Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston Tasmania
Montage of Launceston. Clockwise from left - Launceston Post Office, View of the CBD and inner suburbs from Woods Reserve and Cataract Gorge and Swinging Bridge
Launceston
Coordinates	41°26′31″S 147°8′42″E
Population	103,325 (17th)
Established	1806
Postcode(s)	7250
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	198 km (123 mi) from Hobart 101 km (63 mi) from Devonport 63 km (39 mi) from Scottsdale
LGA(s)	City of Launceston
Federal division(s)	Bass Lyons
Website	Launceston
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 18.4 °C 65 °F 7.2 °C 45 °F 663.4 mm 26.1 in
Localities around Launceston: Exeter Weymouth Lilydale Deloraine Launceston Mount Barrow Great Lake Longford Campbell Town

Location of Launceston within Australia

Launceston (Template:Pron-en, often mispronounced /ˈlɔːnsəstən/) is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia, with a population (greater urban and statistical sub division) of 103,325 located at the juncture of the North Esk, South Esk, and Tamar rivers. It is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart. Settled by Europeans in March 1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and is home to the largest selection of nineteenth century buildings in Australia. Like many Australian places, it was named after a town in the United Kingdom — in this case, Launceston, Cornwall.

Launceston has also been home to several firsts such as the first use of anesthetic in the Southern Hemisphere, the first Australian city to have underground sewers and the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity. The city has a cool temperature climate with four distinct seasons. The average February maximum temperature is 24.4 °C (76 °F) with the average maximum dropping to 12.5 °C (55 °F) in July.

History

The first inhabitants of the area of Launceston were a relatively small number of largely nomadic Tasmanian Aborigines believed to have been part of the North Midlands Tribe.

In 1798, George Bass and Matthew Flinders were sent to explore the possibility that there was a strait between Australia and Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). They named their landing place Port Dalrymple, now George Town, 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the north-west of Launceston.

The first significant colonial settlement in the region began in 1804 when the commandant of the British garrison Lt. Col. William Paterson, and his men set up a camp where George Town now stands. A few weeks later, the settlement was moved across the river to York Town, and a year later they finally settled in Launceston. Initially the settlement was called Patersonia. Paterson later changed the name to Launceston in honour of the New South Wales Governor Captain Philip Gidley King, who was born in Launceston, Cornwall. The name has survived in the tiny hamlet of Patersonia 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-west of Launceston. Paterson was Lieutenant-Governor of northern Van Diemen's Land from 1804 to 1808.

By 1827, Launceston's population had climbed to 2,000 and the town had become an export centre, mainly for the colony's northern pastoral industry. Tin was discovered at Mount Bischoff in 1871 in north-western Tasmania, starting a minerals boom. Gold mining commenced approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) away in Beaconsfield in 1877.

During the following two decades Launceston grew from a small town into an urban centre. In 1889, Launceston was the second city in Tasmania to be declared a city, after state capital Hobart.

Geography

Aerial view of Launceston

Launceston is located at 41°26′31″S 147°8′42″E in the Tamar Valley, Northern Tasmania. The valley was formed by volcanic and glacial forces over 10 million years ago. The city is located approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of the Bass Strait, with its closest city Devonport, approximately 99 kilometres (62 mi) to the north west. Most of Launceston is very swampy as it was built around the Tamar River. Launceston combines steep (originally heavily wooded) ridges and low-lying areas (originally wetlands — with parts of the suburbs of Inveresk and Invermay below high-tide level). As a result, parts of Launceston are subject to landslip problems, while others are liable to poor drainage and periodic flooding. The topography of the area, isn't conducive to easy dispersion of airborne pollution, due to the phenomenon of thermal inversion.

Launceston has been built around the merger of the Tamar River and its tributaries; the South Esk River and the North Esk River. The Tamar River is a navigable estuary, and is still used for tourist cruises. For many years, ocean going shipping used the river to obtain access to the Port of Launceston located in the city centre. The Port of Launceston is now located at Bell Bay, some 40 kilometres (25 mi) by road from the city, on the east bank of the Tamar estuary, close to its mouth. The South Esk River is the longest river in Tasmania. It starts in the mountains of Fingal and flows through Avoca, Evandale, Longford, Hadspen and finally Launceston. The river is dammed at Lake Trevallyn although some water flows into the Cataract Gorge and eventually merges with the Tamar River. The North Esk River starts in the mountains in Tasmania's north-east and winds its way to Launceston.

