The north east part of Tasmania is an area of extreme beauty. It is a region with a fertile, productive agricultural inland, peaceful beaches, fishing villages, world class scenery and history at every turn. Remnants of a tin mining industry can be found in some of the small townships of the north east corner. It is an area of small farms growing a variety of produce. The clear water of the rivers, bays and miles of beaches about with sea life including lobster, abalone and many varieties of scalefish. Launceston is Tasmania's second largest city and gateway to the northern and eastern regions. Beyond Launceston, smaller country and seaside towns dot the landscape.
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5 km from Launceston (9 mins drive)
The Tamar Valley is Tasmania's oldest and largest wine growing region renowned for cool climate wines most notably pinot and riesling varieties. The region is also home to the premier gourmet food and wine trail the Tamar Valley Touring Route which follows the Tamar Valley for 58 kilometres through the high-yielding vineyard country, orchards, scenic pastures and forests from Launceston to Bass Strait.
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Launceston
Cataract Gorge is Launceston's own little piece of wilderness, a unique natural formation of sheer cliffs and cascades just 15 minutes walk from the city centre. Visitor facilities include walking and hiking trails, the world s longest single span chairlift, swimming pool, restaurant, kiosk, peacocks and wildlife, gardens, a suspension bridge, Interpretation Centre and lookouts with spectacular views. Cruise vessels ply Cataract Gorge daily.
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30 min. drive from Launceston city centre
Tasmania Zoo is situated on 900 acres of private old growth native bushland and home to the largest collection of native and exotic animals in Tasmania. We have over 50 species of birds, wombats, echidna's, kangaroos, quolls, reptiles, monkeys and more. Watch the Tassie Devils feed at 10:30 am, 1 pm and 3:30 pm followed by a devil pat of one of our younger devils.
Location: 1166 Ecclestone Road, Riverside.
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Launceston
Trevallyn Dam is situated on the South Esk River just outside Launceston. Excellent for a picnic, trail walks and boating, the dam is located within the Trevallyn Nature Recreation Area. The 440 hectare (1089 acre) reserve offers a range of attractions and activities. Visitors can walk along the South Esk River gorge, view the Trevallyn Dam wall in flood and experience cable hang-gliding. During summer, the water is ideal for swimming and the shores of Lake Trevallyn are utilised by the Launceston community for water skiing, kayaking and windsurfing.
21 km from Launceston (22 mins drive)
Brady's Lookout offers beautiful views over the Tamar River and surrounding areas. Located just off the West Tamar Highway between Legana and Exeter, when you reach the top of the hill you ll be rewarded with great views. There are excellent, fully accessible toilet and picnic facilities, including sheltered BBQs and a number of picnic tables. The paths to the lookouts have good surface material and width, although wheelchair users may require assistance due to the moderate gradient. Discover the story of bushranger Mathew Brady and why this spectacular location is named after him.
50 km from Launceston (43 mins drive)
The Piper's River and nearby Piper's Brook farming areas have emerged during the past decade as Tasmania's premier wine-growing district. Although the industry is small and new by national standards, the wines produced within the region are acknowledged as among the best in Australia. Pipers River is an important viticultural region of Tasmania in terms of quality and output. It produces about 30% of Tasmania's wine.
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42 km from Launceston (39 mins drive)
68 km from Devonport (57 mins drive)
An historic goldmining town on the West Tamar Highway, Beaconsfield services the many small communities located on the western side of the Tamar Valley. The Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre is the main attraction in the town and should not be missed. Twice the size it was a decade ago, the remnants of the original Tasmania Gold Mine that was the original Grubb Shaft Museum still stand, but have been extensively added to with an impressive state-of-the-art wing.
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27 km from Launceston (29 mins drive)
68 km from Devonport 58 mins drive)
Notley Fern Gorge is a forest dominated by large, old eucalypts over a understorey of rainforest. Towards the creek, there are a variety of fern species growing in abundance. The gorge is a 3/4 hour walk from the carpark along a well constructed path following a creek, with a 1.5 km return walking track through the forest. Look out for Brady's tree, a giant hollowed-out tree that bush-ranger Matthew Brady and his band of followers sheltered in during the 1820s. Brady’s Tree is only five minutes’ walk from the car park.
