Food
Launceston is on the traditional lands of the Palawa people. Locals all spell the town’s abbreviated name “Launnie”. You get to know everyone really quickly here; it’s such a great size. So many people I meet didn’t grow up here, so there’s a sense they chose it. They’re committed.
It’s very fertile farmland in Tasmania’s north. Meat, vegetables, seafood – it’s all local and the best restaurants make unfussy but classy food.
It’s deeply in the culture here to have your own garden. No one lives in apartments and pretty much any place you’ll buy or rent has a stone fruit tree, an apple tree or some sort of veggie garden. There are lots of community gardens too.
Timbre Kitchen is at the top of my list. It’s in a vineyard setting at Velo Wines, a short drive north of town. The food is mostly all wood-fired; the chef Matt Adams and the team love talking about where it all comes from.
Launnie is very multicultural and has a big Nepali community. My family’s absolute favourite Nepali restaurant is Curry House Mowbray. It’s embarrassing how often we get takeaway there! We like to order momos (Nepali dumplings) and paneer makhani, plus a spicy beef or goat vindaloo.
Havilah Wine is a hip little bar run by local winemaker Ricky Evans. He pours his own beautiful wines from Two Tonne Tasmania – lots of pinot noirs and skin contact stuff – along with European drops. The small plates of oysters and charcuterie make a great casual meal, and there’s great lighting and cool music.
The coffee scene has come a long way. I love Prince’s Square Bar; the two nicest guys own it, Damo and Elliot. Tinka on St John Street has a great brunch. Most places have street seating in Launnie. In the summer, that is. It’s freezing here in the winter!
Green spaces
I grew up swimming at Cataract Gorge, a huge freshwater basin a short walk from town. It’s fun to take international friends because heaps of possums and wallabies come out in the late afternoon. A great alternate route there is the Zig Zag track; it’s steep but very bushy and cool. You can walk along the river to a decommissioned power station called Duck Reach; the round-trip’s about an hour. The views back to the gorge are amazing and aside from a few joggers and locals, it’s pretty quiet.
City Park is a massive park in the middle of town. I take my toddler on weekends. There’s huge old California redwood trees, oaks, a duck pond and Japanese macaques (monkeys). We meet friends for picnics there in the summer.
Nightlife
The University of Tasmania moved its Launceston campus to Inveresk, so there are a lot more young people around town now. I’m not a big night owl but a couple of newer clubs have popped up. Everyone loves the laneway club-bar Reggie; it’s open late. Midnight Rambler is an American speakeasy-type spot; people have been talking that up.
Everyone knows Launnie wines because we’re at the head of the Tamar Valley, an amazing wine region. But since I’m a brewer, I wanted to share that we’re also a really cool craft beer city. Saint John opened over 10 years ago, which was ahead of its time down here for a craft beer bar. It does great cocktails, too, and has some smaller, quieter nooks and comfy couches.
Saint John serves food late, too. Late by Launnie standards, which is like 9.30pm. People should know it’s an early eating city and nowhere is open on a Monday. We [Du Cane Brewing] decided to stay open on Mondays for that reason. We’ve had 5.15pm bookings for dinner!
Tandy’s Alehouse is an authentic city bar with a sports vibe. You’ll often have the footy on, which is a big part of Launnie culture. It only serves local beers like Ocho and Little Rivers and has visiting brewers who’ll be in there shouting beers. You see a lot of the same faces in there; it’s got a solid following.
Inspiration
Harvest Market on a Saturday morning is 100% part of the culture here. Sometimes I get stuck there for hours, running into friends. It’s in the heart of Launnie across from Albert Hall on Cimitiere Street, close to the city park. You can buy produce, pastries, coffee and savoury stuff. You might find a winemaker, a brewer and a whiskey distillery set up alongside vegetables and local pork.
If you’re visiting, it’s a perfect place to stock up for a picnic with nice cheese, charcuterie, baguettes or a bottle of cider. They’ve got a stage where local artists play and sometimes there’s salsa and people dancing. Don’t leave it too late, though. This is Launceston and it wraps up by 12.30pm or 1pm.
Neighbourhood
I live in Invermay, across the river to the north. It’s an old part of the city but it’s not grandiose; it’s all workers’ cottages and weatherboard houses. It’s sort of overlooked because this is such a hilly city and lots of people favour living up in Trevallyn or South Launnie, where there’s more bushland and space.
I love Invermay. It’s up and coming; the uni campus moving here is a big part of that. It’s industrial in some parts but there’s lots of quiet streets, too, and York Park stadium. We hear the siren when there’s a game of footy and the university is just across Inveresk precinct. I walk our dog around there; they’ve just put in a big community garden.
The Star Theatre is a 1930s art deco theatre that’s showing movies again. The building is original, which is a theme in Invermay. The post office is in a beautiful art deco building too. That’s a whole theme in Launnie, actually: the buildings have amazing upper facades that haven’t been changed at all.
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is a pretty big draw card in Invermay. It’s got a planetarium – I don’t think many museums have those any more? There’s a domed cinema and you recline in these chairs and see an accurate representation of the night sky. Classic.
Stay
Stillwater Seven is a higher-end accommodation at the edge of town overlooking the river (rooms start from around $355 May to September, and $495 October to April). It’s in the perfect spot and the restaurant is a staple of Launnie food culture excellence. Silo Hotel is in a converted grain silo and is part of Peppers Group (from $254 May to September, and from $294 in December high season) – I like the restaurant, Grain. For a more budget option, Leisure Inn Penny Royal is a good shoutout (from $126 June to September, from $167 around November). It’s very central, too.
