--oOo--
You may be forgiven for thinking that you are in some medieval village in the European hills somewhere. Launceston is a boutique city full of Victorian style architecture. It is a UNESCO certified foodie haven with a variety of cafes, restaurants, wine bars and micro breweries as well as great coffee cafes. Just a short walk from town and you will find yourself at the Cataract Gorge where you can do some hiking, ride on the chairlift, check out the gardens and enjoy a coffee and cake at the cafe.
On the other hand Launnie has a fantastic arts and entertainment scene. It has many festivals all year round. Whenever you decide to visit, check out what's on. There will sure to be something just right for you. December to February is the best time to visit for festivals. Again March to May are great months to visit for autumn colours.
Wine tasting? Need I say more?
😊🍷
--oOo--
THINGS TO DO IN LAUNCESTON
CITY PARK
A beautiful, scerene park to walk through. There is a monkey enclosure and a huge hot house with all sorts of orchards etc in.
--oOo--
BRISBANE STREET
A wander up Brisbane street is a must with plenty of shops and cafes. Brisbane Street leads into the mall which is a nice big area lined with shops and a great place to sit and people watch. At the end of the mall is a fantastic coffee shop with a variety of different coffee.
--oOo--
TAMAR RIVER CRUISE
A lunch cruise up the Tamar River is a great way to enjoy the surrounding scenery. What better way of spending the afternoon than out on the water with plenty of food and drink and bird watching.
--oOo--
BEST RESTAURANTS IN TOWN
 |
| Alchemy Bar |
--oOo--
ALCHEMY BAR
This is my favourite Restaurant. It is cosy with private nooks to seat yourself. It has electic decor and a good selection of food and wine. The price is pretty good as well. The above lunch meal was cool and light with a selection of watermelon, strawberries and cucumber with a light citrus dressing drizzled over. I asked for some haloumi cheese to go with it. That was no trouble at all. Complete with a cool Tasmanian Pinot Noir..... yuuum.
--oOo--
JAILHOUSE BAR & GRILL
This is both of our favourite. They have a variety of food and a salad bar which I always love. The price is good and the staff are friendly. Plus we avail ourselves of the free parking across the road in Woolworths. Bit cheeky I know but we don't dine for long.
--oOo--
THE BLACK COW RESTAURANT
This one is Howard's favourite. It would be my favourite as well, but it is very expensive. That in itself takes the Black Cow out of my top Launceston Restaurants. When the food costs too much and the bottles of wine are over the top expensive, I don't enjoy my restaurant experience as much. Having said that, the food is really good here. You have to have the steak.
--oOo--
ME WAH RESTAURANT
This is a 5 star Chinese Restaurant located at Invermay which is the neighbouring suburb of Launceston, just on the other side of the river. It's also hubby's favourite.
From the outside it looks like a bit of a dump, but once you go through the double sliding door, you immediately enter into a 5 star environment and you would think you were in a flash restaurant on Circular Quay in Sydney. The staff are all dressed in suits and the quality of service is impecable.
Although not as expensive as The Black Cow, it's certainly up there in price. The food is also up there amongst the best Chinese that we have had. It is certainly authentic and beautifully executed. The wine is very nice too. We have been back here and will go again. Definitely recommended.
--oOo--
SAIGON KITCHEN
At the cheaper end of the foodie spectrum you can't go past Saigon Kitchen.
Just a couple of minute walk up the hill from the Jailhouse Grill and on the other side of the road, it is located on a side road off the main drag near a service station. We decided to give it a try one Friday afternoon heading home from work as it is easy to turn off the road and there's easy parking.
We both had a Pho and a beer. Nice and hearty and a great price.
--oOo--
GERONIMO APERITIVO BAR & RESTAURANT
Geronimo Bar is promoted as a chic bar in Launceston. It does have a somewhat chic/bohemian sort of vibe.
Not sure what to think about this one. They don't do lunch but if you want an early dinner, it's a good choice. I felt it was a bit expensive for what we had. Hubby liked the afters. I enjoyed my cocktail.
The crab pasta was nice and fresh, however I thought it could have been a bit cheaper.
We will have to come back to give Geronimos a better chance of a good review. It's certainly popular when the blue collar workers knock off.