During recent years the city's air quality has improved dramatically. Studies indicate that 73% percent of air pollution in Launceston and surrounding areas during the winter period is caused by wood smoke, while about 8% is from motor vehicle pollution. During the early 1990s about 60% per cent of households used wood heaters, but now only 25–30% of households use wood heating. The 2008 winter was the first time Launceston's air quality did not exceed PM10, since air quality monitoring began in 1997.

Flooding and Levee system

Cataract Gorge during 2003 Flood

Since the 1960s, parts of Launceston have been protected by a series of flood levees that reach up to 4 metres (13 ft) in height. The reason for this is because large portions of Invermay and Newstead sit within a flood plain. The last major flood occurred in 1929, when Invermay was completely devastated. More than 4,000 people were left homeless after just one night of flooding. Since then, there have been minor floods but nothing as severe. Work is underway on a $59 million flood levee upgrade, that is expected to take five to six years to construct. The council has acquired land used by eighteen businesses on the south side of Lindsay Street in Invermay, with businesses having until July 2009 to leave.

Climate

Further information: Climate of Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston has a cool, temperate climate, with four distinct seasons. The city is located in the Tamar Valley and is surrounded by many large hills and mountains. With this type of topography, Launceston's weather patterns can change considerably in a short period of time.

The warmest months are in January and February with an average air temperature range of 12.2 °C (54 °F) up to 24.4 °C (76 °F). Throughout the year there is an average of 4.3 days a year over 30 °C (86 °F). The maximum recorded temperature was 39 °C (102 °F) on 30 January 2009, with Launceston Airport reaching 40.4 °C (105 °F) on that same day, during the 2009 Southeastern Australia heat wave. Winters are cool with minimum temperatures dropping below 2 °C (36 °F) an average of 61 days a year. The coldest month is July, with an average temperature range of 2.2 °C (36 °F) - 12.5 °C (55 °F). The lowest recorded minimum at Launceston's current weather station, Ti Tree Bend was −5.2 °C (22.6 °F), and unlike many other areas of Tasmania, Launceston rarely receives snowfall.

Winter, for Launceston, is also the season with the least amount of wind. Because of this and the topographical affect of the Tamar Valley, Launceston winters are renown for foggy mornings, with Launceston Airport the most fog-bound commercial airport in Australia. The average annual rainfall, with moderate to low variability is 665 mm (26 in), falling an average of 88.4 days a year. The most rain Launceston received in a year was 829.6 millimetres (32.66 in) in 1992, with 2006 being the driest year when just 394.8 millimetres (15.54 in) fell.

The Bureau of Meteorology reported that 2007, was the warmest year ever recorded in Launceston since temperatures were first recorded in 1884. Temperatures ranged from a minimum of 8.1 °C (46.6 °F) – to a maximum of 19.2 °C (66.6 °F). During 2006 and 2007, Launceston had the warmest maximums throughout the state. In 2008, Launceston had the highest average maximum temperature out of all Tasmanian cities with 18.6 °C (65.5 °F).

Climate data for Launceston
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Urban structure and architecture

Albert Hall, Launceston

The urban areas of Launceston are organised into local suburbs, industrial areas and villages. A large portion of the city is part of the City of Launceston Local Government Area. Some outer suburbs are part of adjacent council districts; Riverside and Legana are part of the West Tamar Council; Prospect Vale and Blackstone Heights are included in the Meander Valley Council. Launceston still has many well preserved Victorian and Georgian buildings and has the largest collection of nineteenth century buildings in Australia, along with a diverse collection of art-deco architecture, such as Holyman House. The Launceston synagogue is a rare example of architecture in Egyptian Revival style. As with the rest of Tasmania, Launceston has height restrictions, with many buildings in the central business district (CBD) being less the five stories. The majority CBD buildings were constructed in the nineteenth and early twentieth century’s, although of late modern offices and apartments have been built.

Governance

Launceston Town Hall

Launceston is situated in the Local Government Area of the same name. The council meets at the Launceston Town Hall. Launceston's current mayor is Albert Van Zetten, who was elected in 2007. In 2002, Janie Dickenson became the youngest female elected mayor in Australia.

State Upper House seats that incorporate parts of Launceston are the Electoral Divisions of Paterson, Windermere and Rosevears.

