Labour Day in Launceston

The Eight Hour Day in Launceston.
Although Labour Day is celebrated all over Australia, it was only Victoria and Tasmania that celebrated on March 11. The other states of Australia hold Labour Day at other times of the year which is a bit strange from a business point of view. I have business dealings with both Sydney and Brisbane. Both were unaware that we at the lower end of Australia were having a day of leisure to celebrate the introduction of the "eight hour working day".
8 hours for work and 8 hours for leisure was the idea behind the Labour Movement at the time. I'm not sure if this still applies these days - due to today's technology, we seem to work longer hours.

The reason I mention this is that we thought Launceston would be closed on Labour Day, and much of it was however there were still shops, cafes, museums and art galleries open to fill our last day here. Although our favourite cafe up on the hill was closed, we found another on the water's edge for breakfast.

Our favourite cafe on a day it was open. We must have had  breakfast, lunch and dinner here, we lost count. The Chef, Andrew cooked a small but wonderful menu.

Every day as we ventured back across the Esk River, an estuary to the Tamar, we crossed this iron bridge and as you crossed, if you look over your shoulder you saw the view below. 

I should remind you that the main city of Launceston is just as you cross this river.
Wilderness and city combined.

Breakfast on the water's edge.
It was our plan to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before moving off to explore what we thought would be a deserted Launceston CBD (central business district).

Looking out the window of the Cafe across the Tamar River.

That closed window was where we sat having breakfast.

A Stroll in the City

We thought with it being a holiday, we could walk the streets of the CBD and window shop, appreciate the architecture of Australia's third established city - at least we would be encouraged to spend on the day. We were wrong!

Despite it being the day to celebrate the introduction of the eight hour day in the mid 1880s, shops were open. We browsed book shops, shoe shops and even popped into a chemist. I guess staff didn't mind working and being paid penalty rates for the day.

Launceston has some amazing architecture which spans from Georgian to what we call Federation, a mixture of Art Nouveau and Edwardian. There are two story Victorian Terraces and in the same block you might find intriguing examples of Art Deco from the 30s. Launceston has it all from the early 1800s to now. I guess many Australian cities do,  but here, they are all in a more confined area.

Launceston has its Malls and this one, the Quadrant arcs its way through a city block. It has some wonderfully well preserved buildings - all you need to do is look above the modernised shop fronts to appreciate the various styles.

Although this Mall has a modern canopy, the buildings still reflect Launceston's historical past.

In the Park
Launceston has a number of parks and gardens that break up the bustle of the city. The main park is strangely called "City Park". We entered by the grand gates beside a lovely period building. On this day, the park was visited by young families. It was a very hot day, in the mid 30s and the park offered a refreshing environment from its greenness and large leafy trees.

The gates of City Park. The park was established in 1820.

This ornate fountain once was at the entrance gates of the park. Its original foundations can just be seen. It now is deep within the park.

Initially the park was developed by the Launceston Horticultural Society and then handed over to the City of Launceston in 1863 to become known as the people's park.

The John Hart Conservatory was established in the 30s and sits not far away from a duck pond. Further up the path to the opposite side is the Japanese Macaque Monkey enclosure. I didn't take any photos as they looked a little sad and besides, would you like for someone to take photos of you in your home?

Inside the Conservatory.

Then off to the Art Gallery
After our lunch of fish and chips on the Tamar River's edge we returned to the CBD to explore the art gallery. Before arriving in Launceston, we were unaware of the major art competition, The John Glover competition was on this very weekend. Several of the entrant's paintings were on exhibition at the Gallery, although not the winning painting. The John Glover Competition is for landscape. In Victoria we have the Archibald Prize for portrait.

Launceston's Art Gallery

A few of the paintings that took my eye.

Finishing off at the Museum
Attached to the Gallery by name, yet not actually attached, is the Launceston Museum. The two are connected in name as the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery Foundation. The Museum is across the Tamar river in the Inveresk Precinct. It sits within the preserved workshops of the Launceston Railways. Old photos of Launceston during the 40s show that the city had a system of tramways through its streets.
There were a few exhibitions that I really wanted to see - firstly any early history of Launceston, and also the sporting exhibition.

