Wallaby Walkabout Tours

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Launceston, TAS
Wallaby Walkabout Tours

Hello, my name is Geoff and I provide history walking discovery tours of Launceston and explorations of the Cataract Gorge taking you where others will not.

With over 53 years lived experience in Launceston I provide that truly local experience.

12/10/2026

One of my mottos is that an open door is an invitation to explore...and explore we did! I won't tell you what building in Launceston we managed to get such great access to but it certainly surprised me as to what's in it!

I look forward to seeing what you come up with as to which building you think, or know, we explored 😁

07/10/2026

Ahh, blessed are the hut makers as their echidna shall have a home. I never cease to be amazed at the imagination and creativity of kids of all ages when they are part of the amazing and educational experiences/activities I provide! Today it was a great bunch of kids doing vacation care at the First Basin and we did a range of fun things, plus a bit of learning about Tasmanian Aboriginal histories and cultures along the way!

As a professional educator and knowledge sharer I do find it perturbing that there are some out there pretending that they know about the Cataract Gorge or believing that a cultural experience is showing how throw a spear or a boomerang, or playing a didgeridoo/yidaki. That is superficial and misleading as Tasmanian Aboriginal people had no returning boomerang and certainly no didgeridoo/yidaki!

What I provide is a fully immersive experience of our iconic Cataract Gorge and my knowledge is second to none!

03/10/2026

It's great to see the old Courthouse Hotel has been given a fantastic new paint job! It dates back to 1841 and was originally the Kangaroo Inn. However, the actual original Kangaroo Inn was a bit further down Wellington St and the small brick building still exists. It has a pretty amazing history too...and I'll cover that soon.

This building was so named the Courthouse as diagonally across the road (the old TAFE building) was the Magistrates Court. Local legend has it that there was a tunnel connecting both buildings, but that's all it is; a myth. There's nothing to substantiate the story at all and it appears to have originated due to the hotel's toilets having bars over windows. That was to keep people from breaking in!

30/09/2026

It has been an absolute pleasure to have hosted the staff of the Launceston City Council on my acclaimed journey through Ye Olde Launceston over the past two weeks! The feedback has been phenomenally great and all were amazed at the depth of knowledge and entertaining stories I shared with them.

What sets me apart from others is not just the unmatched depth of historical knowledge I have but also my stories of pivotal characters and knowing the amazing diversity of architecture styles and eras they traverse. And, of course, the architects themselves.

28/09/2026

What an amazing and awesome day hosting participants in Launceston for the Australian Transplant Games and I set a new record for how many people I have had at one time. Today there were over 60 people so I had to use my portable voice amplifier to start with.

After my introduction to country for the whole group the participants had the option of joining the wonderful Cataract Gorge Scenic Chairlift's Jo Larter on a walk to the Picnic Grounds or coming with me on a walk up to Giant's Grave.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly and fantastically positive for both of the experiences we provided. And I think I set another record of how many people I have taken to Giant's Grave...it was over 40 👍🙂

27/09/2026

I take great pride and satisfaction from being as historically and factually accurate as I can be. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about others. According to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) it was September 26th 1826 when two Aboriginal men, Dick and Jack, were executed in Hobart and they held events to highlight, and commemorate, the injustice of that. Which it clearly was.

However, the TAC got the date wrong. Dick and Jack were hanged, along with 5 others, on Wednesday 13th September and that was reported in the Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser on Friday, September 15th 1826. Historical accuracy certainly isn't one of the TAC's 'strengths'. They get so much wrong it isn't funny.

Source: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2448477/679145

26/09/2026

When in Launceston the saying goes you need to look up in order to take in many of the architectural gems our amazing city has. However, looking down can provide some invaluable glimpses into the history too!

This selection may take many of you back in time to some of the now former businesses and iconic establishment. Please share your memories of them ☺️

25/09/2026

Not a bad view from my office this afternoon! I was at Brady's Lookout as part of Larmenier Catholic School Grade 5s and their history excursion looking at the colonisation of the Tamar/Kanamaluka Valley. One of the great activities I provided was 'Make a settlement' using various resources.

Of course, I also included Tasmanian Aboriginal histories and cultures content/activities and in particular the story of the North Midlands Nation Black War chief and warrior, Moleteheelaggenner (aka Eumerrah. He is one of many forgotten Tasmanian Aboriginal Black War warriors.

It is notable that there are things named after 'white' criminals and murderous pedophiles but ignore significant Tasmanian Aboriginal people. I shall leave you to ponder that one.

23/09/2026

Launceston has so much wonderful laneway/street art and I hadn't noticed this delightful gem until yesterday. It does make one yearn for those ice cream days of the warmer weather times that can be so fantastic in Launceston 🫠

It also reminded me of when Launceston had a Peters Ice Cream factory that was established in 1954 on 12 acres of land along Talbot Rd. At its height of production days it employed around 160 people. I recall going there as a Cub Scout and doing a tour of the factory in probably 1977. Hard to believe that is almost 50 years ago!

Ahh, Peters Ice Cream, the health food of a nation 😄

21/09/2026

After so long with nothing happening at the former Birchalls building it looks like its transformation is starting! Birchalls was not only an iconic Launceston business it also had some amazing history.

Most notably the paper note pad with tear off strips was a Birchalls' invention! Before that people had to buy separate sheets of paper. Birchalls was also quite unique as they let people read magazines and put them back. The rationale being they would most likely buy something while at the store. Invariably they were right 🙂

I have many personal connections to Birchalls and I am looking forward to seeing the building forge new chapters as part of its ongoing history!

Address

Prince's Square
Launceston, TAS
7250

Website

http://launcestonwalkingtours.com.au/

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