Launceston: the gorge in the heart of the city

Carved by the South Esk river right at the city's margins, the Cataract Gorge hosts Victorian gardens, a pool from the 1930s, and peacocks that roam freely among visitors.

A chairlift crosses the gorge suspended over water: it is said to be the longest single span of its kind in the world.

Returning toward the center, one passes through the City Park, which has hosted a small group of Japanese macaques since the 1980s, a gift from the twin city of Ikeda.

In the afternoon, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and a visit to the historic Boag's Brewery, active since 1853, close out the day between natural history and tastings of local beer.

The peacocks of Cataract Gorge have adapted so well that they stroll between the tables of the park café, almost indifferent to the presence of tourists and families on lunch break.

Seeing Japanese macaques in the middle of a Tasmanian park remains one of Launceston's most unexpected details, explainable only by recalling a sister-city relationship with a Japanese city dating back decades.