The next day we left Cradle Mountain for our last stop in Tasmania – Launceston.
On the outskirts of Launceston is an area called Youngtown where the National Trust of Australia have a site, called Franklin House.
Franklin House was built in 1838 by a former convict Britten Jones – an innkeeper and brewer – as a gentlemen’s residence next to a small farm. The house was built in a neo-classical Greek revival style using convict labour and the farm was recorded as having pigs, sheep, fowl, a cow and a horse for Britten Jones to ride.
Britten Jones leased the house in the 1840s to various tenants and in 1842 it was leased to, and eventually bought by, George Keeler Hawkes, a schoolmaster who set up a Classical and Commercial School, known as ‘Mr Hawkes Academy’. The school became one of the leading educational establishments in the colony and charged 45 guineas a year for full board and tuition fees (approximately just under seven thousand pounds today). School hours were long and, apparently, Hawkes was a hard taskmaster and was not adverse to using the cane on his charges. The school closed in 1866 when Hawkes was then elected to be a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council.
In the 1850s seeds arrived from England and the flower garden was planted, including snapdragons, stocks, pansies, hollyhocks and sunflowers. The gardens are still there today and were a pleasant place to stroll around after visiting the house.
Hawkes died in 1882 and his wife lived in the house until her death in 1886. Then his sister lived there until her death in 1888. After that the house was owned by three families until in 1945 it was purchased by Thomas Poole and his family who lived there until it was sold in 1960 to the newly formed National Trust in Tasmania for £5,000. They renamed the house after the nearby Franklin village that had been engulfed by the expansion of Launceston.
After Franklin House we drove further into Launceston that sits on both sides of the Cataract Gorge Reserve.
There are many walking/bike trails around the Gorge area and a Gorge Scenic Chairlift. Apparently the Tasmanian Tiger once roamed areas like this.
The Gorge was a very popular destination with local people particularly with the nice weather on the day we visited. There was also some wildlife in the Gorge.
This was our last day in Tasmania as we fly back to the mainland tomorrow to explore Melbourne. Tasmania is definitely worth visiting with its history and wildlife as part of any trip to the Australian continent.
Copyright: Words and photos (except garden map of Franklin House) John Cruse 2025