X-Nico

17 unusual facts about Launceston, Tasmania


1806 in New Zealand

17 June – The Venus, Captain Samuel Chace, is taken piratically at Port Dalrymple (Launceston) and sails for New Zealand.

3UZ

In 1985 the Nilsen family sold 3UZ for $9.2 million to Launceston (Tasmania) media company ENT Ltd., associated with the controversial figure Edmund Rouse.

Ancient Order of Druids

The first female lodge was opened in 1899 in Launceston, Tasmania, and by about 1925 there were fifteen ladies lodges.

Arthur Beck

Born in Launceston, Tasmania, he was educated at Launceston Grammar School before becoming a boot importer.

Benjamin Duterrau

A large landscape is in the Beattie collection at Launceston, and he is also represented in the Dixson collection at Sydney.

De Havilland Fox Moth

Fox Moth VH-UQM Miss Currie was purchased by Victor Holyman for £1,450 and began operating over the 108-mile route over south-eastern Bass Strait between Launceston, Tasmania and Whitemark on Flinders Island in October 1932.

Donald H. Tuck

Tuck was born in Launceston, Tasmania, but his family soon moved to Hobart, where his father was Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Tasmania.

Emile Dechaineux

Dechaineux was born in Launceston, Tasmania, to a Belgian-born father, Florent Vincent Emile Lucien Dechaineux, and an Australian mother.

Henri Tebbitt

His pictures for a time were very popular with the public, and examples were acquired for the Brisbane, Hobart, Launceston, Bendigo and Geelong galleries.

Louth v Diprose

Solicitor Louis Donald Diprose (the plaintiff/respondent) was infatuated with Carol Mary Louth (the defendant/appellant), whom he had met in Launceston, Tasmania in 1981.

Mary Gilbert

The schooner Enterprize, owned by John Pascoe Fawkner, had brought them and other settlers from Launceston, Tasmania, where she had married James at the age of eighteen.

Oatlands Railway

The Oatlands Railway was a short branch of the Main Line from Launceston to Hobart in Tasmania, which was built to give rail access to the town of Oatlands.

Patons and Baldwins

By the mid-1930s, the company had establishments across Scotland and the North of England, including factories at Billingham and Jarrow, and also in Canada, New Zealand, and a large factory in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

Saro Windhover

Between January 1933 and February 1934 operated a regular Bass Strait passenger service between Melbourne and Launceston, Tasmania via King Island.

Schooner Rebecca

After leaving a small party at Indented Head, Batman returned to Launceston, Tasmania on Rebecca and announced his treaty to the colony at large.

Vision International University

The institution traces its roots to Vision International College (alternatively known as "Vision Christian College"), which was founded in 1974 in Launceston, Tasmania by Australian theologian and author Ken Chant.

West Adelaide Bearcats

West Adelaide also made Grand Final appearances in 1980 where they lost 88-113 to the St Kilda Saints in Launceston, and in 1983 where they lost 73-75 to the Phil Smyth led Canberra Cannons in Melbourne.


1993 Big Bayou Canot train wreck

The 1975 Tasman Bridge disaster in Hobart, the capital city of Australia's island state of Tasmania, when a bridge was hit by a 7,000 ton bulk carrier, causing a 400 foot section of roadway to fall 120 feet into the river below.

Agfest

The land had originally been part of "Oaks Estate" belonging to Thomas Haydock Reibey, father to Premier of Tasmania Thomas Reibey.

Australian heritage law

Australian heritage laws exist at the national (Commonwealth) level, and at each of Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia state levels.

Bulbine crassa

Coast Lily (Bulbine crassa), also known as the Crassa Island Leek Lily (D.I.Morris & Duretto) is a species described in 2006 which occurs on the Furneaux Group of islands between Victoria and Tasmania.

Cape Maria van Diemen

The cape was named by Abel Tasman after the wife of his patron, Anthony van Diemen, Governor General of Batavia (now Jakarta) in January 1643, on the same voyage of discovery during which he named Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania).