For federal elections, Launceston falls within the Division of Bass, with the sitting member being Jodie Campbell for the Australian Labor Party. The state Lower House seat is also called the Division of Bass, and is one of the five electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. Both federal and state seats share common boundaries.

Flag

Launceston Flag

The Launceston flag design is based on the city's Coat of Arms granted by the College of Arms, London on 11 June 1957. The flag is not notably recognised throughout the city as only the Tasmanian and Australian flags are regularly used. The Brisbane Street Mall and atop the Council Chambers are the only places in the city where the flag is found. The three intersecting lines in the flag represent the city's three rivers (North Esk, South Esk and Tamar) and the two rectangles in the lines represent tin ingots. The strip across the top with the jagged edge is green to represent the city's parks, gardens and surrounding countryside. Waratah flowers at the top symbolise all flowers and similar beauties of nature. The ingots are included because Launceston used to be a large tin smelting centre. The little circle at the river junction is Launceston.

Economy

Launceston is a major service centre for the north of the island of Tasmania. Launceston is also a major retail centre, with an average of 75% of market share in surrounding local councils. The city is home to a campus of the University of Tasmania including the Australian Maritime College. It also has a fairly large minerals and manufacturing base, although this has been in decline as the city is no longer the "mill town" it was fifty years ago.

It is also a hub for a major agricultural and pastoral region. Historically, this was mainly concerned with the growing of apples — in recent years the stress has moved to viticulture. Superfine wool remains an important part of the rural economy of north-east Tasmania and wool sales in Launceston attract many international buyers.

Tourism

Launceston serves as the commercial hub for the north of Tasmania, and like many parts of the state, is becoming a major tourist centre. Visitors to the city have grown over the past few years, during 2004 Launceston attracted 412,800 visitors, up 51% from 2001. The United Kingdom is the origin of 25% of all international visitors to the city and 17% originate from the USA.

The Cataract Gorge is Launceston's largest tourist attraction and is in close proximity to the city. It's home to the longest single span chairlift in the world, stretching 308 metres (1,010 ft) from Basin 1 all the way to Basin 2. Launceston has many parks throughout the city including City Park, located next to the city centre. City Park is home to Albert Hall. The park also has a large enclosure for Japanese Macaque monkeys, which is a gift from sister city Ikeda, Japan. The Launceston General Post Office dates back to the 1880s, with a clock tower added in the early twentieth century. The GPO clock chime chimes every quarter hour.

Launceton is home to the Tasmania Zoo, which is known for its wildlife conservation work, including a breeding program for Tasmanian Devils.

Demographics

Within the Municipality of Launceston, there was, according to the 2006 census, 65,051 residents. This was a little below the peak of 65,370 which occurred in 1991, after which the population began a steady decline, falling to around 62,335 in 2001. Growth resumed between 2002 and 2003 at an estimated 1.3 percent for the year and a further 1.1 percent between 2003 and 2004. This recent growth compares with 1 percent at both junctures for Tasmania as a whole. Most people living in Launceston were either born in Australia or migrated from United Kingdom and Ireland. (These figures only include the Local government Area (Further Information: Local Government Areas of Australia) which doesn't include Launceston suburbs, located just out of the city, which are; Blackstone Heights, Hadspen, Legana, Prospect Vale, Riverside and Travellers Rest, along with Greater Launceston suburbs and towns).

Culture

Arts and entertainment

Launceston is home to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. The museum was established in 1891 and is the largest museum located outside a capital city in Australia. The museum is located at two sites across the city; the original purpose built building at Royal Park and another at the Inveresk Cultural Precinct, on the grounds of the former railway station and rail yards in buildings largely converted from the former Railway Workshops. The latest addition to the precinct is the new Launceston Tramway Museum. Included in the museum is the fully restored No. 29 tram, the fully restored 'Mary St' shelter shed and a host of other memorabilia. The restoration has taken place over a number of years and the museum is run entirely by volunteers. The state's largest preservation railway, the Don River Railway, also has a carriage rebuilding workshop on the site. Australia's oldest bookshop, A.W. Birchall & Sons (Birchalls), that opened in November 1844, is still located at its current site in the Brisbane Street Mall.

