The City

 We went into the city of Launceston last week to buy some shoes for my husband.  A parking place was very easy to find, there was one at the base of The Mall and we only had to walk halfway up it to Sketches, a shoe shop. 

There are parking meters which are not that easy to use because the light shines on the area you have to read as that is where you put your car registration and how long you will be there and so on, if the sun is shining then it's near impossible.  So I like many have an app on the phone called EPark, it's pink so easy to find, so all you have to do is open that app, put the time you wish to stay there for, eg 1 hour and if you take less time you stop the app and are not charged for time not used.  I hope you can follow.  There is a time limit also.

Jeanswest a clothing shop, well there were 90 stores in Australia all told and the fashion chain was placed in voluntary liquidation all across Australia.  This business had a decent size shop here in Launceston and we had to walk past it and we saw a lady sitting inside on the floor eating her lunch and she appeared to have cleaned most of the shop out, along the path up against the window were free items.  Sad to see another empty shop.  

The Mall was just about void of people; I took a few photos as it looked like a ghost Mall.

I can remember that once you could hardly move because of the people shopping.

The Casino

We went for dinner to a Restaurant in the Country Club Casino the other evening for a friends Birthday, so there was just four of us.  Beautiful meal and I forgot to take photos, but thought to take photos of the Casino where we don't frequent only for meals sometimes.

The Casino and Resort opened in 1982 has a few restaurants, gaming rooms, and a golf course which they are redoing at the moment.  

There were several Native Hens (Turbo Chooks), kangaroos feeding in the grounds, but I didn't get any photos of them.  I've added a link for those that would like to view a post I did back in 2021 with photos of the Native Hens.

This entrance is the side entrance and not the main one if you are staying for a night or two, even a week.

A wishing well on the way into the side area of the Casino

The Mall

A few photos of the Mall in the City of Launceston and those little creatures that some people fall over.

Those statues or whatever you call them are sculptures of Tasmanian Tigers now extinct. There were even smaller ones in the same area but they have been removed because people has been tripping over them, now the ones shown in the photos they are to be removed too and all taken to the Civic Square where they will be placed up higher so no one trips over them.

Old digital Photos 1998

Old digital photos.  I really can't recall my first digital camera certainly had one in 1998 as the photos below were taken with it.  I somehow remember having an earlier camera with the resolution so small and nothing good to store the photos on only floppy discs - remember those?

The Launceston City Mall has changed over the years and was the first Mall in Australia in the 1970's.

These days the Mall in near empty of retail businesses and nothing like in the past.  We certainly don't have big shopping centres here in Launceston, it's just the times, buying online and so forth due to the decline.

The first photo is of the Quadrant Mall up around the corner from the Brisbane Mall.

A link to the Launceston Mall in 2012.

 

Both of the Brisbane Street Mall - looking south, looking north

Tamar River, Launceston

Haven't finished our days trips but had to post these two photos taken last evening of the Tamar River on such a beautiful winters day.
This area is about 5 minutes walk from the city centre of Launceston.
The second photo there are two bridges to cope with the traffic for those people who live on the other side of the river.
There is a lovely park over that fence on the right along with a skate park and this side a playground for children, carpark, toilet block and a nice walk along to Home Point where one can catch the ferry that takes you up the Tamar River for a tour.
Years ago we used to hop in the ski-boat and go ourselves.

The second photo, there are two bridges to take the traffic across to the other side of the river.

Duck Reach, Launceston.

With the new vehicle and phone being a Samsung Galaxy S10+ we headed off to the Duck Reach Power Station here in Launceston about 15 minutes drive from home.
A bit of history below of the Power Station that was, it's now used as a museum.
There are many walks to be done there.

The Duck Reach Power Station was built by the Launceston Municipal Council and generated hydro-electricity almost continuously for 60 years - from 1895 to 1955.  It was the first publicly owned hydro-electric power station in Australia and one of the earliest in the world.

At its peak the station had a capacity of 2,600 horsepower and could produce two megawatts of electricity, enough to light 1,200 homes in Launceston.  In the 1920's, Duck Reach powered unprecedented industrial development in Launceston and set the model for the later hydro-industrialisation of Tasmania.

The new vehicle is similar to the old one but a 2019 model.  We have to get as close to 3,000klm before we set sail later next month so the vehicle can have it's first service.  We had had the old one for 4-1/2 years, it was time to trade it in whilst we could get a good trade-in price.

One can walk down the steep path over the swinging bridge to the power station, we didn't.
The photos below are a view of part of the Gorge which goes a fair distance to the Cataract Gorge.
Testing the phone camera.

Autumn in City Park

It is autumn so from the City Park here in Launceston comes some trees that have begun to change their colours.  Pleased these photos were taken last week after driving past yesterday afternoon, the wind had taken it's toll and so many leaves were missing from the trees.

My husband went to take a good look at the tree below and discovered a hot water bottle at the base of it :)

Launceston City Park was established in 1820'a by the Launceston Horticultural Society and then handed over to the Launceston City Council in 1863.
The grounds are beautifully maintained with many events being held there in winter and summer.

A Lake and a Dam

Yesterday was a rainy day but the afternoon was alright towards evening, so we ventured to Trevallyn Dam which was built in 1955. A bush drive along the way with plenty of walking tracks.
Picnic areas in different areas and there is no autumn colours as there are no introduced trees in the area.

Bought a new camera last week, have been on three photo shoots with it. 
Got a Canon EOS 750D DSLR this hopefully will compliment my Nikon DSLR 700D which is still ok but getting old.  Always like a challenge when it comes to cameras.
The Canon came with 3 lenses, one tripod and a Canon bag, the deal was too good to be missed.
So I've been out practising with the new Canon..

The dam doesn't look attractive to me but certainly serves a purpose as it provides water for hydroelectricity.

2016 floods with a view of the dam overflowing.

Yesterday's view below taken from the dam across the water to a suburb called Blackstone Heights, Launceston, Tasmania.

The next two photos are of Lake Trevallyn, well I call it that as for researching wasn't fruitful.

The boat ramp is very steep.

A view over the lake.  As far as I'm aware rowing is done on this lake as well as fishing.

Trees,

Trees galore at the Hollybank Nature Reserve.  

In the middle of this area is a cricket pitch, it's a big bare area.

More Launceston Buildings.

Wonderful older buildings in the streets of Launceston. Many were once Banks on a corner.

The Mall in Brisbane Street.

Buildings in Launceston, Tasmania.

More buildings in the streets of Launceston, Tasmania.

St.  Andrew's Church