Chappie Dwyer

NSW then quickly dismissed Tasmania for 158, with four wickets each for Ronald Eaton and Frank Jordan, who took a further two and four wickets respectively as Tasmania were dismissed for 102 in the follow-on to hand NSW victory by an innings and 182 runs, the only victory Dwyer was to partake in.

Don Wing

In September 2011 he appeared in the Launceston Musical Society's production of Oliver! by Lionel Bart.

Double-decker tram

Double-deck trams were once popular in some European cities, like Berlin and London, throughout the British Empire countries in the early half of the 20th century including Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand; Hobart, Tasmania in Australia and in parts of Asia.

Eastlands Shopping Centre

Eastlands is Tasmania's largest shopping centre, located on the eastern side of the Derwent River, situated in the shopping district of Rosny Park, within the greater area of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Eastside Lutheran College

Eastside Lutheran College is a small private school in Warrane, an eastern suburb of Hobart, Tasmania.

Edward J. Wasp

In this position Wasp developed, designed and implemented all slurry pipelines and process projects, including the Savage River iron ore pipeline in Tasmania, the Calaveras limestone pipeline in California, the Waipipi iron pipeline in New Zealand and the Black Mesa coal pipeline in Arizona.

Edwin St Hill

Against Tasmania he had first-innings figures of four for 57 and against Victoria he took six wickets in the game.

Emu Bay Railway

(Junction with the North East Dundas Tramway to Montezuma and Williamsford on the southern slopes of Mount Read the first railway in the world to have a working Garratt steam engine - K-1.)

Eric Abetz

Abetz studied at Taroona High School, Hobart Matriculation College and the University of Tasmania, earning degrees in law and arts in 1981.

Firthside, Tasmania

Firthside is a neighbourhood within the suburb of Kingston, in the greater Hobart area, capital of Tasmania, Australia.

George Warren Russell

The family emigrated to Tasmania when he was still a child, and then moved again to New Zealand in 1864.

Howden, Tasmania

Nestled between the majorly-developing township of Kingston and the smaller Margate, it verges on bushland but is only a half-hour drive away from Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania.

Hydrogen Jukebox

The Australasian premiere was given on April 17, 2003 at the Mount Nelson Theatre (Hobart, Tasmania) by the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, conducted by Douglas Knehans and directed by Robert Jarman.

Invermay, Tasmania

Invermay is also home to many of Launceston's cultural institutions, in an area known as the "Inveresk Precinct" including the Tramway museum, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, The Powerhouse Gallery and ArtSpace and University of Tasmania campus.

James Boag II

James performed his military service in Launceston and qualified for the Long Service Medal in 1910.

John Buckland

John Richard Buckland (1819–1874), Australian school teacher and first headmaster of The Hutchins School, Tasmania

John Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst

They had one daughter, Georgiana Susan Copley, who married Sir Charles Du Cane, Governor of Tasmania.

John Eardley-Wilmot

Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, 1st Baronet (1783–1847), Governor of Tasmania, MP for Warwickshire North 1832–1843

Kevin Lincoln

In 1990, a survey exhibition of his paintings and drawings was mounted by the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston, which toured Tasmania and Victoria.

Little Waterhouse Lake

Little Waterhouse Lake is a freshwater coastal lagoon in the Waterhouse Conservation Area of north-eastern Tasmania, Australia.

Lottie Lyell

The travelling theatre company took Lyell on tour for the show and she performed across Australia, including Tasmania, and New Zealand.

Matthew Pascoe

Matthew David Pascoe (born 10 January 1977 in Camperdown, New South Wales, New South Wales) is an Australian cricketer who has played for Tasmania and Queensland.

Mcgees Bridge

The bridge provides a vital link between Hobart and two of Tasmania's principal tourist attractions - Port Arthur Historic Site on the Tasman Peninsula and the picturesque East Coast via the Tasman Highway.

