Launceston, the largest city in northern Tasmania, in the Tamar Valley (and the third oldest in Australia) is a blend of old and new architecture. It can be explored easily on foot – and that’s what we did.

Day 10 and 11, Sunday, September 15 and Monday, September 16: Launceston

We arrived in the city around 5 pm, checked into our hotel – the Peppers Seaport Hotel – and to our surprise they had upgraded our studio room reservation to a nice suite. A comfortable bedroom, modern bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, spacious living room with an incredible view of the harbor, and an extra perk: a washing machine and a dryer. Even washing powder was supplied.

So, after dinner at a nearby restaurant, we did our laundry!

After checking out from the hotel on Monday at 10 am, we started exploring the city. Walked in Riverbend Park and in Royal Park. Checked out the different architecture, wandered into the post office, and got my glasses tightened (for free) at a local optics.

In the center of Launceston, we found the City Park, an idyllic retreat for the locals with its beautiful gardens. We enjoyed the park’s conservatory (John Hart Conservatory), especially its flowering orchids.

We learned that Launceston was recently named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to fully appreciate the diverse dining experiences. But our dinner of Moorish lamb skewers and Tasmanian scallops, and our simple chicken salad wrap for lunch gave us some indication of what one could expect in this city regarding food.

And after lunch, we were on our way again, this time to Cradle Mountain.