Launceston

Sister cities

• Napa
• Ikeda
• Taiyuan

History

The first inhabitants of the area of Launceston were largely nomadic Aboriginal Tasmanians believed to have been part of the Northern Midlands Nations. Three Nations made up the area around so called Launceston, the Stoney Creek Nation, Tyerenotepanner; Panninher and Lettermairrener. The first white explorers did not arrive until 1798, when George Bass and Matthew Flinders were sent to explore the possibility that there was a strait between Australia and Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). They originally landed in Port Dalrymple (the mouth of the Tamar River), to the north-west of Launceston. The first significant colonial settlement in the region dates from 1804, when the commandant of the colonial garrison. Lt. Col. William Paterson, and his men set up a camp on the current site of George Town. A few weeks later, the settlement was moved across the river to York Town, and a year later was moved to its definitive position where Launceston stands. Initially, the settlement was called Patersonia; however, Paterson later changed the name to Launceston in honour of the New South Wales Governor Captain Philip Gidley King, who was born in Launceston, Cornwall. Extensive archeological evidence suggests that occupation and usage of the Tamar basin can be dated from at least 7,000 years ago, although it was likely used as long as 35,000 years ago. The Letteremairrener, as seasonal hunter-gatherers, spent the winter months near George Town and the summer months residing on Ben Lomond, before returning to the banks of the Tamar River for the mutton-bird season. Campbell Macknight characterizes early colonial contact with the Letteremairrener people as a mixture of fear, curiosity and aggression. After several aggressive encounters prompted by bands of Letteremairrener in…

Geography

Launceston is at in the Tamar Valley, Northern Tasmania. The valley was formed by volcanic and glacial forces over 10 million years ago. The city is about south of the Bass Strait, with its closest neighbour-city being Devonport, about to the north west. 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 is not conducive to easy dispersion of airborne pollution, due to the phenomenon of thermal inversion. Since the 1990s, the city's air quality has improved. 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% of households used wood heaters, but since the mid-2000s only 25–30% of households use wood heating. According to the 2011 Tasmanian Air Monitoring report, particulate matter met the Air NEPM goals starting in 2006, and did not exceed the PM10 standard in the years 2009–2011. Launceston is situated at the confluence of the South Esk River and the North Esk River, forming the Tamar River estuary. It is used for commercial and recreational shipping and boating. In earlier years, oceangoing shipping used the river to obtain access to the Port of Launceston wharves located in the city centre and Invermay. The Port for Launceston is now located at the George Town suburb of Bell Bay, some downstream on the east bank of the Tamar estuary, close to the river mouth. The South Esk River is the longest river in Tasmania.…

Most-observed species

• Masked Lapwing

  Vanellus miles (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  4,125
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  3,430
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,371
• Forest Raven

  Corvus tasmanicus Mathews, 1912 · Aves
  3,311
• Tasmanian nativehen

  Gallinula mortierii (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1840) · Aves
  3,017
• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  2,911
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,782
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  2,683

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2004-11-18
  37 km SW of Sheffield, Australia
• M 3.2 — 2002-07-22
  47 km NE of Scottsdale, Australia
• M 4.7 — 2002-06-15
  46 km NNE of Bagdad, Australia