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Australia: Launceston

Cataract Gorge, Launceston
Cataract Gorge is very close to Launceston

I had the number of Claire, the teacher whom I'd met at the end-of-festival party in Cygnet, jotted down in my book; she'd said she would be going to the folk festival in George Town, so when I got to Launceston I rang her and got invited to dinner. It was gorgeous: homemade quiche, eaten in the garden with all these amazingly right-on women who lived in the house, complete with a view of Launceston that took the breath away. Launceston – named after the town in Cornwall that also lies on a river called the Tamar – is built across a valley, and Claire's house is at the top of one side, so you can imagine the view.