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Winter Weekend in Launceston

Launceston is a (cheap) hop from Melbourne and gives great daycation. It’s Australia, but not as you know it.

It’s hard to resist those mad Jetstar, Tiger and Virgin fares to Launceston. Where else can you be utterly transported to a radically different version of Australia, in mere hours? A winter weekend sees fares plunge, but the log fires are real in Launceston – and so is the beauty, uncluttered by tourists and mellowed by the mist. It’s just a little bit like time-travelling. And it’s very quiet.

Start your great escape at breakfast at The Gorge. It’s a short walk from the centre of town, and foodie temple Stillwater is your landmark here – a breakfast table will usually be waiting. Alternatively, walk to the cafe at The Gorge which has good basic tucker. Not so foodie, but you do get the bonus of beady-eyed peacocks watching your every move. Peacocks roam free here. They have been here for so long nobody can remember which mad person first had the idea of breeding them.

The Gorge itself is an eccentric leftover from Australia’s past. The peacocks rule the place, although you’ll never see them from the road; you have to walk into the heart of the place, in the grounds, to see them at work. Not a single plate of scone crumbs is safe from them. But they are also unafraid of people and close enough to admire in all their turquoise-green glory. Squark!

Novelist Richard Flanagan is just one of the many who have taken their canoe to The Gorge over the years. People still paddle up and down, as the peacocks watch.

In summer people swim here. In winter it’s the place for a walk and a total escape from the 21st century. Look up and you’ll see the chairlifts. You can take one, if you like heights and don’t mind your feet dangling above the rapids.

Back in town, go see a show at The Princess Theatre. This beautifully preserved theatre has attracted everyone from Uri Geller to Bill Bailey over the years. (For a perfect winter weekend in Launceston, book well ahead online to get your ticket as it’s a small town and hot acts sell out rapidly).

Two super cool shops lie around the corner from the Princess Theatre. Content and Cocoon. This is where you can pick up anything from T2 tea to plastic owls. It’s hipster Melbourne retail, with an Etsy edge, applied to Tasmania. We like their Tasmanian-made soap.

Wander around town and you’ll soon realise it’s all about five streets, basically. But that’s great – no maps, no hassle, no collapsing. There are some lovely bars and restaurants within Launceston, none of which ever seem to require booking (yay!) and the wine from the Ninth Island vineyard has to be sampled to be believed. Launceston is a wonderful winter weekend daycation. Take hand luggage and go, go, go.

 

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