Top things to do in Launceston

Things to do in Launceston start with the day trips. Launceston tours reach Cradle Mountain National Park to the west and Freycinet National Park on the east coast in a single day, and Hollybank forest at Underwood has treetop courses for adults and young kids. Some trips listed for Launceston start in Hobart instead, so each section below says where the day begins.

Launceston tours to Cradle Mountain and Wineglass Bay

The Cradle Mountain National Park Tour from Launceston from Gray Line leaves daily at 8am and is back at 5.30pm, an 8.5-hour day. It covers entry to the national park, Dove Lake, Waldheim Chalet, a stop in Sheffield, the Town of Murals, and Ashgrove Cheese Farm, with a picnic-style light lunch such as a roll or wrap. Selected hotel pick-ups run from Hotel Grand Chancellor and the Launceston Backpackers stop on Canning Street.

Tours Tasmania runs a longer version, the Cradle Mountain National Park Guided Tour, Monday to Friday at 7.30am from Cameron Street in Launceston. You get four to five hours in the park for the Enchanted Walk beside Pencil Pine Creek, the six-kilometre Dove Lake Circuit or the climb to Marion's Lookout, with wombats along the way. Groups are capped at 20.

East of the city, the Wineglass Bay and Freycinet National Park Tour runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.30am as a 12-hour day. It stops in Evandale and Campbell Town, walks out to Cape Tourville Lighthouse, climbs the 1.3km track to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, then finishes at Honeymoon Bay and Devil's Corner Winery. Walkers can compare the options on Launceston walking tours.

Launceston attractions and activities at Hollybank

Hollybank forest, at 66 Hollybank Road in Underwood, is home to Treetops Adventure. It is a 2.5-hour session of self-guided obstacle courses in the trees, with 115 individual challenges across two areas graded by age group. Helmet, harness and training are provided, digital photos are included, and it runs daily except Christmas Day.

Younger children get their own course. The Hollybank Treetop Adventure For Kids is a 2.5-hour ropes course where parents watch from below while the kids climb and balance, with gear and training supplied. Treetops also appears under Launceston attractions, and Launceston activities adds the Cradle Mountain trips and multi-day Tasmania tours.

Tamar River cruises and harbour trips

The Tamar River runs past Launceston into the Tamar Valley, a stretch of rolling hillsides, vineyards and historic buildings, and trips on its calm water are listed under Launceston cruises when they are available. That page also holds tours with a cruise built in, like the Port Arthur, Richmond and Tasman Peninsula Tour from Hobart, which adds a Port Arthur harbour cruise to the Historic Site entry, the Waterfall Bay cliff walk and a stop at Richmond Village.

Wildlife, zoos and aquariums

Animal encounters are collected on Launceston zoos and aquariums. For wildlife on a longer trip, the 4-day Wild Tasmania Tour starts and finishes in Hobart and includes a Tasmanian devil feeding experience at a wildlife sanctuary, platypus spotting at Mount Field National Park and wombat spotting at Cradle Mountain, with three nights of accommodation.

Tours that start in Hobart

Check the meeting point before you book, because several tours listed for Launceston leave from Hobart. The Tahune Airwalk and Hastings Caves Guided Tour departs Mondays and Thursdays at 7.30am as a 9-hour day, walking 619 metres along the Tahune cantilever 40 to 50m above the Huon River and heading underground on a guided tour of Hastings Caves.

Staying overnight is another option. The 2-day Cradle Mountain Nature Tour starts at 7am from Hobart hotels with one night of accommodation and breakfast included, while the Hobart to Launceston Transfer & Cradle Mountain Tour is a one-way 11-hour day that leaves Hobart CBD hotels from 6.45am, stops for coffee in Campbell Town and Sheffield, spends time at Cradle Mountain and reaches Launceston CBD hotels at about 6pm.

Which Launceston trip fits your dates

The days each trip runs decide most plans. Gray Line's Cradle Mountain tour is daily, so it suits any day of the week. Tours Tasmania's Cradle Mountain tour runs Monday to Friday, the Wineglass Bay tour runs Tuesdays and Thursdays, and neither runs on weekends or public holidays. Treetops at Hollybank is open seven days a week, which makes it the easy one to slot into a weekend.

Length matters too. Gray Line's Cradle Mountain tour is an 8.5-hour day, and the Tours Tasmania Cradle Mountain and Wineglass Bay tours are 12-hour days, so leave the evening free after those.

Pick the Cradle Mountain or Wineglass Bay day that matches your dates, then add a morning in Hollybank forest if you have a spare day. Your Launceston trip is ready to book above.