Launceston sits where three rivers meet, the North Esk, the South Esk and the Tamar, and the town takes its character from the water and the hills. It is Tasmania's second city, with something over a hundred thousand people, and it feels more like a large, well-kept country town than a metropolis. The Victorian architecture is excellent, because the city grew rich on wool, timber and mining in the nineteenth century, and the brick and sandstone buildings of the centre are among the best preserved in Australia.
The Cataract Gorge is the thing locals take you to see. It is a steep-sided slice of rock just a few minutes from the middle of town, where the South Esk runs down through a dramatic cleft, with walking tracks, a swimming basin and peacocks wandering across the lawns. There is a chairlift across the basin and a suspension bridge, and on a summer evening half of Launceston seems to be there. The city also has a long brewing tradition, with Boag's brewery going back to the 1880s, and a glass of the local lager goes well after a long day on the road.
As the finish of the Heritage Highway ride, the city is a pleasant reward. The highway, the old road between Hobart and Launceston, runs through the Midlands, a landscape of dry, golden hills, sheep country and stone bridges. It passes Ross, with a lovely convict-built bridge from 1836, and Campbell Town, with its brick-lined pavements, and Oatlands, with its old windmill. The riding is easy, with long straight runs and gentle rises, and it is more about history than adrenaline. A convict heritage is everywhere in the architecture and the roadside memorials.
Practicalities are easy. There is fuel on every corner, supermarkets, motorcycle dealers and a spread of hotels, so this is the place to sort out gear, rest and eat well. Tasmania's weather can change rapidly, even in summer, and Launceston has a reputation for chilly mornings and frost in winter, with mist lying in the valleys. Spring brings blossom, autumn brings gold in the trees, and almost any day brings a decent flat white.