Moving north to Launceston
My bus from Hobart to Launceston was booked for 1000, so it was a very leisurely start. Getting to the Hobart Transit Centre at 0930, the place was just a shop/office rather than a station. The bus, only a third full, left on time and took us through Oatlands and Campbell Town before arriving in Launceston slightly early at 1245.
Launceston had a proper bus station and I grabbed lunch at the café there before walking to the Cornwall Historic Hotel. At 1330, the receptionist said he couldn’t check me in till 1400, even without checking if the room was ready.
I killed time by going to the supermarket to get some essentials, returning at 1405. The hotel had very mixed reviews. While the pictures look good on Booking.com, it was an old place done up but cleanish. It was good for the price, I suppose.
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- Launceston’s Post Office.
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- Spring is here.
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- A windmill in town.
Cataract Gorge
With clear sunny weather, I thought I would go to Cataract Gorge today as the weather is expected to be wet when I’m next free in a couple of days.
I headed out around 1445 and made the mistake of choosing the worst possible route to get to the gorge. I walked through the commercial and then up the residential areas of Upper York St to get to the Scenic Chairlift. It was a huffy puffy walk and warmed me up to the extent that I went from three layers down to one.
The ticket lady at the chairlift gave me suggestions to ensure that I enjoyed the scenic beauty of the area on my return walk. I crossed the gorge and South Esk River to the other side where there were a few peacocks and wallabies.
I explored the gorge and basin area by walking to the Alexandra Suspension Bridge. It didn’t take long before I turned around to walk through the gorge back to the city.
The portion of the gorge that seemed navigable by boat seemed quite short. So, I was surprised to learn that the cruise was AUD35 for 50 mins. I’m guessing a portion of it must be on the open part of the main Tamar River rather than the South Esk tributary where the gorge is.
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- Chairlift across the gorge.
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- View from the chairlift across the gorge.
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- Not so wild wildlife at the Cataract Gorge Reserve.
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- Not so wild wildlife at the Cataract Gorge Reserve.
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- Part of the walk back to the city is on boardwalk.
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- Cataract Gorge.
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- Cataract Gorge with the city visible at the far end.
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- Cataract Gorge.
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- Cataract Gorge at the open end near the city.
The gorge felt so isolated and removed from the city that was only a few minutes away by foot. While the gorge scenery was beautiful, I couldn’t help thinking that the water was brown and frothy. Yeah, this isn’t like New Zealand.
Back in the city around 1645, I settled on a cheap Indian place for a very early dinner. My choice of beef vindaloo and vegetable curry was awesome. Having eaten so early, I thought it would be wise to have some fruit salad available for dessert with muesli and yoghurt. So, I went to the supermarket for the second time today.
It was getting cool and I was pleased to be back in my room around 1745, calling it a day.