Launceston

Launceston is the second-largest city in Tasmania, with a population of 70,000. I like it better than Hobart, because it has a "face". It has its ugly corners, and also its pretty ones, and that gives it character. It's the thing that Hobart has too little of, and Canberra has none of.

Launceston has many nice 19th century buildings, many small parks, an ugly harbourside and the lovely Cataract Gorge (eine Schlucht) where you can walk out of the city into a very pretty piece of nature. At the end of the gorge comes a small lake, and a swimming pool (free), and that lake is crossed by a chairlift, a dam, and a bridge. I don't think any other city has something like this.

One of the parks features monkeys (Japanese makakes), and just across is a 19th century gaswork which I took photos of for the Gaswerksfreunde Augsburg club -- I know they are very interested in such material. So all in all, both Cori and I came to like the city.

That was a good ending for our two-week trip together. Cori had booked a flight from Launceston via Melbourne to Adelaide, and so I drove her to the airport and said goodbye. She had been the best travel companion I could wish for; everything had gone very harmonious and I had enjoyed her company.

Just half an hour later we both got into travelling trouble, each in their way. Cori's flight was cancelled due to technical difficulties. And I had an engine breakdown, just 12 km north of Launceston.