The Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is the largest among the museums in Australia which are not located in the capital city. The Museum is administered by the Launceston City Council and receives funds from Tasmanian State Government. The largeness of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is equaled by its reputation for housing some fascinating exhibits, which pertain to Australian colonial art, contemporary craft and design, natural sciences and Tasmanian history. The Museum also has a Chinese Temple, a Planetarium and the Launceston Railway Workshops, which provides glimpses of Tasmania's nineteenth century industrial environs. The Chinese Temple was once used as a place of worship by the 19th century Chinese tin-miners.

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is situated at two different places- at Royal Park and at Inveresk, which was once the site of Launceston Railway Workshops. The Museum was originally opened at Royal Park in 1890. The acquisition of the site at Inveresk was motivated by its history and old architecture. Inveresk was once a railway yard with over 700 people as employees. It houses a huge Stone building, named after an engineer Edward Stone. As a railway yard, Inveresk developed from the production of tramways to steam engine and then to electric trains.

The Community History Centre contains many items which of immense worth to the history of Tasmania. Among the collection, especially interesting are the some of the costumes wore by the convicts in Tasmania. Visitors to the Centre can purchase a copy of these items.

Apart from collecting and conserving the priceless remnants of history, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery also conducts research on Tasmania's natural, historical and cultural heritage.

The admission to both the sites at Royal Park and Inveresk is free of charge and both the Museums open at 10 daily and close at 5.

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Mercure Hotel Launceston	B.w.abel Tasman Motor Inn Hotel
B.w.riverside Hotel	Mercure Earlington Hotel
Colonial on Elizabeth (Colonial Motor Inn)	Quest Hotel