The ultimate aussie town

[Kainas]

What would be your choice for the ultimate aussie town....from a bushwalkers perspective, and what would be the requirements for that town?

[Kainas]

For me, the requirements would be:
- large township 8000+ (for convenience of shops/coffee/community)
- not a city (for speedy getting around the place)
- within 1hour of some good camping/hiking spots
- mountainous rather than coastal
- 1 - 2 hours from a major city.



Perhaps:
- Somewhere in the snowies...Cooma/Jindabyne (thought not exactly large places)?
- Perth?
- Gloucester (near the Barringtons)

[Taurë-rana]

I know it's not quite a small town, but Hobart fits the rest of the bill pretty well. Living in Devonport I really miss being able to get into the mountains as quickly as I could from Hobart.

[tasadam]

Not thinking about moving, are ya?
It's been a long standing rule that people that visit Tasmania are sworn to silence when they return to the big island, not to let on how GOOD it is down here.
Thinking about what you ask in this topic makes me think about where I live now, and I don't think I could be happier.
OK, view from my house.
Weather here is pretty good compared to many other areas of the state.
Dove Lake carpark is a 1 hour drive. Walls, Arm River track and areas around here about 1 and a half hours.
Two things I would change? End the raping of the forests that goes on, and move some of the areas down south a bit closer (or install a teleporter so I can get there quicker).

[the_camera_poser]

Sheffield or Mole Creek. Or Deloraine at the furthest. We can get to Cradle or the Walls on short notice, not to mention all the other walks around here, including coastal stuff. And we're 1 hour to the Launceston Airport and 30 minutes to the ferry. AND we live at the foot of Mt Roland, which keeps us inspired.

From here we're sooo close to everything.

Bright is pretty good too- sitting between Mt Buffalo and the High Plains, but too fire ravaged.

[north-north-west]

Perhaps:
- Somewhere in the snowies...Cooma/Jindabyne (thought not exactly large places)?
- Perth?
- Gloucester (near the Barringtons)

Jindy would be the go for me, mainland-wise. The Snowys are close, Barry Way goes right through town, and Canberra's only a couple of hours up the road.
And somewhere within spitting distance of Deloraine when I move back down to Tassie ('cause there's a place there that does the best hot chips I've had for years), unless I can get enough money to buy the old brothel at Castle Forbes Bay.

[BarryJ]

Pretty happy with Hobart. Not big enough to seriously qualify as a "big" city and close enough to all the places I want to spend my leisure time in.

[Kainas]

Not thinking about moving, are ya?

Actually we have been talking about actually buying ourselves a house. It has got me thinking about how we don't have any ties to the area we are in, and got me wondering about broadening my scope. I mean, imagine having the choice to move anywhere in Australia....where would you go...what do you look for in your ultimate home town? Kind of a fun thought.

[tasadam]

Not thinking about moving, are ya?

Actually we have been talking about actually buying ourselves a house. It has got me thinking about how we don't have any ties to the area we are in, and got me wondering about broadening my scope. I mean, imagine having the choice to move anywhere in Australia....where would you go...what do you look for in your ultimate home town? Kind of a fun thought.

More wind for sailing down this way...

[the_camera_poser]

We did have a choice of anywhere in Australia, and we chose here. Tassie's a good place, if you're in the right frame of mind.

[north-north-west]

. I mean, imagine having the choice to move anywhere in Australia....where would you go...what do you look for in your ultimate home town?

Darwin. The Alice. Esperance or Albany. Bowen. Mullumbimby or Uki. Jindy or Eden. Mount Gambier. Tassie (almost anywhere except Burnie or Launceston but preferably near Deloraine).
Geee, I only need eight homes to keep me happy . . .

[Taurë-rana]

We spent a couple of years travelling Australia and asked the same question, and ended up back in Tassie. I might be tempted to go to New Zealand though...

[johnw]

Thinking aloud...

In Tasmania (no particular order):

Deloraine
Devonport
Sheffield
Latrobe
Hobart (outer parts eg Ferntree)
Maybe New Norfolk
I also like Mole Creek but not much in the way of facilities. Fantastic bistro meals in the pub though when I ate there a couple of years ago.

In NSW:

Snowy Mtns region

Jindabyne - Yes, well placed. Not real big but probably enough there. We've semi-regularly stayed there a week or so each Christmas period from about 2000-2006. Quick/easy access to the main range and Thredbo areas for walking in summer. Crowds of skiers and snowboarders would make it a bugger in winter though I think.

