Tasmania is only a short flight away from Melbourne, yet when you arrive it feels like another country completely. Launceston Airport consists of a runway and a small building housing a check in desk and one cafe. Stepping out of the aeroplane, out into the open air and having to walk across the runway was a new experience for me, and made the airport that much more 'local' - something I would soon find was a feature of Tasmania. Launceston itself, referred to as a city, seemed little more than a small town, and was totally deserted by 8 o' clock in the evening, except for one or two pubgoers (usually tourists). Cataract Gorge, just outside of the town provided the only attraction for several miles, yet was fairly impressive. A scenic river passing through rocks
... read more