Your guide to a (very full) long weekend in Launceston
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Forget everything you thought you knew about Tasmania being hard to get to.
From 6 May, Link Airways is launching direct flights between Canberra and Launceston four days a week – and suddenly, northern Tassie is as close as the south coast.
Depart Canberra at 11.30 am, touch down at 1.20 pm, and you could be sipping a cool-climate Pinot by mid-afternoon. Fares start from $369 one-way, and you can even earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points while you’re at it.
Image of Jansz Tasmania by Adam Gibson
Launceston – or ‘Launnie’, if you want to sound like a local – sits at the meeting point of three rivers in a sheltered valley that produces some of Australia’s finest food and wine. It’s compact enough to explore on foot, wild enough to surprise you, and packed with the kind of cellar doors and restaurants that earn UNESCO City of Gastronomy status.
But here’s the thing about Launceston that doesn’t always make the brochure: it’s also a launchpad for world-class golf and some of the finest mountain biking trails on the planet. Pair that with a gorge you can walk to from the CBD, penguins at dusk and distilleries in airport hangars, and you’ve got a destination that genuinely has something for every kind of traveller – whether your ideal long weekend involves a degustation menu or a downhill trail.
Here’s how to spend a (very full) long weekend.
Eat and drink
Image of Harvest Market by Tourism Australia
Launceston punches well above its weight when it comes to food.
Start your Saturday at Harvest Market, the community farmers’ market that takes over an inner-city car park every week from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm. The stallholders grow, bake, pickle or brew everything they sell, and the vibe is wonderfully communal – grab a locally roasted coffee, graze through charcuterie samples and heritage-variety berries, and chat to the farmers who grew them.
For brunch, Sweetbrew brings a Middle Eastern twist to the morning – think baked chilli eggs and falafel bowls – while Bread + Butter specialises in fresh pastries, sourdough and cultured butter produced by their own small-batch factory. Earthy Eats is the pick for plant-rich wholefoods, and weekend visitors should consider booking the bottomless brunch at Greek-inspired Elaia.
Come evening, Stillwater is the reservation to make. Housed in a restored 1830s flour mill on the banks of the Tamar, it’s been a cornerstone of Tasmanian dining for over 25 years, with bold seasonal menus that lean heavily on local produce. Black Cow Bistro is another standout – premium dry-aged Tasmanian beef, free-range and grass-fed, served in a sleek setting. For something more laid-back, Terrace Kitchen does gin-washed ocean trout sashimi and Tasmanian cheese boards, while Blue Social Eatery’s Friday and Saturday night dinners sees everything roasted over a firepit.
Wine lovers, clear your schedule for a day on the Tamar Valley Wine Trail. With more than 30 cellar doors looping along both banks of the river, it’s Tasmania’s oldest and largest wine region – and it’s been voted one of the top 10 wine routes in the world. The east bank is sparkling country, home to the likes of Jansz and Pipers Brook Vineyard, while the west bank delivers family-run gems like Holm Oak Vineyards (where Pinot the pig keeps an eye on the vines).
Image of Josef Chromy Wines by Samuel Shelley
Don’t miss Josef Chromy Wines – just 10 minutes from the city, with a hatted restaurant, lakeside vineyard views and a cellar door housed in an 1880s homestead. For lunch among the vines, Timbre Kitchen at Velo Wines is a local favourite – chef Matt Adams cooks over a wood-fired oven using produce sourced from neighbouring backyard growers, and the menus shift with the seasons.
Back in town, settle into Havilah for a glass (or three) at this cosy wine bar, or grab a craft beer at Saint John – they stock more than 170 options. For something with a bit of history, the James Boag Brewery has been brewing on the same site since 1881 and runs guided tours. Whisky drinkers should make a beeline for Launceston Distillery, which produces award-winning single malt inside Hangar 17 – Tasmania’s oldest aviation building, right at Launceston Airport. Tours and tastings run Monday to Saturday, and it’s a 10-minute walk from the terminal, making it a tempting first or last stop.
Play
Image of Cataract Gorge by Oscar Sloane
Absolutely do not miss Cataract Gorge – a dramatic natural canyon wrapped in native bush, just a 15-minute walk from the city centre. Ride the world’s longest single-span chairlift across the gorge for sweeping views, swim in the public pool during warmer months, or just spread out a picnic blanket among roaming peacocks and the odd wallaby. Walking trails range from the gentle, paved Cataract Walk to the steep Zig Zag Track for those wanting more of a challenge. For a different perspective, take a cruise along kanamaluka / River Tamar into the gorge, or explore the river on a pedal kayak guided tour – hands free, so you can actually get that photo.