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78 km from Launceston (1 hr 7 mins. drive)
41 km from Devonport 36 mins drive)
Narawntapu National Park abounds in Forester kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and even Tasmanian devils on its grassy plains and heathlands. They are relatively comfortable in the presence of people and will often allow you to approach them for close observation. At dusk, you can catch sight of little penguins scampering up the beach at Point Sorell. The western part of the park is in an ideal location to be combined with a tour of the vineyards of Tasmania s premier wine-growing region, the Tamar Valley.
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78 km from Launceston (1 hr 7 mins. drive)
York Town is the site of the first attempt to establish a British presence in northern Tasmania. For a brief period between 1804 and 1808 Col. William Paterson and his party of settlers, soldiers and convicts created a small, bustling village and established farms and a government garden at York Town. Only two years after its settlement, it was clear that relocation would be necessary, and by 1811 York Town was virtually deserted. Today, a walking trail and interpretive signs tell the story of York Town, though little of the settlement remains above ground.
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42 km from Launceston (39 mins drive)
68 km from Devonport (57 mins drive)
The town of Derby is proud of its mining heritage and its Derby Tin Mine Centre and The Trail of the Tin Dragon tells of Derby's early days and gives an opportunity to pan for gold and find your own nuggets. It is also the site of the Briseis Mine; in it's heyday one of the richest tin mines in the world. Experience the power and fury of 'A Billion Litres Of Water with nowhere to go', in the epic story of the Tin Rush and the miners who sought their fortune from this remarkable metal.
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70 km from Launceston (49 mins drive)
65 km from Devonport 50 mins drive)
When visiting Tasmania's north west, don't forget to include Trowunna - a Wildlife Park with a difference. Trowunna Wildlife Park has been the place to see the Tasmanian devils since 1985. Trowunna is a privately owned wildlife park, where native Tasmanian fauna and flora thrive. It houses the world's largest heritage population of endangered Tasmanian Devils, but also has a great range of marsupials, birds and reptiles on site.
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48 km from Launceston 46 mins. drive)
72 km from Devonport 1 hr drive)
Nestled in the beautiful Tamer Valley at Beauty Point, Platypus House offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch live Tasmanian Platypuses and Echidnas in daylight conditions and undercover. Enjoy an unforgettable fun and educational tour that is suitable for all ages. Visitors are guaranteed to see both these spectacular egg laying mammals up close and personal.
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50 km from Launceston (48 mins drive)
The magnificent mountain of Ben Lomond with its imposing and precipitous cliffs is visible over much of the northern midlands of Tasmania. The plateau is roughly 14 kilometres in length, 6 kilometres wide and is in excess of 1300 metres in height. A summit on the plateau named Legges Tor is the second highest point in Tasmania (1572 metres).
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154 km from Launceston 2 hrs 33 mins drive)
At over 90 metres Ralphs Falls is Tasmania's highest single drop waterfall, a streaming ribbon of water plunging over a sheer rock face. Soak up the beauty of the rich, rolling farmland surrounding Ringarooma en route to Mt. Victoria Forest Reserve and Ralph Falls. From Ralphs Falls picnic area, choose the 20 minute return walk to through a wonderland of moss, ferns and Myrtle forest to Norm's Lookout and the face of Ralphs Falls. At over 90 metres Ralphs Falls is Tasmania s highest single drop waterfall, a streaming ribbon of water plunging over a sheer rock face.
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154 km from Launceston 2 hrs 33 mins drive)
Cash's Gorge is a beautiful but relaxed walk of approximately 40 minutes on boardwalk through rainforest, stands of tea tree, sphagnum moss and rugged terrain returning to the car park. Cashs Falls is located in Cashs Gorge south east of Ringarooma, and west of Pyengana on New River. The river flows through a very steep gorge making access to the waterfall incredibly difficult. There are no tracks or paths that lead you to Cashs Falls, and any attempt to reach the waterfall will require experience in off track walking in Tasmania, as well as many hours of time. Despite the close proximity to Ralphs Falls, this is a reasonably hard long hike. Start on west side of the Ralphs Falls car park, and follow circuit which returns to east side of car park.
