Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston (pronounced /ˈlɒnsəstən/, often mispronounced /ˈlɔːnsəstən/) 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.

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. 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) ^{[50][51][52][53]}

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. 

Source: Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launceston,_Tasmania