Start from 41 curated places around Launceston, AU, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Stillwater
The benchmark Launceston dining room, in a converted 1830s flour mill on the riverbank below Kings Bridge — modern Tasmanian, three courses or tasting, with the produce-and-wine pairings the city is known for. Booked weeks ahead on weekends; quieter for lunch.
Black Cow Bistro
Launceston's serious steakhouse — grass-fed Tasmanian beef cooked over coals in a heritage corner room on George Street, with a wine list that leans hard into local cool-climate reds. Dinner only, white tablecloths, the place locals book for anniversaries.
Trails & outdoors
Cataract Gorge Cliff Grounds Walk
The easy paved path on the north side of First Basin — Victorian-era fernery, peacocks, lookouts over the gorge, and the suspension bridge crossing back to the south side. Forty minutes return at a wander, mostly flat with a few steps.
Zig Zag Track
The steep switchback climb above First Basin's south side — about 20 minutes up through bushland to Eagle Eyrie Lookout, with the best high view of the gorge and the city beyond. Moderate, dirt and rock, knees-and-lungs work.
Things to do
Queen Victoria Art Gallery at Royal Park
The art half of QVMAG, in the original 1891 sandstone building at Royal Park — Tasmanian colonial paintings, decorative arts, John Glover, and rotating contemporary shows. Free, two hours, the wet-weather pairing with the Inveresk natural-history half.
James Boag Brewery and Centre for Beer Lovers
Tasmania's most famous brewery — operating on William Street since 1881 — with a heritage visitor centre, brewery tours, and tastings of the local lagers that still use Tamar Valley water. Tour ticketed; the centre's bar and shop are walk-in.
Landmarks & sights
Cataract Gorge Reserve (First Basin)
A wild river gorge a 15-minute walk from the CBD where the South Esk River carves through dolerite cliffs into First Basin — peacocks on the lawn, a free outdoor swimming pool, suspension bridge, and the chairlift overhead. The single most Launceston thing you can do on a sunny afternoon.
Cataract Gorge Chairlift
The world's longest single-span chairlift (308 metres) drifts 30 metres above the First Basin — a six-minute one-way ride or round trip that's the lazy way to cross the gorge. Privately run, cash or card at the booth, no booking needed.