12 First Impressions of Launceston, Tasmania

We’ve been in Launceston for just over two weeks.

These are our first impressions as outsiders (i.e mainlanders).

1. Nature & Parks

City Park Launceston Tasmania Trees — City Park, Launceston

Launceston has countless beautiful parks. There’s the well known City Park (with a free-to-visit Japanese macaque enclosure). You can’t walk more than two blocks without finding a park.

And there’s the Cataract Gorge. A huge national park/river in the middle of a city. That’s pretty unique.

2. Hills, Hills Everywhere

launceston hills Obscurban — It’s hard to see in the photo, but this hill is almost vertical.

The hills here are steep. If you’re a Lycra wearing cyclist, you’ll be in heaven. If you’re a person that rides a bike to get from A to B, it’s hell.

Getting around Launceston on foot or by bike is intense. Forget riding home from the pub after a few beers (luckily, they have Uber).

3. Jacket Potatoes

jacket potato Launceston — The House of Spuds is a baked potato chain with multiple locations in Launceston.

I didn’t know freestanding potato-only shops existed in Australia. There’s a jacket potato store every few blocks in the CBD and surrounding suburbs.

They’re delicious. Hopefully, this trend spreads to the mainland.

4. Historic Buildings

Boags brewery Launceston — Boags Brewery. They’ve been making beer in Launceston since 1883.

Launceston was the third city in Australia (after Sydney and Hobart), which explains all the 150-year-old buildings. The CBD is full of extravagant sandstone post offices, town halls, brewaries, and banks.

5. Irish and British Pubs

Every town in Australia has an Irish pub. But Launceston takes this to the extreme. A big chunk of the CBD pubs are Irish or British inspired. Here’s a quick list of pubs in town:

Maybe the Tasmanian weather is perfectly desgined with Guinness 🤔.

6. There’s An Australian-Style Hawker Hall in Launceston

morty's food court Launceston — Morty’s has 5-6 different restaurants inside. There’s also an ice creamery and wine bar.

Morty’s Food Court is a freestanding food court. It reminds us of a Singaporean hawker hall.

The prices are cheap, the food is tasty, and there’s even ice cream. We’ve been here two weeks and already eaten here three times.

7. There’s a Lot of Fibre Internet

fibre internet launceston — Thanks, NBN Co.

Most of Launceston (and the surrounding suburbs) have fibre connections.

Our short-term rental has stable 50mbps/20mbps download/upload. Compared to the rest of Australia (especially our capital cities), that’s almost unheard of.

8. Nightclubs Are Open Especially Late

Here’s a snapshot of the open hours for Mode Niteclub:

The two main nightclubs in the CBD shut at 6AM. That wouldn’t be unusual in Melbourne, but Launceston’s a regional city of (almost) 100,000 people — I find this was fascinating.