A proper start

The day saw us awake on Tasmanian soil and we were ready to go.  Making use of the groceries we’d purchased the night before, we made ourselves an in-room breakfast.

We were able to spin up and go through morning motions quickly enough that we were out on the road by 9:30am, traversing the streets of West Launceston heading towards Cataract Gorge.

Cataract Gorge

Having been here before, I knew exactly where to start in Launceston.  The day was perfect.  No smoke, and the temperature was set for the perfect swimming conditions.

Once we parked, we stalked our way down into the valley and paid for a trip across the expanse on the handy chairlift located nearby.

The gorge itself has a fresh water swimming pool (unheated), a large suspension bridge and water running down and out towards the town. 

It is surrounded with large boulders and a variety of vegetation, and gracefully sloped hills. 

There’s a restaurant on the far side in a heritage building, and a café joined to the chairlift, as well as an impressive playground & bathroom facilities

On the other side of the gorge, a series of bitumen paths snake along the side, allowing a moderate walk around the vicinity. 

We opted to walk west towards town, and in the direction of the Trevallyn King’s Bridge.

Penny Royal

We crossed the bridge and continued on foot south to Penny Royal – a colonial themed attraction. 

I’d previously visited with family here way back in 1990 and it is still pretty much the same as it was then, with some notable additions.

 

It really is a remarkable place, so few like it that I’ve seen elsewhere.  It’s like travelling back to early settlement years. 

There’s a host of excellent entertainment options, mostly like zip lines, rock climbing, spooky river/tunnels plus a restaurant and conference centre and accommodation.

 

We practiced panning for gold and then the boys both took to the climbing wall whilst Toni and I grabbed a morning coffee.

It was a bit pricey for our budget, so we had to negotiate with the boys about what they could or couldn’t do.

All up we were at Penny Royal for over an hour and a half, but eventually it was time to leave.

Retracing our path, we ventured back to the Gorge.  This time, we approached by crossing the large wooden suspension bridge on the east side and then walked down to the swimming pool.

After a refreshing swim, we made our way up to the café and settled in for a very nice lunch.  I believe I had a calamari salad.

Afterwards, the boys wanted to again play at the playground.  Jake took it too far on the circular wheel and faceplanted.. which was not great.

We finally hauled out of the Gorge and back to the car to return to the Mantra.  We didn’t stay long, we opted to go on foot and check out more of “downtown” Launceston.

I ended up at the local record store (Avenue Records) whilst the kids took in the local Toyworld.

The weather took a turn for the worse and we were hit with a light rain.  We returned to the hotel and drove the kids out to Riverbend Park which is a new playground complex near Bunnings.

Dodging the light rain, we couldn’t stay too long but we decided to return another time.  Once back at the hotel, we ventured a few blocks away to eat at Steve’s Grill at the Centennial Hotel.

It was a nice meal with good ambiance.  The kids were given crayons and got to colour in the paper tablecloth.

After dinner, we visited a nearby Coles (dessert & supplies) before calling it a night.