Methodist Ladies' College

Scotch Oakburn College, Tasmania (Amalgamation of Methodist Ladies' College, Oakburn College and Scotch College)

Michael Slater

After three years in Launceston, the Slaters moved to Wagga Wagga, and Peter became a lecturer in agriculture at what is now known as the Charles Sturt University.

New Town Eagles

Newtown Eagles Football Club is a soccer club which represents New Town in the Tasmanian Southern Premier League.

Nick Kruger

Nicholas James Kruger (born 14 August 1983, Paddington, New South Wales) is an Australian cricketer who has played First-class cricket for Queensland and List A cricket for Tasmania.

Pixie Jenkins

Born 'Paul Blake Jenkins' in Launceston, Tasmania in 1957, now referred to by his stage name 'Pixie', in an article in The Australian, Pixie was referenced alongside Jimmy Little, Chad Morgan and Slim Dusty as "...an icon of Australia's country music industry".

Prototrichia metallica

Prototrichia metallica has been found in mountainous area of Tasmania, Europe, western North America and South America.

Qantas Flight 1737

In an interview with the Australian Federal Police, David Mark Robinson admitted attempting to hijack the plane which he intended to crash into the Walls of Jerusalem National Park in Tasmania – an action intended to release the Devil from his lair and bring about Armageddon.

Royce Hart

Aged 17, Hart crossed Bass Strait determined to develop his precocious talent, which was unusual; most Tasmania players played a number of seasons in the local competition before crossing to Victoria as mature age recruits.

Ryan by-election, 2001

Comparisons were drawn with the 1975 by-election in the Tasmanian electorate of Bass: both had resulted from the resignation of a Defence Minister (Former Labor Deputy Prime Minister Lance Barnard in 1975), and Labor's landslide loss in Bass was linked to the defeat of the Whitlam government several months later.

Seiichi Sugano

Three of Sugano's students were promoted to 7th dan on his recommendation: Tony Smibert (Tasmania), Robert Botterill (Melbourne) and Hanan Janiv (Canberra).

Shepherd's beaked whale

There have been five unconfirmed sightings (mostly from New Zealand), as well as a "probable" sighting near Shag Rocks and four confirmed sightings—the first two confirmed sightings occurred in 1985, within a few minutes of each other, off the Tristan da Cunha group (first sighting at 37°18'S, 12°32'W); the third in 2002 near Gough Island (40°19'S, 9°53'W); and the fourth in 2004 south of Tasmania (48°50'S, 150°06'E).

Snug

Snug, Tasmania, a small town on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, in the municipality of Kingborough in Tasmania

Southern Transport Investment Program

The University of Tasmania is currently spending ten thousand dollars a month subsidising bus travel for students between the Hobart and Launceston Campus.

Stephen Wilson

Stephen John Wilson (born 1948), former Australian politician from Tasmania

Tasmania Police

The Tasmania Police Academy is located in the suburb of Rokeby on Hobart's Eastern Shore.

Tasmanian Devil: Munching Madness

Players take control of Taz to eat all the food in each of the nine levels - Tasmania, Australia, China, Greece, Switzerland, Amsterdam, Amazon River, Las Vegas and Transylvania.

Trafalgar Building, Hobart

Current corporate tennants are Tasmanian Ports Corporation Pty Ltd (level 13), The Department of Justice (level 14), and CGI (level 15).

Tranmere, Tasmania

Tranmere is a riverside suburb, with views across the Derwent River to the Hobart city centre.

White-naped Honeyeater

Birds from southwestern Australia have been shown to be a distinct species, the Swan River Honeyeater, and the eastern birds more closely related to the Black-headed Honeyeater of Tasmania.

Wingan Inlet

On the return trip, the party encountered marooned sailors along the Victorian coast from the wreck of the ship Sydney Cove south of Victoria at Preservation Island, Tasmania.