Launceston

City and port in northeast Tasmania, Australia, on the estuary of the River Tamar, 240 km/149 mi north of Hobart; population (2001) 68,400. Launceston is Tasmania's second-largest city, and its industries include woollen-blanket weaving, aluminium smelting, sawmilling, engineering, food processing, brewing, railway workshops, and the manufacture of textiles, furniture, pottery, tennis racquets, and other sporting goods. The main exports are agricultural produce, fruit, minerals, timber, wool, and woollen goods.

Launceston is situated in a valley at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers, which join to form the 64 km/40 mi tidal estuary of the River Tamar. The third-oldest city in Australia, it was founded in 1804 by Colonel William Paterson and named by him after Launceston in Cornwall, England, the native town of Philip Gidley King, Governor of New South Wales. The right of self-government was granted in 1852. Launceston became a town in 1858 and was declared a city in 1889. In 1895 it became the first city in the southern hemisphere to be lit by hydroelectric power.

Large numbers of historic buildings, including many houses, cottages, and warehouses, built in the 1840s remain. Notable buildings include the Customs House (1885), Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (1891), and the Post Office (1889). The Waverley Woollen Mill opened in 1874 and is the oldest in Australia.

Launceston

Town in Cornwall, England, 41 km/25 mi northwest of Plymouth; population (2001) 7,140. It has ruins of a castle (partly Norman) and a priory. St Mary Magdalen's church, dedicated in 1524, has a carved granite exterior.