Settled by Europeans in March 1806, Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities.
Like many Australian places, it was named after a town in the UK – in this case Launceston in Cornwall. Known for its large selection of nineteenth century buildings, Lonnie, as the locals call it, is the retail hub and regional centre of northern Tasmania.
The town’s streetscapes are well preserved and the shopfronts speak of bygone eras. Behind the beautiful facades, a collection of equally interesting shops can be found.
Apart from the two big malls, the Brisbane Street Mall and the Quadrant Mall, there is an extensive variety of individual fashion stores dotted around town. Not surprisingly locals describe the offer of Tassie’s second largest city to be as intimate and quirky as the town itself. Despite the current economic climate, there still seems to be room for new boutiques such as the recently opened Belle Boutique.
“I saw a market for nice cocktail dresses and just gave it a go,” says Belle’s owner about her decision to open another womenswear shop. She might actually have backed the right horse, as other boutiques such as Catherine’s, stocking brands like Henri Josef, Areo, Mixit, Morti, Stitches, Relaunch, Black Apple and Seventh, prove that dressing up seems to be popular with the locals.
“Eveningwear is definitely our bestseller at the moment,” Chenoa Boutique shop assistant Jill James says. With a mixture of daywear and eveningwear from Australian labels such as Mr K, Paco and Scope and a few European ones like Marc O’Polo, Chenoa is one of the boutiques luring customers from all over Tasmania to this picturesque town in the Tamar Valley.
“We have some customers coming from Hobart, telling us that the eveningwear offer in Launceston is much better here,” James says. Dresses at Chenoa Boutique retail from $150 and, according to James, “the customers are looking for good fits and good quality. Something you can wear more than once.”
With retail the second largest industry in town after health and social care, and a surging number of tourists each year, the future for Lonnie seems bright. And why not? Flaunting fancy dresses on the beautifully preserved streets and in the extensive parklands of Tasmania’s Garden City seems only fitting.
Carolin Severin
LOWDOWN
Location: 200 km north of HobartPopulation: 65,000
Brands: Henri Josef, Areo, Mixit, Morti, Stitches, Relaunch, Black Apple, Seventh, Mr K, Paco, Scope, Marc O’Polo