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110 km from Launceston (2 hrs 4 mins drive)
37 km from St Helens (40 mins drive)
Not far from the small town of Pyengana is St Columba Falls, one of Tasmania's highest waterfalls, with water plunging 90m from the Mt Victoria foothills to the valley of the South George River. There is a delightful walk from the car park to the falls through one of the most captivating rainforests you will see in a long time.
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127 km from Launceston (2 hrs 20 mins drive)
33 km from St Helens (45 mins drive)
The Blue Tier Reserve is an exposed plateau with a rich mining and natural heritage. What makes the Blue Tier Forest Reserve so interesting is its long history in mining and forestry operations. The first Europeans came to this area after some miners who were working in the Mathinna goldfields discovered some rich tin deposits in some of the creeks in this area. The breathtaking beauty of the Blue Tier belies its amazing history of toil, hardship and lonliness for those who sought to make a better life for themselves and their families through mining for tin.
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164 km from Launceston (2 hrs 15 mins drive)
54 km from St Helens (1 hr 5 mins drive)
Gladstone is the accessway to Mount William National Park, an isolated wilderness area fringed with gorgeous bays stretching from Ansons River to Musselroe Bay. The landscape is one of rolling hills, rugged headlands and pristine white-sand beaches, some strewn with pink-granite boulders, while in the north a string of marshy lagoons sits behind windswept coastal dunes. Nestled in the far north-east corner of the State, the park is an important area for the conservation of Tasmania's coastal heathlands and dry sclerophyll plants. Whether you fish or swim; watch birds or wander by the sea, there's always something more to see in this beautiful national park.
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203 km from Hobart (2 hrs 30 mins drive)
100 km from Devonport (1hr 10 mins drive)
Launceston is Tasmania's second largest city and gateway to the northern and eastern regions. Often referred to as 'the garden city', it has many parks and reserves including the 13-hectare City Park. At its heart is the magnificent Cataract Gorge Reserve. The Tamar River links Launceston with its ocean port of Bell Bay. The Tamar Valley contains many vineyards, orchards and forest areas.
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5 km from Launceston (9 mins drive)
The Tamar Valley is Tasmania's oldest and largest wine growing region renowned for cool climate wines most notably pinot and riesling varieties. The region is also home to the premier gourmet food and wine trail the Tamar Valley Touring Route which follows the majestic Tamar Valley 58 kilometres through the high-yielding vineyard country, orchards, scenic pastures and forests from Launceston to Bass Strait.
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77 km from Launceston (58 mins drive)
The north east corner of Tasmania, and the coastline which extends south from it is a region of panoramic coastal vistas, empty beaches and good fishing grounds. The numerous small seaside villages, nestled mainly around sheltered inlets, increase dramatically in size during the summer holidays and are fairly quiet at other times. The clear water of the rivers, bays and miles of beaches abound with sea life including lobster, abalone and many varieties of scale fish.
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62 km from Launceston (1 hr drive)
The area surrounding Scottsdale is a stark contrast is the coast, a mountainous area where once miners extracted tin and gold from the ground, but today farmers plough patchwork quilts of rich dark soil, where bountiful crops grow alongside verdant pasture. The Trail of the Tin Dragon follows the story of tin mining in north eastern Tasmania, a story of human transience and the power of nature.
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Brickendon Estate
23 km from Launceston (21 mins drive)
Norfolk Plains is a farming district surrounding the villages of Longford and Cressy on the floodplain of the Lake (now Macquarie), South Esk and Liffey rivers of northern Tasmania. Convicts brought from Norfolk Island were employed to work the farms established here. Today, Woolmers and Brickendon estates share equal billing as partners in the World Heritage listed Australian Convict Sites, giving an insight into the workings of the Tasmanian convict system.
