Launceston And Tamar Valley Guides Attractions Events in Tasmania

The small town of Beaconsfield sits on the western banks of the Tamar River in the heart of the Tamar Valley Wine Region. With a population of around 1,000 people the town's economy is focused around the revitalised gold mine.
Beaconsfield is 40 kilometres (24 miles) north west of Launceston and 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Hobart. Like so many Australian regional towns it has been through a series of name changes. Originally, it was known as Cabbage Tree Hill, and when goldmining began in the 1870s it became known as Brandy Creek. Its present name was proclaimed in 1879 to honour the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Sir Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield.
By 1881 Beaconsfield was regarded as the richest gold town in Tasmania. At its peak there were 53 companies working the goldmines. The last mine closed in 1914 when the mining technology of the day proved uneconomical. Mining started again in the early 1990s when the price of gold and advancement in technology made it more economically viable.
On April 25, 2006, three miners, Larry Knight, Brant Webb and Todd Russell were trapped by a rockfall. Two days later Larry Knight was found dead but miraculously, three days later Webb and Russell were located alive one kilometre (3000 feet) below ground, trapped in a 1.5 metre square wire cage (five feet square). After a further nine days of painstaking work they walked to freedom on May 9, 2006.

George Town sits on the eastern banks of the Tamar River about 40 minutes’s drive (50 kilometres/32 miles) north of Launceston. It is the third oldest settlement in Australia after Sydney and Hobart.
At nearby Low Head you can explore one of the best-preserved examples of an early pilot station, built by convicts in 1805. The pilot station is still in operation today. Also, from Low Head you can take a penguin tour to see the world’s smallest penguins clamber to their nests each night.
To the east are the vineyards of Pipers River, and the Bridestowe Lavender Farm.
Just south of George Town along the shores of the Tamar River is the deep-water port of Bell Bay and as you follow the A8 Highway you can stop by the Lavender Garden at Rowella, and the Hillwood Strawberry Farm.
George Town area with a population around 5,600 offers a range of accommodation from hotels and motels to bed and breakfast.
George Bass and Matthew Flinders explored the area in 1798 during their circumnavigation of Tasmania, and in 1804 Captain William Paterson set up a small encampment. In 1806, the settlement was abandon for the current Launceston location. Northern Tasmania was governed from Sydney until 1812 when it came under the jurisdiction of Hobart Town.
George Town’s weather is similar to Launceston, which is slightly cooler in winter and warmer in summer than Hobart and the east coast. No matter what time of year you visit, bring a warm jacket and all weather gear.

Approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles) north-west of Launceston and at the mouth of the Tamar River lies Greens Beach, a take-off point for Narawntapu National Park.
Narawntapu National Park has three access points at Bakers Beach, Badger Head and Greens Beach. The latter has to be the best reward for least effort; from the carpark it is an easy 270 metre (295 yard) walk to the West Head lookout for spectacular clifftop views along Badger Head beach and beyond westward as far as Table Cape and the Dial Ranges behind Ulverstone.
Discover nearby Kelso Beach and enjoy a great spot for fishing. You can access Garden Island on Clarence Point, now a barren lookout point at the mouth of the Tamar River. It was excavated and backfilled towards the shore to improve the shipping channel in the river. There are plenty of oysters and good fishing here and it is also a scenic lookout.

Launceston is Tasmania’s second largest city and sits at the junction of the North and South Esk Rivers. From here, the broad Tamar River valley opens north to Bass Strait 58 kilometres (36 miles) away.
Elegant historic streetscapes and century old parks and gardens sit beside revitalised areas such as Launceston Seaport with its restaurants and cafes. A boardwalk links the Seaport to Inveresk, where you can visit one of Australia’s best regional galleries, the Queen Victoria Museum at Inveresk. With a population of 68,000 the city has a strong sense of identity.
The boardwalk also takes you to Home Point rowing course, skirting Royal Park and King’s Park, passing Ritchie’s Mill, with its galleries and restaurants, before zig-zagging into Cataract Gorge, a place of mystical beauty. Its steep, rugged cliffs and wild areas attract climbers.
Launceston is a good base for exploring the cool-climate vineyards of the Tamar Valley. From Launceston you can also explore national parks such as Narawntapu (known for wildlife spotting) and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair, or the historic villages of Evandale and Longford [link to subordinate copy on Longford] with their grand old farms and mansions – Woolmers, Brickendon, Panshangar, and Clarendon.
The city was established in 1806, after the collapse of Port Dalrymple (now George Town) at the mouth of the Tamar. It was the Island’s northern military base and a trading centre for wheat and wool farmers and over time as their wealth grew the city developed its grand vision.
Launceston’s weather is temperate like most of Tasmania – averaging 24 degrees Celcius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) during the summer and 6 degrees Celcius (42 degrees Fahrenheit) on winter days.
It is a major gateway to Tasmania and is 198 kilometres (123 miles) or 2.5 hours’ drive north of Hobart.