Image of Launceston streetscape by Pauline Morrissey
In the city itself, the heritage architecture rewards a wander. Launceston is Australia’s third-oldest city (dating back to 1806), and its streetscapes blend Victorian-era buildings with clever modern adaptations. Don’t skip City Park in the heart of town – aside from being gorgeous, it’s home to a colony of Japanese macaques. Yes, monkeys. In regional Tasmania.
Pop into Design Tasmania on the edge of City Park for exquisitely crafted furniture and objects in native Tasmanian timbers, or spend a morning at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) – the nation’s largest regional museum, complete with a planetarium.
Image of Design Centre Tasmania by Chris Crerar
For a quieter nature hit, Tamar Island Wetlands is a 10-minute drive from the city – an accessible boardwalk winds through estuarine wetlands to a bird hide where around 60 species have been recorded.
Travelling with kids? Penny Royal Adventures sits right next to Cataract Gorge and offers zip-lines, cliff walks, rock climbing, gold panning and a history-themed boat ride. Entry to the village is free – you pay only for the adventures you choose. Riverbend Park, nearby, is Tasmania’s largest playground, with a sky walk, water play area and sand pits.
Adventures for every appetite
Launceston’s position in northern Tasmania makes it an ideal base for day trips that cater to very different appetites.
For a day trip, head north-east to the Tamar Valley for the evening penguin parade at Low Head, where little penguins surf ashore and waddle to their burrows beneath the lighthouse at dusk. At Beauty Point, Seahorse World and Platypus House sit side by side on a pier – watch platypuses glide through the water and echidnas feed around your feet.
Image of Tamar Island Wetlands Centre by Samuel Shelley
Keen golfer? You’re in for a treat. The Range at Country Club Tasmania is a social golf playground right in the city – 28 undercover bays with Toptracer ball-tracking technology, an 18-hole mini golf course and a clubhouse bar and restaurant. It won Hospitality Tasmania’s Best Outdoor Hospitality Experience in 2025, and its championship 18-hole course is undergoing a $20 million transformation and is set to open later this year (important info if you’re already dreaming about summer holidays).
For a golf bucket-list day trip, clear your schedule for Barnbougle. About an hour’s drive north-east, near the coastal village of Bridport, it’s home to two of Australia’s highest-ranked courses – The Dunes and Lost Farm – carved through wild sand dunes overlooking Bass Strait. The Dunes is currently ranked 25th in the world, and both courses are public access. A newer short course, Bougle Run, designed by Bill Coore, rounds out the offering. On-site accommodation, a clubhouse restaurant and that jaw-dropping coastline make it easy to justify the drive.
Image of mountain biking at Derby by Natalie Mendham
Mountain bikers: Derby needs to be on your list. Around 90 minutes north-east of Launceston, this former tin-mining town has been transformed into one of the world’s premier mountain biking destinations, with over 125 kilometres of purpose-built singletrack threading through ancient rainforest, granite rock slabs and fern-filled valleys. Trails cater to everything from green-rated family loops to enduro-level descents that have hosted World Cup events.
Finish a ride with a soak at the Floating Sauna on Lake Derby – you’ve earned it. For the full luxury treatment, the Blue Derby Pods Ride offers a multi-day guided experience with architecturally designed accommodation pods and gourmet Tasmanian food and wine.
Stay
Image of Silo Hotel by Rob Burnett
Accommodation in Launnie ranges from heritage hotels to converted industrial landmarks. Peppers Silo Hotel is hard to go past for a special stay – a former grain silo on the banks of the Tamar, reimagined as a sleek nine-storey hotel with river views, a day spa and the Grain of the Silos restaurant downstairs.
Stillwater Seven offers seven luxurious rooms above the acclaimed restaurant, right at the edge of Cataract Gorge – roll out of bed and into one of the country’s top dining rooms.
Image of Stillwater Seven by Anjie Blair
For something more independent, Launnie has a strong range of boutique cottages and self-contained townhouses scattered through its heritage streets.
Getting there
Link Airways flies direct from Canberra to Launceston four days a week, with fares starting from $369 one-way. The flight takes under two hours, with full cabin service onboard – hot and cold beverages, premium snacks and complimentary beer and wine on all afternoon and evening services. (Yes, you read that right.)
Launceston Airport is a quick 12-minute drive from the city centre, so there’s no long transfer eating into your weekend. Because, let’s face it – you’re going to need every minute to fit all this goodness in.
Grab a window seat on the way in. The view of those three rivers converging into the valley below is your first sign that Launnie is going to deliver.
Book at linkairways.com or through your travel agent.
