After 4 months of COVID-19 State of Disaster and Emergency lockdown and a severe case of cabin fever we were beyond excited to be travelling to Launceston for a weekend getaway with our 9-year-old Kidsetter.
Upon arrival we found the Riverside Bend playground. This new all-abilities park has transformed a former industrial precinct into a major new recreational area for Launceston.
Riverbend Park is divided into four zones: The River Play area, Gorge Play area, Wild Core area, and Urban Plaza.
Each zone contains a range of play equipment and experiences, including swings, diggers, sand pits, a wheelchair carousel, a water play area, musical instruments, outdoor table tennis, see-saws and a full size sports court.
Our Kidsetter loved the park’s largest attractions being the Sky Walk and the ‘confluence net’; two of the largest pieces of play equipment in Australia.
We stayed at the Leisure Inn Penny Royal Hotel and Apartments, situated 10 minutes from Launceston CBD adjacent the beautiful Tamar. We tend to hire self-contained apartments as much as possible to reduce the need to always eat out whilst indulging in the luxury of hiring a 2-bedroom apartment so our Kidsetter can go to bed at a reasonable time and we are able to stay up.
Leisure Inn Penny Royal Hotel offers old world charm and is heritage listed. It was originally built as a corn mill in 1840, it was moved 54 kilometers to Launceston and was rebuilt as a hotel over 130 years later – stone by stone.
We visited the Bridestowe Lavender Estate which is a 45-minute drive from Launceston. We discovered a cute town named Lilydale along the way. Lilydale was dressed with many Santas all in different poses outside businesses and properties.
We stopped to uncover how many different Santas we could find. Chatting to the locals we learnt that the Lions Club donate them every year to add some fun and sparkle to the town.
Reaching Bridestowe Lavendar Farm was exciting to me, as even though I’m not really a fan of Lavendar as such (it sets off my hayever), visiting a Lavendar Farm has been on my bucket list for years.
We were there in time for a tour of the farm to learn about the history and shear endurance required to create and maintain a Lavendar Farm.
Our Kidsetter loved Bobbie the Bear mascot, tasting the lavender flavoured ice-cream and shortbread.
Next, we drove to Clover Hill Winery to enjoy the incredible landscape and views. Simply breathtaking. We indulged in some adult time tasting various boutique sparkling wines.
Our Kidsetter found the perfect spot to kick back on a bean bag and absorb the views whilst reading a book.
Naturally, once you finish a chapter you have to break it up with interludes of rolling down the perfect hill.
We than drove to Georgetown and visited the Bass & Flinders Centre. We met the loveliest lady named Ivy who taught us all about the circumnavigation of Van Dieman’s Land.
Our Kidsetter loved the immersive environment where he could pat ‘Trim’ (Flinders cat), climb into the cabins of Norfolk Hobart ship, as he played and imagined how he would be living on board the ship in those times. Even met an old salty who told us a few tales of the sea. Great fun !
We saved the best for last, the Penny Royal Adventure Park. It is the perfect sized park with plenty to do, without it being overwhelming.
We met our Captain of our Brig Tamar cruise, whom took us on an adventure on the lagoon, telling us entertaining tales of Tasmanian history and met the ghosts of Sarah Island.
The Kidsetters loved him. At one point our Kidsetter grabbed the helm nearly steering us into disaster.
Next it was time to jump aboard a barge and immerse ourselves in the daring escapades of notorious bushranger Matthew Brady in 1825. Scary !
We panned for gold and gems in the Penny Royal Gold Mine and was very excited to find some gold !
Next it was time for the adrenaline activities. We were harnessed up and climbed the cliff walk were we made our way across dozen rope bridges suspended above the Penny Royal with outstanding views of Launceston.
Our Kidsetter then rode the zip lines that propelled him 100 metres across the grounds and to finish launched himself off the 20 metre cliff doing the ‘Quick Jump’.
Ending a fabulous trip our Kidsetter finished with rock climbing, scaling the natural cliff face, conquering a multitude of climbs.
We thoroughly enjoyed Launceston as a family destination. The people are relaxed and welcoming. There is plenty to do, see and explore for all ages.