Launceston and the Tamar Valley blend history, scenery, creativity, adventure, entertainment and the superb flavours of fine food and wine.
Winding 58 kilometres (36 miles) north from Launceston to Bass Strait, the Tamar River’s quiet waters are navigable for its entire length, while its sheltered shores are a perfect environment for many species of waterbirds.
At Tamar Island, eight kilometres (five miles) from Launceston, you can take a boardwalk stroll over the wetlands and see the birds in their own habitat. Notley Gorge has deep fern glades, dense rainforest and waterfalls. Fairy penguins nest in the coastal scrub farther north at Low Head where you can visit Australia’s oldest continuously operating pilot station that still guides ships into the River. From George Town you can take a boat trip along the coast to an Australian fur seal colony on Tenth Island.
The Tamar Valley Wine Route is our most productive and best-established wine region. Vines grow on gentle, sloping hills and long mellow autumn days ripen the grapes, adding unique cool-climate flavours to the widely acclaimed wines.
The Tamar River was discovered by Bass and Flinders in 1798, during their circumnavigation of the Island. In late 1804, William Collins and William Paterson set up a settlement near the River’s mouth. In 1806, they moved south to what is known as Launceston today. The rich valley flats were used for farming and forestry until gold was discovered at Beaconsfield in 1877. Later came orchards and in the 1970s a few vineyards and today the Valley is famous for its cool-climate wines.

This is the destination description for Launceston Sth

Tasmania’s northern ‘capital’, Launceston, has remade itself. In this relaxed, historic city, you can stay in quality accommodation and plan your exploration of a lush, productive region that attracts some of the nation’s best chefs and winemakers. Two nationally recognised restaurants – Fee and Me, and Stillwater – are there to enjoy, along with many others.
The city is distinguished by a compact centre of beautifully restored Edwardian architecture. At its heart is a wilderness garden - Cataract Gorge – a truly dramatic whitewater gorge where you can enjoy anything from morning tea in a ferny glade to abseiling, rock climbing or hang gliding.
It is said that a true Tasmanian northerner only drinks Boag’s beer, and you can find out why when you take a tour of Boag’s Brewery.
To the north and east, the Tamar Valley Wine Route guides you to many vineyards wine lovers will recognise, such as Ninth Island, Josef Chromy, Pipers Brook and Jansz. One of the stars is Daniel Alps at Strathlynn, with a fine river-view restaurant among the vines.
You can also explore national parks such as Narawntapu (known for wildlife-spotting), or discover an intriguing history of mining at Beaconsfield and Derby. If you have an interest in nautical heritage, you’ll be fascinated by the Low Head Pilot Station, on the Tamar River just north of George Town.
East is a region of surprising variety - from neat croplands of Scottsdale to one of Australia's top golf courses - Barnbougle Dunes at Bridport, overlooking long stretches of white sand beach; from the rugged summits and ski fields of Ben Lomond to lavender grown in tidy, purple stripes.
To the south of Launceston are the historic villages of Westbury, Evandale and Longford, with grand old farms and mansions you can visit: Woolmers, Brickendon, and Clarendon. Many artists live in the region, and each year, in late October, Deloraine holds Australia’s largest working craft fair.

Low Head is five kilometres north of George Town on the north coast of Tasmania. Located on the eastern side of the Tamar River, this small town is home to Australia’s oldest continuously operating pilot station.
Classified as an historic town, the Pilot Station Maritime Museum boasts an impressive collection of maritime memorabilia including early diving equipment and items from the countless shipwrecks off this coast. The lighthouse was built in 1888 to replace the former convict-built lighthouse and the surrounding grounds offer beautiful views out across the Tamar River mouth.
Low Head is popular among locals as a holiday destination with safe swimming beaches and excellent surfing at East Beach. You can also join a nocturnal tour and watch fairy penguins as they come up the beach to nest at dusk.

North Northeast
From Launceston, the island’s second major city, this area covers dark green forests, ancient mountain peaks, fields of summer lavender, vineyards, tiny villages, national parks and walking tracks along unspoiled beaches as far as you can see.