Cataract Gorge
| Cataract Gorge | |
 Alexandra Suspension bridge at Cataract Gorge's First Basin
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| Official name: Cataract Gorge | |
| Nickname: The Gorge | |
| Country | Australia |
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| State | Tasmania |
| Municipality | Launceston |
The Cataract Gorge is a river gorge in Launceston, northern Tasmania, Australia and is one of the region's premier tourist attractions. It is found at the lower section of the South Esk River. The earliest known European visitor to the site was a William Collins who discovered its entrance in 1804.[1]
A pathway, known as the King’s Bridge-Cataract Walk, and originally built by volunteers in the 1890s, runs along the north bank of the Cataract Gorge,[2][3] and is a popular tourist destination. The original toll house at which pedestrians had to pay to enter the walk can still be seen near King's Bridge on the northern edge of the gorge.
A chairlift is the longest single span chairlift in the world, with the longest span being 308 m (924 ft).[4] The chairlift, built in 1972, has a total span of 457m.
Before the Trevallyn Dam was built in the 1950s upstream, flood waters could rise up as high as 12 metres.[citation needed] In the past, there was a power station at Duck Reach, about 2.5 kilometres from a suspension bridge which was built in 1940. It was washed away in the floods of 1929, rebuilt and then decommissioned when the Trevallyn Dam was finished in 1955. The building is now an interpretive museum.
The First Basin on the southern side features a swimming pool, the aforementioned chairlift, two cafes, a funicular railway and an open area surrounded by bushland. At the bottom of the funicular railways is a small cottage which contains photographs and paintings of the basin and downriver Gorge. The basin itself has created many of myth's about it's depth, some say it is a bottomless pit or even a volcanic plug, some even say there was a submarine sent in to find it's bottom during the 1960s but ran out cable before accomplishing this feat, however the true depth is just 19 metres (62 ft).[5]
At the lower end of the Gorge, the South Esk spills into the Tamar River going under King's Bridge and another more modern bridge on the way. The King's Bridge was the only bridge leading north out of the city for nearly 100 years.
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[edit] Gallery
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Picture of Cataract Gorge taken from the suspension bridge
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South Esk River in flood at the Gorge
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South Esk River in flood at the Gorge, August 2009
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View of first Basin
[edit] References
- ^ Bladen, F. M. (Frank Murcott), ed. (1897), Historical records of New South Wales, Volume 5—King, 1803-1805, Sydney: Charles Potter, Government Printer, p. 306, http://publications.nsw.gov.au/1117-historical-records-of-nsw-vol-5---king-1803-1804-
- ^ "Cataract Gorge Reserve". 2008-06-15. http://www.ausemade.com.au/tas/destination/c/cataract-gorge/cataract-gorge-reserve.htm.
- ^ "Cataract Gorge". 2008-06-15. http://www.discovertasmania.com/activities__and__attractions/popular_attractions/cataract_gorge.
- ^ "Longest Single span chairlift". 2007-09-22. http://www.puretasmania.com.au/default.asp?pID=120.
- ^ "Depth of the basin discovered". 2011-12-22. http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/environment/first-basin-gives-up-its-secrets/2386916.aspx.
[edit] Further reading
- Green, Anne (2006). The Home of Sports and Manly Exercise : Places of Leisure in Launceston. Launceston City Council. ISBN 0-9596090-7-5.
[edit] External links
Media related to Cataract Gorge at Wikimedia Commons- Original video of the Cataract Gorge in flood, August 2009
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Coordinates: 41°26′46″S 147°7′10″E / 41.44611°S 147.11944°E