The Last Supper

It was our last night in Launceston and as it was Labour Day, not a lot of places to dine were open, especially our favourite Cafe Culture on the hill. The port restaurants seem to never close so it was pizza and wine with a view.

And this was our view over the Tamar River port and the hills of Trevallyn.

I realised that we didn't blog on food while we were away. Tasmania has some wonderful produce with its farming industry, great local wines especially the whites - Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and the lighter reds of Pinot Noir. We had some great beef and lamb, some duck but that's hard to beat while in France. The fish we had on the waterfront cafe was excellent. Strangely enough our last supper was pizza and a bottle of local Pinot Noir. It was a balmy night and the atmosphere looking up to the hills with the street and house lights illuminating suburban Launceston was a nice way to saying goodbye to a very comfortable city. I think we may return very soon.

Hope you enjoyed our little sojourn to Launceston.

Devonport Food and Wine Festival

A casual start to the day - It was Sue's Foodie Day in Devonport. The city of Davenport was about 100 kms up the road from Launceston which we took on the freeway between the two cities. Devonport is tiny compared to Launceston with around 26,000 people. It's where the ferry from Melbourne docks.

Devonport is located on the Mersey River - brings back memories to me of Gerry Marsden singing "Ferry across the Mersey". Are you old enough to remember?



OK, enough of nostalgia - we found a place to park, amazing that we did. Here in Melbourne we have a food and wine festival down the road from Mentone in Mordialloc. We've since given up going there because of the difficulty of parking and the amount of people going there. Devonport Food and Wine festival had that country feel, relaxed and friendly. Again we sat at a table and began chatting. They were an elderly couple, he was 90, she was in her 80s, married at a young age with lots of grandchildren. They sold the farm in recent years and moved into Devonport.

A great big plastic cow

A little bit of France in Tassie - albeit Quebec.

Tassie does have spirit and lots of it. The ferry makes its way back and forth across Bass Strait every day.

A glass of wine, a lunch of lamb in a roll and some french pastries made the visit very rewarding. The pastries were made by a couple from Quebec that had settled in Tasmania. It was time to leave Devonport but we were not in a hurry. We decided that the freeway was too boring for us so we thought we would zig-zag our way back.

The first stop due to the recommendation of our retired elderly farmers was the village of Sheffield. Its only small with a population of just over 1000 but on the day we arrived, Sheffield had grown as it had both a rodeo and a steam traction exhibition. The town is known for its dairy industry, especially butter, lamb and beef.
It sits on lowland looking up towards Tasmania's Cradle Mountain and Mount Roland. The town also acknowledges itself as the town of Murals.

Check out the mountain man entering the picture - this seems to be a fashion statement in the area.

Now this really is a country store to take you back in time along with some of the fashions.

All around the village are murals - this one depicts the mountains that live nearby.

And this is the real thing - and one day we will drive there when we have more time.

After a cold Corona with a slice of lemon while the temperature rose in high 30 degree heat, we decided to move on in our air conditioned car through the villages of Deloraine, Westbury, Carrick, Hadspen before arriving back in Launceston.
Deloraine half way between Devonport and Launceston and is a very pretty village of 7000. Its on the Meander River which is what we like to do in our travels. Westbury was another one of those picture perfect Tassie towns. We drove the back street to be surprised by some marvelous homes of Georgian influence and also little workers cottages. Most of the area we drove through was first surveyed during the 1820s. The Van Diemen's Land Company had the plans to the town drawn up in 1828 and it became a garrison village for the troops. There is much to see in Tasmania that has links to its convict past.

We passed by the town of Hadspen and only days later when reading the local sports page I discovered that Richie Porte who had just won the Paris to Nice cycling classic grew up in this little village in the north of Tassie. The boy has come a long way.

Our day was long but very enjoyable and once again we had some great experiences and a few conversations with people we have never met before - all it takes is a smile and a hello!

