The best traffic-free bike rides in Tamar Conservation Area

Design Tasmania is a design center and museum featuring wood designs from Tasmanian wood. There is a lot of beautiful furniture here waiting to be appreciated.

This is a very ornate stone fountain under a stunning gazebo. Fill up a water bottle here and marvel at the incredible sculpture.

The City Park Japanese Macaque Enclosure began in 1980 as a gift from Ikeda, Japan's sister city. This small group of Japanese macaques, or snow monkeys, is surrounded by mature trees and Victorian-era features in the park. Anyone can check out the macaques year-round from designated paths around the habitat.

The Duck Pond is a relaxing area on the easy walk around Launceston City Park. There are public restrooms on the west end of the duck pond.

City Park dates back to the 1820s, when it was established by the Launceston Horticultural Society. Ownership was transferred to the Launceston City Council in 1863. The park was expanded to include several buildings, a conservatory, and botanical gardens. The City Park snow monkeys carry on the long tradition of exotic creatures being showcased in Launceston. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, deer, brown bears, wallabies, even the mysterious thylacine called City Park home, but it was a troupe of Rhesus monkeys that proved to be its most popular residents. After the last of the park’s beloved Rhesus monkeys passed away in 1979, Launceston’s sister city, Ikeda, Japan, gifted the city with 10 macaques. In turn, Launceston gifted Ikeda with 10 wallabies. Known for their ability to adapt and acclimatize to new environments, the macaques were well-suited to Tasmania’s cold, wet climate and quickly became the city’s favorite attraction. The monkey enclosure was designed to reflect the natural habitats of Japanese macaques, with branches to swing from and a pool to swim in. Today, City Park is home to 20 macaques and counting. The snow monkey enclosure is free to visit and is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (April - September) and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (October - March). It is located at the Cameron Street side of City Park, around the corner from the City Park Radio building.

The Old Umbrella Shop in Launceston has been operating nearly continuously in its current location for over 100 years. Originally established as R. Schott & Son, the shop was opened by Robert Schott, an umbrella maker from Melbourne in 1907. Although umbrellas were his specialty, Schott began crafting souvenirs after being dismayed by the number of tourists he saw purchasing European-made, mass-produced items that didn’t represent his home. He whittled woodcrafts out of local timber and emblazoned ceramic items with images of Tasmania, selling them alongside his hand-made umbrellas. Business flourished as tourists caught wind of Schott’s beautiful, affordable souvenirs, which included items such as ashtrays, egg cups, walking sticks, and clocks. So popular were Schott’s souvenirs that when Edward VIII, Prince of Wales, visited Tasmania in 1920, Schott presented him with one of his walking sticks. R. Schott & Son was run by three generations of the Schott family until 1978, when the last descendant, John William Robert Schott, passed away. After a brief closure, the shop was taken over by the National Trust of Australia and renamed The Old Umbrella Shop. The shop contains most of its original fixtures and continues to operate as an umbrella and souvenir shop. In the backroom is a museum that displays a collection of Schott’s wares, as well as business memorabilia.

Have yourself a cheap and novel experience by staying at the Pod Inn. Basically a hostel with shared toilet and kitchen facilities, but with a quirky twist inspired by the Japanese hotels that started the movement. The pods themselves are very basic and obviously small be design. They have a fan to keep you cool and you can mess with the lighting to get those Insta shots. There are USB charging ports within. Your keycard for your pod also opens a locker where you can store you panniers etc. There is a decent Japanese restaurant attached with some good meal deals if you like sushi. You can lock your bikes up in the secured alleyway to the rear, but we didn't feel too great about it seeing as they had bulletins on their Facebook page about there being unauthorized access to the building recently. Our bikes were fine, but make sure you have a decent lock perhaps.