Located in the Southern Launceston suburb of Prospect, the Country Club Casino is a hotel, casino and golf course complex. It was the second casino to be built in Tasmania and one of the first in Australia. Launceston Aquatic, a $26.3 million regional aquatic centre was completed in July 2009. The site, just outside the central business district spans approximately 6,450 square metres (69,400 sq ft)

From 1999 to 2003, Launceston was the home of three of the four Gone South music festivals. Since 2006, it has hosted the MS Fest, a music festival held at the Inveresk Show grounds each summer to raise funds for multiple sclerosis research.

Looking towards the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery

Sport

An AFL match at Aurora Stadium

Sport is a popular recreational and spectator activity in Launceston and like most of the state cricket and Australian rules football are most popular sports.

The city has been the birthplace of two prominent Australian cricketers; the current Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting and the retired cricketer and current Australian selector David Boon. It is also home of York Park (Aurora Stadium); with a capacity of 20,000, it is the state's largest capacity stadium, and the only first class sports ground in the state with lights for evening games. The first first-class cricket match played in Australia was played at the Northern Tasmania Cricket Association Ground between the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Launceston Cricket Club in 1851.

Australian rules football (commonly known locally as "football" or "footy") is very popular in Launceston. Melbourne Australian Football League clubs Hawthorn (and previously St Kilda) have played a small number of Australian Football League games in Launceston. The state government has signed a $16.4 million sponsorship deal with Hawthorn, to ensure that four AFL matches and one NAB Cup match a year are played at Aurora Stadium until at least 2011. Aurora stadium is also central to the current Tasmanian AFL Bid. Aurora Stadium also holds the record attendance for a VFL/AFL crowd in Tasmania of 20,961, set on 18 June 2006 when Hawthorn played Richmond. Three Launceston based clubs participate in the Tasmanian Football League.

Rugby union (commonly known in Launceston as "rugby") has a small but notable following in Launceston. The city was one of the venues for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The event attracted a record crowd of 15,891 for the sport of rugby union in Tasmania for a game between Romania and Namibia at York Park. Launceston Rugby Union Football Club affliated with the Tasmanian Rugby Union plays in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League.

Association football (commonly known in Launceston as "soccer") is also played and watched in Launceston. Launceston is the only city in Tasmania to have hosted national league soccer matches. A National Soccer League game was held at Aurora Stadium in 2002 between Perth Glory and Melbourne Knights, attracting 5,324. A-League pre-season cup games have been held at the same venue between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United each year since 2006. The record crowd is 8,061.

Since 2004, the V8 Supercars (Tasmanian Challenge) has been annually held at the recently re-developed Symmons Plains Raceway.

A number of other sports have notable presence in Launceston, including basketball (men's, women's and indoor) and hockey.

Media

Launceston has a major local newspaper in The Examiner which was founded by James Aikenhead in 1842, and has been continually published ever since. Along with the rest of the state, the city has free-to-air analogue television stations, including two government funded (ABC and SBS) and three commercial stations; (Southern Cross Tasmania, WIN and Tasmanian Digital Television) as well as five free-to-air digital services; Southern Cross Tasmania HD, WIN HD, Tasmanian Digital Television HD, ABC2 and SBS News. Subscription (pay) television services are available from Austar and Select TV via satellite service. Radio stations aired around Launceston are; 7LA — Grant Broadcasters, TOTE Sport Radio (7EX) — Racing Radio, Triple J — ABC, ABC Northern Tasmania — (ABC), ABC NewsRadio — (ABC), ABC Classic FM — (ABC), Radio National — (ABC), City Park Radio — Community Radio, SBS Radio — (SBS), Way FM — Christian Radio and 7RPH which is a relay of 864 AM from Hobart.

Education

The education system in Launceston comprises two tertiary education institutions; the government-run kindergarten to Grade 12 schooling system and the religious-based private schools and colleges. Launceston is home to a campus of the University of Tasmania, situated in Newnham. Due to the university's growth, a new $42 million university village is to be built nextdoor.

Infrastructure

Health

Launceston General Hospital is Launceston's 300-bed public hospital, located just south of the city centre. Every year, LGH treats over 24,000 inpatients and over 225,000 outpatients. St Lukes Private Hospital and St Vincent's Hospital are the major private facilities. Launceston was also the location of the first use of anaesthesia in the Southern Hemisphere. Launceston is also the hub for the state's medical retrieval service. The Royal Flying Doctor Service is serviced by the state's ambulance service and doctors from the Launceston General Hospital.

Transport

A Launceston bus in St John Street.

