Tasmania week 2 : Cataract Gorge

The first week had passed so quickly, now we hired a car for the second week and moved to an Airbnb in the centre of Launceston,

What a magnificent old 3 story heritage, colonial style building. We will be staying here a week.

Now to explore Launceston.

The number one tourist attraction is Cataract Gorge. Only a 10 minute drive from where we are staying and the weather is perfect.

We glide gently across the tumbling South Esk River. Over the gardens and first stop is the kiosk for a coffee. The local natives greet us as we get off the chairlift.

We are entertained by this glorious display as we sit in these Victorian style gardens surrounded by ferns and exotic plants. Jack sketches the old rotunda style bandstand. The peacocks are everywhere. 

There are a number of walks around the gorge. Some very challenging. But we have been told that the track along the cliff face is level with great views. So we slowly meandered along it. What an amazing fete of engineering it had been to construct this walk. 

This sign at the beginning of the walk gives an insight to the difficulties they must’ve had when it was originally built. It is stunning.

Thank goodness this rock had been anchored in place.

It was amazing to see flowering plants, mosses and grasses surviving on the bare faces of the escarpment.

This is what the original walk was like in 1890. I’m so pleased it has been upgraded. I don’t think we could’ve managed to walk along it back then.

At Dog Rock we turn back. Tomorrow we are going on a Tamar River lunch cruise which will also come along this Cataract Gorge. So we will get to see it all again from on the river.

Now we are ready to go back across the river on the chairlift and have lunch at the riverside cafe.

The lunch was delicious. The most creamy and succulent seafood mornay I have ever eaten. Followed by poached pear with rhubarb and local yoghurt. Launceston was designated the “city of gastronomy” in 2021. One of only 48 world wide since 2004. We thought it definitely lived up to this title as every meal or snack we had was delicious.

Notice the mural an the wall behind me. So appropriate depicting the beautiful and colourful peacocks that were strutting everywhere. I think I will have to add this photo to Jude’s “life in colour”. For December she is asking us to find the most colourful image we can.

Next post I will take you with us on the luncheon trip along the Tamar River.