Fly to Launceston

Go shopping with the locals at the award-winning Harvest farmers' market and fill your basket with Launceston's freshest and finest. Oysters, cherries, cheese, sourdough, coffee beans, cider, cupcakes – it's foodie heaven, as is a food and wine tour. Launceston is one of only two in Australia to be named as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. When you see what chefs do with the regional bounty at Launceston's top-notch restaurants, cafes and food trucks, you'll understand why. For a special occasion meal, check out Stillwater's contemporary Tasmanian cuisine.

Pack a picnic and head for the wilderness at Cataract Gorge Reserve. It's just a 15-minute walk from the city centre and a local favourite for barbecues and al fresco lunches. Hike along the walking trails or bounce along the suspension bridge. Float above the trees on the Gorge Scenic Chairlift – it's one of the longest in the world. The reserve also has a swimming pool, restaurant, café, and panoramic lookouts. And because it's got both manicured Victorian gardens and wild bushland, you've got even chances of spotting a peacock or a wallaby.

Travel back in time and get a glimpse of rural colonial life at Woolmers Estate, a pioneer farm of the early 1800s, full of heritage treasures. Get your Downton Abbey on at Clarendon Estate, a grand Georgian Regency estate set on the South Esk River. Explore the heritage walled gardens and buildings of this seven-hectare complex. Launceston is one of the country's oldest settlements, and its colonial and early Victorian streetscapes are amazingly preserved. Pick up a map from the Visitor Information Centre and take a self-guided tour of the city's rich history.