The car is by far the most dominant form of transport in Launceston, with the city having 721 km of urban and rural roads, even though much of the CBD has narrow one-way streets. Since February 1998, Launceston has been serviced by the Tasmanian government-owned and -operated public bus service Metro Tasmania. In addition, Redline offers school services and travels to many destinations across Tasmania. Because of its central location, Launceston is the hub of five of the state's major highways. The Midland Highway is the primary route to Hobart. The Bass Highway is the primary route to Devonport and Burnie. The Tasman Highway is an alternate scenic route to Hobart via Scottsdale, the East Coast, the West Tamar Highway and East Tamar Highway. The city is served by the small curfew-free Launceston Airport, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south-east of the city. The airport serves over one million passengers annually, and is currently undergoing a $20 million re-development that is expected be completed by the second half of 2009. Jetstar, Virgin Blue, Tiger Airways, Airlines of Tasmania, Australian air Express and QantasLink all operate scheduled services at the airport. There are currently direct flights to and from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

There is a freight rail system in operation which links Launceston to Burnie and Hobart.

Historical

Tram network

Launceston's busy streets in the 1920s when the city's trams were a major form of transportation

Launceston operated a suburban tramway system between 1911 and 1952, which consisted of 29 trams. It was first conceived in 1909, after observations of efficiently working systems in Melbourne and Adelaide. A decade before the tram system was abandoned, Launceston had begun converting to trolleybuses, especially for the hilly routes. It was one of the most extensive trolleybus networks in Australia. The network was finally removed in 1952 to make way for cars and buses. A tramway museum in Inveresk is all that remains of Launceston's trams. Launceston's streets, most of which were planned in the early nineteenth century, were probably always too narrow for trams to be fully successful, in many cases little of the roadway remained for other forms of transport.

Regional Rail

Further information: Rail transport in Tasmania

A regional passenger rail system operated in Tasmania, of which Launceston was a major hub, however was closed some years ago.

Former passenger railway lines servicing Launceston

• Launceston and Western Railway (1871-1873)
• Launceston-Deloraine (1875-?)
• Launceston-Hobart (via Evandale) (1876-?)
• Launceston-Devonport (1885-?)
• Launceston-Burnie (1901-?)

Utilities

The Duck Reach hydro power station (now a museum) once supplied Launceston with the majority of its electricity

Launceston's electricity is primarily generated by renewable hydro electric powerplants including the Trevallyn Dam. The major retailer is Aurora Energy.

Historically, Launceston was powered by gas from the Launceston Gas Company (later Gas Corporation of Tasmania). The first gas plant was built in 1860 as a horizontal retort Gas Works house. The Duck Reach power station replaced gas for street lighting in when it was completed in 1895. Both Gas Works and Hydro facilities have been preserved as museums.

Launceston's water comes from the Launceston Water Catchment. The majority is sourced from St Patricks River, a tributary of the North Esk River which flows through Launceston. The main retailer is Esk Water. The first reticulated water supply constructed in 1857 still serves the CBD. There were fears that the Tamar Valley Pulp Mill might adversely affect Launceston's water supply.

Like many Australian cities, several major companies provide mobile telecommunications services and wireless internet services to Launceston. Launceston's communication infrastructure was upgraded in 1997 through the federal "Networking the Nation" program. There are plans to upgrade further to a fibre optic network.

Sister cities

Launceston has three sister cities.

• Ikeda, Japan, since 1 November 1965
• Napa, United States, since 6 June 1988
• Taiyuan, China, since 28 November 1995

Notable people

Notable people from Launceston.

• Marcos Ambrose (racing car driver)
• Simon Baker (actor)
• David Boon (former cricket player)
• Hudson Fysh (aviator)
• Daniel Geale (boxer)
• Tim Lane (sports commentator)
• Graeme Murphy (choreographer)
• Peter Sculthorpe (composer)

• Ricky Ponting (Captain of the Australian Cricket Team)
• Allan Stone (tennis player)
• Rachael Taylor (actress)
• Allan Salisbury (cartoonist best known for Snake Tales)
• Andrew Dunkley (Sydney Swans AFL player)
• Tom Bellchambers (Essendon Bombers AFL player)
• Brad Green (Melbourne Demons AFL player)
• Sam Lonergan (Essendon Bombers AFL player)

See also

• List of Mayors of Launceston

References

• Wooley, Charles (2007). A Walk In Old Launceston. Walk Guides Australia. ISBN 9-770018-354464. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid prefix (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Launceston City Council