In case you are wondering where Launceston (Pronounced Lawn-ceston) is located, I attach a map. After leaving Ashgrove Dairy Farm we travelled east along the north coast of Tasmania before driving inland parallel to the Tamar River Estuary.
Launceston is a city built at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River.
Settled by Europeans in March 1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and it has many historic buildings. Like many places in Australia, it was named after a town in the United Kingdom – in this case, Launceston, Cornwall. Launceston also had the first use of anaesthetic in the Southern Hemisphere, it was the first Australian city to have underground sewers, and it was the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity.
The first significant colonial settlement in the region dates from 1804, when the commandant of the colonial garrison. Lt. Col. William Paterson, and his men set up a camp on the current site of George Town. A few weeks later, the settlement was moved across the river to York Town, and a year later was moved to where Launceston now stands.
Initially, the settlement was called Patersonia, however, 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. Paterson also served as Lieutenant-Governor of northern Van Diemen's Land from 1804 to 1808.
So that's probably enough to introduce Launceston but if you would like to learn more then this is the website for you:
After a gloriously late start at 9.00am we drove the short distance (1.5km) to the Launceston Cataract Gorge Reserve. Once again a desire to understand the origins of this Gorge led me to this interesting website
"Launceston's Cataract Gorge is renowned for its "natural" beauty — but what many don't realise is it took dynamite, the digging up of a swamp and planting of scores of trees over a 100 years ago to make it the tourism drawcard it is today.
Before the 1890s the gorge, which is in the heart of the city, was difficult for locals, let alone tourists, to access.
A local historian Marion Sargent said the Launceston City and Suburbs Improvement Association was formed in 1890 by a group of local men.
"They decided that they wanted to make the gorge accessible to everyone and improve it," said Ms Sargent, who is part of the Launceston Historical Society."
The first stage was to build a pathway along the north cliff face of the Gorge from the King's Bridge where the North Esk River meets the South Esk river (More about that in my post about the river cruise later that afternoon) and the First Basin that now forms the major part of the Cataract Gorge Reserve.
"150 tonnes of rock was thrown into the river so they could get through and make the track."
From swamp to lush garden
A Launceston Examiner newspaper article from 1893 reported that the cliff ground area (That now forms the major part of the reserve and known as the First Basin)* was initially a "deep and muddy swamp" that had formed by "ages of winter rains falling down the lateral gullies".
NB * the parenthesis is my addition.
"The swamp was filled with frogs, snakes, mosquitoes and leeches, and 22 people from the Launceston area worked to dig it out and create a "fine lawn"."
I will explain more in my next post but some photos from the above website to illustrate the construction of the Reserve and mine overlooking the First Basin as it is today. Sorry not a panoramic view but taken as I panned right from the bridge and the swimming pool.
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