Grab Your Rug: The Best Picnic Spots in Launceston & Surrounds

As the weather warms up and the sun shines a little brighter, there’s never been a better time to head to the market, stock up on nibbles and find a comfy spot for an alfresco feast!

Rally your friends, your family, or your partner, or take yourself on a solo date in the great outdoors and relax in the best picnic spots in Launceston and surrounds.

St Leonards Picnic Ground

On the banks of the North Esk, St Leonards Picnic Ground is an easy, riverside exhale: broad lawns, shady trees and the gentle hush of water sliding by. Unpack a basket at a picnic table, fire up the BBQs, then let the kids roam between the play equipment while the dog tears happily around the fenced off-leash area. Fisher in the crew? There’s river access for a quiet cast (licence required). Simple, calm and close to town — an effortless day out.

77-81 Station Road, St Leonards

Hiscutt Park

A coastal picnic dream with storybook charm, Hiscutt Park pairs sweeping lawns and shady trees with a serene creek where ducks idle past. Kids make a beeline for the playground while grown-ups claim a sheltered table and fire up the electric BBQs. The scene-stealer is the little Dutch windmill — a 1988 Bicentennial gift from Tasmania’s Dutch community — giving the park its whimsical heart. Easy, pretty and made for unhurried afternoons, it’s a day-trip gem an hour and twenty minutes from Launceston.

35 Crescent Street, Penguin 

Royal Park

A riverside classic made for laid-back picnics. Sprawl on lush lawns beneath mature trees, graze on local treats, then wander the boardwalks. With a playground, skate park and barbecues, it works for everyone. Cap it with culture at the neighbouring Queen Victoria Art Gallery — an easy finish to a perfect city-day out.

Royal Park, Launceston

Woolmers Estate

Longford’s heritage jewel pairs rose-scented gardens and sweeping lawns with a deep sense of Tasmanian history. Explore the famed rose garden and storied outbuildings — home to Australia’s oldest intact woolshed — before settling in for a slow picnic among views that feel timeless.

658 Woolmers Lane, Longford 

City Park

Launceston’s 1820s showpiece delivers wide lawns, shady pockets and plenty of family appeal—playground, duck pond, cafés and clean amenities. The curveball? A Japanese macaque enclosure, gifted by sister city Ikeda in the 1980s, which kids (and grown-ups) adore. Photo ops abound; picnic spots are everywhere. It’s not just beloved locally, either — City Park is rated among Australia’s top 10 parks, a status you’ll understand the moment you spread a blanket beneath those generous trees.

45-55 Tamar Street, Launceston 

Cataract Gorge

Fifteen minutes from the CBD and a world away, Cataract Gorge delivers scale and stillness in the same breath. Carved over some 65 million years, the river reserve runs for five kilometres, folding cliffs, lawns and water into a setting that feels almost otherworldly. Spread a blanket by the pool precinct on lush green grass, or follow easy trails to quiet pockets where the only soundtrack is birdsong and river rush. Even at summer’s peak, calm holds. For a picnic in Launceston with presence — this is the place.

74-90 Basin Road, West Launceston

Deloraine Train Park

In postcard-pretty Deloraine, this railside reserve turns a simple picnic into a small adventure. A heritage steam engine steals the show for little conductors and train buffs, while wide green lawns, a breezy playground and long countryside views set an unhurried rhythm. Find a sunny patch by the river, share your sandwich with the resident ducks, and watch the water slip past — pure country calm within easy reach of Launceston.

Bring a basket, bring friends, bring time. The combination of open space, fresh air and gentle nostalgia is irresistible, and exactly what a day out should feel like.

West Parade, Delorainde

Riverbend Park

On the Tamar River, Riverbend Park turns a family picnic into a full-day adventure. Wide lawns and shaded tables meet barbecue shelters and river views, while four play zones — including River Play and Gorge Play — keep little legs racing. Brave the Sky Walk and the vast ‘confluence net’, among Australia’s largest play structures, then cool off at water play or try a game of table tennis. Clean amenities, an all-abilities design and a calm, open setting make it an easy, joyful choice.

81 Lindsay Street, Invermay

Princes Square

In the heart of Launceston, Princes Square feels like a pause button pressed on the day. Emerald lawns unfurl around a stately Victorian fountain, trees cast generous shade, and the soundtrack is part birdsong, part soft city hush. Unroll a blanket, unpack good cheese and fruit, watch sunlight skip across the water and time soften at the edges. It’s the kind of city garden that turns an hour into an afternoon — simple, serene, quietly beautiful.

Sitchu Tip: Stroll to Havilah afterwards for a glass of wine.

Elizabeth Street, Launceston

Punchbowl Reserve

Creekside calm, shady gums and wide green lawns make Punchbowl Reserve an easy yes for a long, lazy picnic. In this bushland pocket you’ll find kid-friendly walking trails, a duck pond, shaded BBQ shelters, a playground and clean facilities—plus spring rhododendron displays that light up the lawns. Spread a blanket by the water, wander the loop track, then let the afternoon idle by under the trees. Dogs are welcome on lead (not within 10 m of the playground).

102-134 Punchbowl Road, Punchbowl

Tamar Islands Wetlands Centre

Ten minutes from Launceston, the Tamar Island Wetlands Centre is a calm escape made for unhurried picnics. A gentle 500-metre boardwalk leads to a quiet bird hide where swans, herons and marsh birds animate the reeds. Pause at the interpretation centre to deepen the story of this tidal landscape, then find a table or a shady patch along the trail. Wheelchair-friendly paths, scattered picnic spots and big-sky views make it easy. Bring simple provisions, watch the light shift over the water, and let the hush do the rest.

West Tamar Highway, Riverside 

If you loved our edit of the best picnic spots in Launceston, there’s more where that came from! Live like a local in the know and visit the best cafes and restaurants in town.