Cooma - Yes. Much bigger town, more facilities but getting a bit further away from most of the montane bushwalking action. Also overpopulated in winter.

Blue Mountains region west of Sydney (not quite far enough away from the rat race IMHO but not too bad, about 1.5 - 2 hours transport-wise):

Katoomba - Plenty of facilities and central to a stack of bushwalking locations eg Jamison, Kedumba, Kanimbla, Megalong valleys, through access to Wild Dog Mountains, Kanangra and so on.

Blackheath - Near Katoomba but smaller. Similar access to plenty of walking; almost on top of the Grose Wilderness, quick access to southern parts of Wollemi NP, Wollangambe Wilderness.

A bit more remote:
Lithgow - First major town west of Katoomba. For walking; close to Wollemi NP, Wolgan and Capertee Valleys etc.

In VIC:

Bright - Yes, but same issue as Jindabyne re winter crowds.
Beechworth might be another option not too far away.

[wanderer]

I'm with the vote winner so far, Deloraine has everything going for it.
Good food, coffee, beer and location to heaps of walks, from 1 days
to you name it.

[Phil]

I'm more than happy with my hometown.........born and breed in Launceston! Personally, I'd never leave the place, it's a great size (still feels a bit like a small town whilst having everything you need in a city.....that could be argued though!), we have some excellent coffee, dining, shops and services. I jog through the cataract gorge (I never get bored by the beauty and location of that place) and up to theduck reach power station once or twice a week and am able to ride my bike to work a couple of days a week also.

You could argue that it's a bit further away from some of the walks but within an hour there's heaps to do (Ben Lomond, Quamby Bluff, Mt Roland, Drys Bluff/Liffey, Mt Arthur, Meander Falls/Mother Cumming Peaks etc) and after a couple of hours in the car you're at Cradle or the Walls, Freycinet Peninsula/East Coast and you've also made it to Hobart in that time.......a bit longer to get to some of the SW walks unfortunately which I haven't gotten to yet in my brief bush walking lifetime. And in the scheme of the whole state, Launceston is as central as it gets.

Anyway........that's my 2 bobs worth!

[tasadam]

Where is "good" coffee in Deloraine??

[sthughes]

Ulverstone has to be the spot. Just big enough to have all the Supermarkets, clubs and necessary shops, but small enough to still be nice and sorta personal. Very short drive to good mountains, shortish drive to awesome ones, has a river for kayaking, a few nice beaches for swimming and playing in the surf. Yacht club for sailing. Only a short drive (on a top notch road) to Devonport or Burnie.

I like the scenic location of Tulla as well - shame the actual town part isn't bigger (like Ulverstone!). Oh and it rains all the time.

Hobart would be nice too if it was a smaller town - perhaps I'm a bit allergic to anything called a city
Deloraine, Sheffield - nice but too far from a beach.
Launceston - very nice (and central) apart from the cold foggy/smoggy winter and the hot still summer days. Oh and where's the beach?
Latrobe - I've lived there - are you kidding?

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[the_camera_poser]

That's not banjos you hear in Sheffield.

Well...maybe it's a guitar and a banjo, sort of duelling......

[tas-man]

<SNIP>
Launceston - very nice (and central) apart from the cold foggy/smoggy winter and the hot still summer days. Oh and where's the beach?

Mt vote is for Launceston, as 15 years ago we moved here from Brisbane to get away from the big city "rat race" and found a spot well above the 100m winter fog line that is all of 10 minutes drive from the town centre. . . . and who needs a beach when the magnificent Cataract Gorge and First Basin are fantastic family friendly picnic and swimming areas . . . and only ten minutes walk from the CBD.

Launceston's First Basin in summer.

Post Office tower and CBD from Cataract Gorge.

Five minutes walk from Launceston CBD to this!

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[sthughes]

who needs a beach when the magnificent Cataract Gorge and First Basin are fantastic family friendly picnic and swimming areas

But there's no sand and definitely no surf!

Approaching Launceston from the sunny North West Coast.

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No really i'ts a nice spot most of the time, just a shame you need to see the bank manager before you can afford to park at the Gorge. It's a wonder none of you Launceston lovers have mentioned the Trevallyn dam, thats a pretty good spot for a paddle, water ski, sail etc.

