First Basin
Pool and lawns.
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Cataract Gorge is a river gorge in Launceston, Tasmania, about 1.5 km from the city centre. It lies on the lower section of the South Esk River, is one of the region's premier attractions and is listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register. The earliest known European visitor was William Collins, who found its entrance in 1804. In the 1890s volunteers built a path along the north bank known as the King's Bridge-Cataract Walk, and the old toll house where walkers once paid still stands near its entrance. About 2.5 km into the gorge stands the Duck Reach Power Station, the first publicly owned hydroelectric station in Australia, completed in 1895 and now a museum. Steep, wooded rock walls drop to the river, which runs over dolerite rock in white rapids. On the southern side the gorge opens into a calm pool called the First Basin, surrounded by green lawns and trees. The First Basin has a swimming pool, two cafés, an inclinator and a chairlift that is the longest single-span chairlift in the world, with a longest span of 308 metres. A suspension bridge built in 1904 crosses the gorge, and paths link both banks. You can walk there from the city centre.
Pool and lawns.
A long single span.
Since 1904.
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Yes, the gorge is close to the centre.
Yes, a pool at the First Basin.