Rain Forests, Beaches and Gorges

Saturday - March 9.
Nothing is far away in Tasmania or Launceston for that matter. It's only a 15 minute journey, sometimes less before you're in the country - horses, cows, crops.
Before we took our drive to the coast, we had the devil in us. We saw an advertisement for an open house inspection in the suburb of Trevallyn just up the hill from where we are staying. It was our intention to talk to the Estate Agent generally with a view to retirement here in a few years from now.
The house we saw overlooked the city and the Tamar river - the view was magnificent, the house was actually very nice. It was only a 10 minute drive to the CBD. We did mention to the Agent that it maybe two or three years down the track and we may change our mind then but she took our details and I'm sure she will be in touch in the future.

The house overlooked the Tamar river and the city of Launceston

The view from the street - the balcony outdoor entertainment deck looked over the city.

From there it was back in the car to the towns of Scottsdale and Bridport to see the great Southern Ocean on the east coast of Tassie. To get there you need to drive over the mountain ranges and rain forests. We noticed an amazing amount of "Road Kill" on the way. This consisted of mainly Wallabies, Kangaroos, Wombats, Possums and the occasional Echidna. The Crows are the best fed of any place in the whole of Australia.

We were to drive to St Helens but on reflection, a further 240 kms round trip seemed a little daunting so it was off to Bridport instead.

We had probably driven 40 kms through mountainous winding roads. The countryside offered some great photo opportunities, that is if you could find a spot to stop.

We did however find a spot to park, relax for a while and even have a chat with some fellow travellers.

The picnic spot seemed to be located at the top of Tassie but this was actually only at a lower altitude compared to some of the mountains in the Tasmanian wliderness.

At one time, this chainsaw scupture was a huge tree - we saw many of these excellent tree scuptures in the district. This one depicts a pioneer farming family - the area is rich in beef and lamb.

As I write this, I look out our apartment window and I see the mountain range we drove over. Just prior to reaching Scottsdale we stopped at a lookout area to see the valley below. We were high enough to see the mountains on Flinders Island in Bass Strait such was the clearness of the day.
We arrived in Scottsdale to refill the tank of our hire car before driving to a bakery for a chunky beef and mushroom pie each. We decided there and then that our preferred destination of St Helens on the coast was just a bit too far for the day so the coastal town of Bridport was our second option. A cycling friend of mine has just purchased an apartment here.

Arriving at the Bridport beachside we discovered the remnants of this pier.

The history of the pier was explained on the plaque. I'm never ceased to be amazed  by the history of a place when you dig a little deeper. People are the same - ask more question - listen and you experience.

Tasmania is experiencing one of it's hottest summers on record as is Melbourne. Today was one of those days so Sue and I enjoyed a beer each - a Corona with a slice of lemon while overlooking the holiday makers enjoying the coolness of an ocean breeze.

The trip back took us across the top end and back down into Launceston for a quick visit to the famous Cataract Gorge. With the hot weather, it seemed like most of the younger population of the city were here to cool off. It's a really impressive piece of natural terrain and one that Launceston is extremely proud.

I couldn't get Sue to take her brave pills to take a trip across the Gorge on the chair lift.
It proclaims to be the longest in the world.

The residents of Launceston enjoy the natural wonder of their city, Cataract Gorge. It is actually on the border of the CBD.

The brochure tells us that Explorer William Collins sailed up the estuary in the Lady Nelson to discover what he described as the most beautiful scene in the world. He may have even seen the extinct Tasmanian Tiger which would have lurked in the gorge with other wildlife. Today as you walk the paved paths, peacocks occasionally will be seen.

Yesterday we mentioned the celebrated Tasmanian artist John Glover - the Gorge inspired him to do many sketches in the 1800s. It's been a big day and so we are staying in tonight to cook pasta.

Tomorrow (Sunday) will be Sue's Foodie Fun Day at Devonport about 100 kms up the road where the Melbourne to Tasmania ferry, Spirit of Tasmania docks.