Launceston

Launceston may refer to:

Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston (ⁱ/ˈlɒnsəstən/, often mispronounced ⁱ/ˈlɔːnsəstən/) is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after Hobart. With a population of 74,085, Launceston is the ninth largest non-capital city in Australia. It is the only inland city in Tasmania.

Settled by Europeans in March 1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and is home to many historic buildings. Like many Australian places, it was named after a town in the United Kingdom – in this case, Launceston, Cornwall. Launceston has also been home to several firsts such as the first use of anaesthetic in the Southern Hemisphere, the first Australian city to have underground sewers and the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity. The city has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Local government is split between the City of Launceston and the Meander Valley and West Tamar Councils.

Electoral division of Launceston

The electoral division of Launceston is one of 15 electorates or seats in the Tasmanian Legislative Council, created in 2008. It also previously existed until 1999, when it was abolished and substantially incorporated into the new division of Paterson, which was in turn abolished in 2008.

The division of Launceston includes the Launceston city council suburbs of West Launceston, Summerhill, Kings Meadows, Prospect, Glen Dhu, Norwood and Youngtown. It also included the Meander Valley council areas of Prospect Vale and Blackstone Heights. Its southern border was shared with present-day Launceston city council, its northern the South Esk River and Bathurst Street in the central business district. Its western border was Lake Trevallyn.

Most of the electorate was merged with the northern area of Macquarie to create the Electoral division of Paterson. The suburbs of West Launceston, Trevallyn were merged with the existing Cornwall to create the Rosevears. A small area became part of Windermere.