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The north of Tasmania is rich and settled agricultural country, and the fertile soil of the Tamar Valley in particular made this a prosperous area during the early colonial period. Launceston quickly grew as a port and city, 30km inland at the confluence of the Tamar and the North and South Esk rivers; gracious early houses and well-preserved villages are still found around the area. Also settled early, due to its fine and open land, was the mostly flat, gently undulating midlands area between Launceston and Hobart; the Midland Highway more or less follows the old coaching route between the two cities. With its stone walls, hedgerows, haystacks and small villages and towns, this rural stretch from the Tamar Valley to Hobart is softly appealing but not particularly exciting. In contrast, the area around Deloraine , 45km west of Launceston, is spectacular: the early colonial town is surrounded by rich farmland and dramatically located in hilly country below the crest of the Great Western Tiers - a mecca for bushwalkers. From Deloraine, the Lake Highway heads steeply south up over the Western Tiers and on to the Central Plateau , a sparsely populated lake-filled region dominated by the Great Lake and its shambolic fishing shacks. Lying off the northern coast, in Bass Strait, are two islands worth visiting for their bushwalks and historic associations: Flinders Island in the northeast, largest of the Furneaux Islands, and King Island to the far northwest, part of the Hunter Island group. Both are reached by plane only, with flights from Victoria or Tasmania.
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