Did I mention Ulverstone has free parking?

[MJD]

Now that's a nice view of Launceston

[north-north-west]

It would be if taken through the rear window.

[flyfisher]

Launceston is close to some of our best stream fishing too!
f

[johnw]

Latrobe - I've lived there - are you kidding?

"Why is everybody so unkind?" - Kamahl
Well it actually isn't my first choice; I'm happy to defer to your greater experience on the subject . I must admit though I like to rummage through antique shops and the like, and have wandered around there a few times, so might be biased. And that chocolate place is just down the road .

[E.G.]

Launceston, got to love the wood smoke! The nearest good surf beach is somewhere in southern New South Wales. Have a good look at Deloraine, there is good food and good coffee and it is close to good walking too. Mole Creek is cute but a bit small, as is Tullah. Rosebery is quite a surprise, worth a closer look. Queenstown is good but see it before it turns into another Strahan.

But home is always the nicest place.

[iandsmith]

See, that's what happens when you ask Tasmanians a question like that, they all vote for Tassie......well, most anyway.
So, I thought I'd throw in a few curly ones, bearing in mind I'm not sure whether visiting or living is the requirement.
Bothwell: Nice history, Australia's oldest golf course, quirky shops and the best value caravan park anywhere.....well, except for Glen Davis that is.
At $15 a night per vehicle you get toilets, showers and a laundry. Also on site are tennis court and there's a cemetery next door so no noise during the night.....though there could be apparitions!
Here's some places on the mainland you might like to check out - Broken Hill: What a place; I've visited four time and loved it every time. The art is spectacular, it never snows and there's plenty of history.
Comboyne: Waterfall capital of Australia...mind you, you need to get to know the locals to find some of them but there's literally hundreds. The scenery is simply some of the most gorgeous in Australia and I defy anywhere to come up with more walks in a given area.
Beechworth, Bendigo, Ballarat: Wonderful history, wonderful architecture, wonderful towns, don't miss them.
Armidale: Best visited in autumn when the colour is spectacular. All the amenities, plus architecture and access to arguably Australia's biggest canyons (try Wollomombi, Gara Gorge, Dangars Falls, Tia Falls, Apsley etc.).
Albany: Good history, wonderful scenery, spectacular ocean vistas, one of Australia's best museums.
Gloucester: I agree with the other writer who mentioned it - access to some of Australia's finest walks. My entry in this month's photo competition was taken up there and I included it because it's just been opened again after 12 months' closure due to a road collapse.
Of course, for living, there already is a number one. Remember when they did a survey around the world to find the most liveable city and Melbourne came either first or second and Sydney a little further back. Someone then had the wonderful idea to apply the same survey to ALL Australian cities.
The winner shocked everyone except those who live there, it was our little secret. The only city with beaches at the end of the main street, pollution levels very low (despite what people thought), 15 minutes to the edge of town, Australia's largest salt water lake (with water in it!) just south, vineyards 1 hour away, Port Stephens just 30 minutes north and some fo the best bushwalking anywhere within 1-2 hours. Don't know where it is. Tough, it's still a bit of a secret.
P.S. Tassie - I admit to being a bit of a Hobart fan

Rainbow on Australia's largest salt water lake

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[north-north-west]

Broken Hill: What a place; I've visited four time and loved it every time. The art is spectacular, it never snows and there's plenty of history.

Oh yes. Fell in love with it at first sight. And you can get a real steak there, blooming cheap. Can be freezing at night, but. Not too far from Lake Mungo, either.

Armidale: Best visited in autumn when the colour is spectacular. All the amenities, plus architecture and access to arguably Australia's biggest canyons (try Wollomombi, Gara Gorge, Dangars Falls, Tia Falls, Apsley etc.).

Armidale itself I can take or leave. But Wollomombi is superb.

Albany: Good history, wonderful scenery, spectacular ocean vistas, one of Australia's best museums.

OI, sunshine - I said it first!
Plus there's the Bibbulman Track, King George's Sound, the War Memorial, the Whaling Station and some pretty decent diving.

[E.G.]

The Steel City, 'Our Town'? Home to shopping centres, congestion, some of the most appalling suburban spawl and architecture around and drivers with a truly aggressive attitude to merging. Great surroundings pity about the city. Certainly a surprise to me to rate it so highly.