--oOo--
OUR THOUGHTS ON LAUNCESTON SO FAR
We love the architecture here. We love the restaurants, cafes and bars.
We love the fact that we can drive through the city at peak hour, 5pm when everyone in town knocks off work, and it only takes about 10 minutes in traffic and then we are hurtling down the highway to home.
We also love the fact that once you escape the small rat race, you are in beautiful countryside full of vinyards and meandering rivers. The foodie haven is not just confined to town. There are plenty of great places to visit on a day trip from Launceston for some gustation.
The three things that we are not really impressed with are -
1. Parking in Launnie is horrendous. It costs an arm and leg to park anywhere. The parking app is dodgy and other than that, you have to carry coins. There are 2 places that we know of where you can park free - Woolworths and Harvey Norman. Yes, a bit cheeky I know. Just make sure you don't park for too long.
2. Most of Launceston is built on the side of big mountains, so be prepared to feel like you are going to lift off and roll over backwards when driving up these hills. I get scared every time. I'd rather drive around the hills than go up and over.
3. Be prepared for the locals. They are very proud and a little bit cocky. Do NOT pronounce Launceston like Lawnceston. They hate it lol. It's more like Longceston with a quiet 'g'.
Tailgaters! Oh my goodness!! We have never come across such madness. Every Lonnie, wants to shove you off the road to get past. I don't know why they are in such a hurry?...!
--oOo--
DAY TRIPS FROM LAUNCESTON
--oOo--
Want to know where to go on a day trip from Launceston?
Do you like landscape? Photography? What about food? Wine? Maybe gift shops and cafes are your vibe?
Whatever it is, you can choose from the links below. Every heading is a link.
These will be updated as I discover more places to check out.
--oOo--
Yes, wineries. But you can also visit a Swiss Village, an old Pilot Station on the Tamar River and lovely scenery all along the Tamar River.
There are plenty more places that we have not checked out on this route, so do come back for updates from time to time.
--oOo--
Stay tuned for more on this round trip.
The picture above was taken at the Christmas Hills Rasberry Farm at Elizabeth Town on the way to Devonport.
There are a lot more places that I have on this list that we will visit in the coming months. Please check back.
--oOo--
This day trip also incorporates a winery.
What you see above is Lavender. One of our favourite places to come is the Bridestowe Lavender Farm near Scottsdale. The devonshire tea is the best! Plus there is an excess amount of lavender products from beauty products to skin products to food products. The Lavender Farm has it all. And we love it!
😎
Heading up further north you come to a lovely beach. We are looking forward to coming back when the weather is better.
And on the way home, you can take the windy mountain road and stop half way at a great lookout overlooking the valley. Or do as we did, head off and do the windy road first, and especially if there is a bit of fog around. Check out the link above.
--oOo--
This is a short trip so spend a lot of time in each place.
I suggest that you go to Longford first and have coffee and a pastry at the bakery. Then head off to Evendale for lunch at the Clarendon Arms Pub. Then an afternoon cheese board at Joseph Chromy Winery, which is a world award wining winery that you should not miss.
--oOo--
This day trip is all about stunning landscape scenery and gastronomy.
The above photo is taken from 41 Degrees South Salmon Farm and Cafe. This is a foodie delight, and combined with an easy nature walk including fish feeding.
Heading further west you will discover a fantastic honey shop.
Then we visited a place where we will be coming back to for many relaxing weekends staying in a cabin in the woods complete with a hot tub on the verandah with awesome views. Close by is a great country pub with stunning views over the mountain.
Futher west is Paradise, The Promised Land and Nowhere Else. Check out the link above for the whole low down.
--oOo--
A nice trip to the falls. Unfortunately the day we chose to visit, the road was closed due to a storm the night before. Check out the link above.
We need to check out some more places to come up with a suitable day trip South-West for you.
So stay tuned.
--oOo--
Like the above pages South-West and North-West, we have not been any further than Campbell Town in the South-East.
But, I have plans. So do come back.
--oOo--
If you like discovering untouched wilderness, lush green rainforest, stunning waterfalls, rugged countryside and secluded beaches, then this trip is for you.
Please click the link above to discover all there is to see and do in the wild north-west. We plan to come back and bring our tripods for some slow shutter photography and perhaps some astro photography too.
--oOo--
No comments:
Post a Comment