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You are constantly in touch with nature everywhere you go in Launcestom, the second major city in Tasmania, and the third oldest city in Australia. It is the ideal getaway for big city folks. Where else in the world can you escape to the wilderness within minutes fromthe city centre? That's what we did on our arrival from Sydney. We visited Cataract Gorge. My first instinct, of course, is to relax. In other words, do nothing. After all, the purpose of my trip was to visit my brother James, something I have kept putting off for over 20 years. I would have settled for just sitting down at his home, and spending some quality time together. James would have none of that. "Joanna (our sister) would not forgive me if I did not take you there," he said. However I feel he was just proud of this unique gorge. He should be. I did not imagine I would enjoy a nature walk so much.
The sign at Kings Bridge, the start of the trail, said it was a 15-minute walk. It took me about an hour. Maybe I did not walk as fast as the Aussies. I did stop a number of times to catch my breath. And to take in the magnificent scenery. The trail upriver is a winding path. And just when you think you have reached the end of the journey, there is another bend around the corner. The further up river you go, the more turbulent the waters. I was hoping to see people shooting the rapids but I had no such luck. I suppose they only do that during the weekends. There is a restaurant at the end of the trail. I am told they serve very good scones. Unfortunately we did not have time to stop. We did pause long enough to admire the two resident peacocks. And of courses, we were amazed by the huge old trees which seem to reach out to the sky.
From the restaurant, you can see Kings Bridge in the distance. At the halfway mark, a cruise boat was making a U turn, just before the start of the rapids. The restaurant marks the end of the 15-minute nature walk but if you are game, your adventure need not end here.
Walk further and you will come across the Alexandra suspension bridge. This will take you down to First Basin where there is a swimming pool and a cafe. Or you can cross this gorge on a chairlift, the world's longest single span chairlift. I assume the view from up there must be magnificent. I must try that on my next visit. Surprisingly, the journey back was fast. Not 15 minutes but definitely not an hour. I should have planned a longer stay in Tasmania instead of just 3 days. We had only set aside a full day in Launceston, another day for a long scenic drive along the coast to Hobart, and a day to explore its surrounding areas.. I must confess that before arriving here, I had imagined Launceston to be a one-street or at the most, a 3- street town. So I was pleasantly surprised to see a sprawling city of two- storey buildings covering a wide area on both sides of the Tamar River. The new buildings blend in very well with the older ones. And what is unique about this city is that there are no tall buildings There are no apartment blocks or terrace houses in the city, only single-storey or double-storey houses, and every one of them have big gardens. There are other nature-type activities in Launceston but I did not have the time to check them out. We drove past the Tamar Island Wetlands but did not stop to see the variety of water birds found there.
We made a short stop at the Swiss-inspired village of Grindelwald. I was fascinated by the houses and wished I could afford to own one. I do not play golf but i would love to hang out by the lake or enjoy a quiet meal at one of the restaurants. Another place I found interesting was Seaport because of its marina setting, restaurants and cafes. There is still so much for me to see and do in Launceston. I must return here for a longer visit, soon.