see the empty spaces because they have never seen nature almost untouched before. I don’t go into the wilderness or national parks areas because there are many tour operators that do. I like to show people how we live, the great farm gate food opportunities, the historical villages etc. whilst driving through the beautiful scenery because there is a new view around every corner. Being a ‘people’ person I love to interact with my guests and we have a great time.

Launceston is a city of 100,000 people. It is the third oldest city in Australia after Sydney and Hobart and is situated on the Tamar River. There are two other rivers, one to the north (North Esk) of the city centre and one to the south (South Esk) that feed into the Tamar.   Both of these rivers start in the North Eastern Mountains and cover hundreds of kilometres to get to the ocean. The South Esk River runs through the Cataract Gorge which is a terrific wilderness covering 390 acres or 190 hectares, right in the middle of Launceston!  This is totally unique and supports flora and fauna that are only found in this area. It is also a wonderful playground for Launcestonians where we can sit and enjoy the sun and environment, eat out at cafes or the restaurant, have a picnic, have a swim, bushwalk, do any number of activities like abseiling, rock climbing (500 spots or more), kayaking etc.

Launceston is a great place to live and has a relatively mild climate although winter is cool usually through May – September. Sometimes the mountains have a covering of snow in the winter, which is very pretty to look at. It only takes an hour at the most to reach the snowfields of Ben Lomond (north east mountain range) if one is looking to have a ski or play in the snow. The Western Tiers located in the middle of Tasmania are also a good place to take children to see snow in winter. It would be an amazing event if it snowed in Launceston itself!

The University of Tasmania has campuses in Launceston and the Australian Maritime College is situated right next door.

The Queen Victoria Museum is now situated on the site of the old railway yards. Incorporated into the museum is the old original railway workshop which is now a sight and sound exhibition and very interesting to visit. In September, the building which was the old Museum will be opening its doors as an Art Museum after major renovations. We are looking forward to seeing many wonderful important works of art that have been stored away forever because there was not enough room to exhibit them previously.

Because Launceston is so old (two hundred and six years), Colonial, Victorian and Edwardian and Art Deco architecture abounds everywhere. It is fascinating and the history of wild Launceston is slowly coming to the surface which makes it even more exciting as one is learning new bits of history all the time!

So there you have it. I could go on and on but it would be great if you came to see for yourself! I would love to show you around.