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55 km from Launceston (47 mins drive to Poatina)
Tasmania's Central Highlands boast glorious scenery and dramatic built heritage dating back to the early 19th century. It is the birthplace of Tasmania’s Hydro-Electric power system and home to the best trout fishing in the southern hemisphere. The Central Highlands which covers 812 per cent of Tasmania’s land mass, has a permanent population of over 2,000, many of whom own shacks in the communities around the region’s numerous spectacular lakes and mountains. It is a wild place of sub-alpine moorlands and a myriad of tarns on the northern edge of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
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14 km from Launceston (14 mins drive)
There are essentially two ways to travel by road between Devonport and Launcestion; there's Bass Highway, which is takes just over an hours and bypasses just about every town on the way, and then there's the Meander Valley Highway, which follows Bass Highway closely, but takes in just about every town, village and settlement on the way. It will take a lot longer, and how much longer depends on how captivating you find the places you pass through.
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14 km from Launceston (14 mins drive)
The Esk Highway, which passes through the Fingal valley, provides the shortest access to Tasmania's East Coast from the north of the island. The valley's picturesque countryside contains numerous former mining towns and abandoned mine sites and settlements on the southern slopes of Ben Lomond. Its western end begins at the Midland Highway at Conara Junction, just north of Campbell Town. This end of the valley is dominated by Stack's Bluff.
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42 km from Launceston (39 mins drive)
68 km from Devonport (57 mins drive)
An historic goldmining town on the West Tamar Highway, Beaconsfield services the many small communities located on the western side of the Tamar Valley. The Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre is the main attraction in the town and should not be missed. Twice the size it was a decade ago, the remnants of the original Tasmania Gold Mine that was the original Grubb Shaft Museum still stand, but have been extensively added to with an impressive state-of-the-art wing.
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48 km from Launceston 46 mins. drive)
72 km from Devonport 1 hr drive)
Not far from Beaconsfield, Beauty Point is a small fishing town, sited where West Arm meets the Tamar Estuary. The town is the home of Seahorse World, a working seahorse farm and educational centre that is open to the public, and Platypus House, a unique attraction being the only venue in Tasmania where visitors can watch Tasmanian Platypuses and Echidnas in daylight conditions in an indoor setting.
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55 km from Launceston (44 mins drive)
The waters off Low Head, according to National Geographic, is one of the top five diving spots in the World with magnificent marine life. On this peninsula, Fairy Penguins nest and come home at dusk to feed their chicks. In 1995, the Iron Baron hit the Hebe Reef coming in to the Tamar and oil contaminated the penguins. In a massive operation by the local people, all the contaminated penguins were rescued, washed, fed and rehabilitated in various backyard swimming pools and returned to their nests. Not one bird was lost and the colony thrives. George Town Council operates penguin viewing tours.
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60 km from Launceston (52 mins drive)
Greens Beach is located on Badger Head on the eastern side of the mouth of the Tamar estuary opposite the Low Head lighthouse. The often deserted, long Badger Beach at this small holiday and retirement village is ideal for a stroll. Bass Strait forms the northern boundary. The West Tamar Highway runs north-west through the locality, terminating in the Greens Beach township.
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The north east corner of Tasmania, and the coastline which extends south from it is a region of magnificent coastal vistas, good surf beaches and fishing grounds. The numerous small seaside villages, nestled mainly around sheltered inlets, increase dramatically in size during the summer holidays and are fairly quiet at other times. The clear water of the rivers, bays and miles of beaches abound with sea life including lobster, abalone and many varieties of scale fish. In stark contrast is the hinterland, a mountainous area where once miners extracted tin and gold from the ground, but today farmers plough patchwork quilts of rich dark soil, where bountiful crops grow alongside verdant pasture.
Tasmania’s North East has a rich and ancient history, incorporating over 40,000 years of continuous habitation and significant Aboriginal Heritage. The Tebrakunna Visitor Centre near Little Musselroe Bay provides informative displays about the traditional owners, as well as details about the Musselroe Wind Farm (on which this centre is located) and the agricultural history of the Cape Portland Farm still in operation beneath the turbines.
Spanning the rugged North-East from Launceston to St Helens, the Trail of the Tin Dragon winds its way through stunning scenery and historic townships. The Trail tells the story of tin mining in the North East of Tasmania, focusing on the European and Chinese miners who sought their fortune and risked all for this most remarkable metal.
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