Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia, with a population (greater urban and statistical sub division) of 103,325 located at the juncture of the North Esk, South Esk, and Tamar rivers. It is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart. Settled by Europeans in March 1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and is home to the largest selection[not specific enough to verify] of nineteenth century buildings in Australia. Like many Australian places, it was named after a town in the United Kingdom — in this case, Launceston, Cornwall.

Launceston has also been home to several firsts such as the first use of anesthetic in the Southern Hemisphere, the first Australian city to have underground sewers and the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity. The city has a cool temperature climate with four distinct seasons. The average February maximum temperature is 24.4 °C (76 °F) with the average maximum dropping to 12.5 °C (54 °F) in July.

Geography
Launceston is located  in the Tamar Valley, Northern Tasmania. The valley was formed by volcanic and glacial forces over 10 million years ago. The city is located approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of the Bass Strait, with its closest city Devonport, approximately 99 kilometres (62 mi) to the north west. Most of Launceston is very swampy as it was built around the Tamar River. Launceston combines steep (originally heavily wooded) ridges and low-lying areas (originally wetlands — with parts of the suburbs of Inveresk and Invermay below high-tide level). As a result, areas of Launceston are subject to landslip problems, while others are liable to poor drainage and periodic flooding. The topography of the area, isn't conducive to easy dispersion of airborne pollution, due to the phenomenon of thermal inversion.

Launceston has been built around the merger of the Tamar River and its tributaries; the South Esk River and the North Esk River. The Tamar River is a navigable estuary, and is still used for tourist cruises. For many years, ocean going shipping used the river to obtain access to the Port of Launceston located in the city centre. The Port of Launceston is now located at Bell Bay, some 40 kilometres (25 mi) by road from the city, on the east bank of the Tamar estuary, close to its mouth. The South Esk River is the longest river in Tasmania. It starts in the mountains of Fingal and flows through Avoca, Evandale, Longford, Hadspen and finally Launceston. The river is dammed at Lake Trevallyn although some water flows into the Cataract Gorge and eventually merges with the Tamar River. The North Esk River starts in the mountains in Tasmania's north-east and winds its way to Launceston.

During recent years the city's air quality has improved dramatically. Studies indicate that 73% percent of air pollution in Launceston and surrounding areas during the winter period is caused by wood smoke, while about 8% is from motor vehicle pollution. During the early 1990s about 60% per cent of households used wood heaters, but now only 25–30% of households use wood heating. The 2008 winter was the first time Launceston's air quality did not exceed PM10, since air quality monitoring began in 1997.

Urban structure and architecture
The urban areas of Launceston are organised into local suburbs, industrial areas and villages. A large portion of the city is part of the City of Launceston Local Government Area. Some outer suburbs are part of adjacent council districts; Riverside and Legana are part of the West Tamar Council; Prospect Vale and Blackstone Heights are included in the Meander Valley Council. Launceston still has many well preserved Victorian and Georgian buildings and has the largest collection of nineteenth century buildings in Australia, along with a diverse collection of art-deco architecture, such as Holyman House. The Government offices of Henty House in Charles Street are one of the cities examples of Brutalist architecture. Others include the Police Station Building. The Launceston synagogue is a rare example of architecture in Egyptian Revival style. As with the rest of Tasmania, Launceston has height restrictions, with many buildings in the central business district (CBD) being less than five storeys. The majority CBD buildings were constructed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, although of late modern offices and apartments have been built.

Tourism
Launceston serves as the commercial hub for the north of Tasmania, and like many parts of the state, is becoming a major tourist centre. Visitors to the city have grown over the past few years, during 2004 Launceston attracted 412,800 visitors, up 51% from 2001. The United Kingdom is the origin of 25% of all international visitors to the city and 17% originate from the USA.

The Cataract Gorge is Launceston's largest tourist attraction and is in close proximity to the city. It's home to the longest single span chairlift in the world, stretching 308 metres (1,010 ft) from Basin 1 all the way to Basin 2.[40] Launceston has many parks throughout the city including City Park, located next to the city centre. City Park is home to Albert Hall. The park also has a large enclosure for Japanese Macaque monkeys, which is a gift from sister city Ikeda, Japan. The Launceston General Post Office dates back to the 1880s, with a clock tower added in the early twentieth century. The GPO clock chime chimes every quarter hour.

Launceston is home to the Tasmania Zoo, which is known for its wildlife conservation work, including a breeding program for Tasmanian Devils.

Culture
Arts and entertainment
Launceston is home to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. The museum was established in 1891 and is the largest museum located outside a capital city in Australia. The museum is located at two sites across the city; the original purpose built building at Royal Park and another at the Inveresk Cultural Precinct, on the grounds of the former railway station and rail yards in buildings largely converted from the former Railway Workshops. The latest addition to the precinct is the new Launceston Tramway Museum. Included in the museum is the fully restored No. 29 tram, the fully restored 'Mary St' shelter shed and a host of other memorabilia. The restoration has taken place over a number of years and the museum is run entirely by volunteers. The state's largest preservation railway, the Don River Railway, also has a carriage rebuilding workshop on the site. Australia's oldest bookshop, A.W. Birchall & Sons (Birchalls), that opened in November 1844, is still located at its current site in the Brisbane Street Mall.

Located in the Southern Launceston suburb of Prospect, the Country Club Casino is a hotel, casino and golf course complex. It was the second casino to be built in Tasmania and one of the first in Australia. Launceston Aquatic, a $26.3 million regional aquatic centre was completed in July 2009. The site, just outside the central business district spans approximately 6,450 square metres (69,400 sq ft)

From 1999 to 2003, Launceston was the home of three of the four Gone South music festivals. Since 2006, it has hosted the MS Fest, a music festival held at the Inveresk Show grounds each summer to raise funds for multiple sclerosis research.


 

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