Launceston is a riverside city in northern Tasmania. It's famed for the Cataract Gorge, with panoramic views, walking trails, sculpted gardens and a chairlift. The Queen Victoria Museum, in a 19th-century railway workshop, has exhibitions on Tasmanian history. Its sister Art Gallery lies across the river, by sprawling Royal Park. The vineyards of the Tamar Valley stretch northwest along the Tamar River.
The valley was formed by volcanic and glacial forces over 10 million years ago. It 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 earliest recorded visit to the Gorge (the local name for the Cataract Gorge) was made by settler William Collins in 1804 when exploring the Port in the ship "Lady Nelson". He was particularly impressed by the South Esk and its cataract and wrote, "Upon approaching the entrance I observed a large fall of water over rocks, nearly a quarter of a mile up a straight gully between perpendicular rocks about 150 ft high. The beauty of the scene is probably not surpassed in the world". For the early development of this resort we are indebted to a private organisation called The Launceston City and Suburbs Improvement Association, formed in December 1899. This body undertook to construct an access along the Cataract Gorge, which took eight years to complete. In 1940, a suspension bridge was constructed across the South Esk River at the head of the First Basin to connect the two sides of the River area.
It is a truly remarkable area, so much so that this cache is all about the Gorge.
Did you know?
A pathway, known as the King’s Bridge-Cataract Walk, and originally built by volunteers in the 1890s, runs along the north bank of the Cataract Gorge,
Before the Trevallyn Dam was built upstream in the 1950s, flood waters could rise up as high as 12 metres.
The chairlift has the longest single-span in the world.
The original toll house at which pedestrians had to pay to enter the walk can still be noticed near King's Bridge on the edge of the gorge.
The First Basin on the southern side contains a swimming pool, the aforementioned chairlift, two cafés, a unique railway and an open area surrounded by bushland.
The basin was formed by erosion at the intersection of two faults - the Basin Road Fault and an un-named fault approximately at right angles which the South Esk is following.
The northern side, named the Cliff Grounds, is a landscaped Victorian garden containing ferns and exotic plants.
Further upstream is the historic Duck Reach Power Station which is now a Local Interpretation Centre.
The inclinator is a mechanised people mover consisting of a glass-lined compartment, similar to a cable car, resting on twin rails set into the ground.
Some activities include a boat cruise through the accessible section of the river, a cable hang gliding experience that soars for 200 metres from a cliff top and rock climbing.
The cache is not at the published coordinates. The cache can be found at:
S42 ki.cnf
E147 as.apo
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Well done to whitewebbs for FTF and congratulations on being the first team to complete "The Map of Tassie".