Hi, and welcome to my blog, where I document my life as a photographer, writer, partner, and Papa. If you’ve been playing along at home, you may have seen on socials that I recently travelled to Tasmania with my partner, The Doctor. As it turns out, The Doc and I both have family roots in Tasmania, especially around Launceston. My mum’s family hail from the northern parts of Tasmania, while The Doc’s family still live in Launceston. So on this trip, we spent the first few days catching up with family and just hanging out to catch up on everything that’s been happening since our last trip. You want to know who else is from Launceston? My mate Bruce Moyle, who is a fine-art photographer, videographer, tech guru, and all-around amazing human being. And he proved to be a walking Launceston tour guide, with extensive local knowledge and community involvement. We got to spend a gorgeous sunny Launceston morning drinking good coffee and wandering around Launceston. Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities, having been founded by European colonisers in 1806. And while Launceston’s architecture paints a fascinating picture of the city’s 200+ years, there’s plenty of cool new stuff to explore, too!

I met up with Bruce in the heart of Launceston’s CBD on a sunny yet crisp morning for some good coffee and a streetwalk. Bruce and I have known each other for a couple of years now, as we spent time together at the Bright Festival of Photography (BFOP). Plus, Bruce has been both a guest and a regular co-host and contributor to The Camera Life Podcast, which I co-host with the team from Lucky Straps. So after we enjoyed our coffee, we headed out into the gorgeous morning light and near-vacant Launnie streets for some photography and exploration. As for my gear, I only took my Fujifilm X-E5 and a single lens. It’s my go-to street kit. The Fujinon XF 23mm F1.4 R LM WR proved to be a perfect travel lens, especially when photographing exterior and interior architecture. I carried the X-E5 and 23mm prime combo on the Lucky Straps Slim 30 Leather Camera Strap.

I was immediately taken aback by the amount of impressive, purposeful, and large-scale street art and murals we discovered on our walk. Being a big-city kid, I see street art and murals all over Melbourne, but I hadn’t expected Launceston to show such a big flex and such love for the medium. The sides of whole buildings were skillfully painted with masterful murals that made you stop in your tracks and marvel at the scale. Bruce and I walked and talked as we made our way through the city and into the gorgeous Launceston City Park. City Park is home to meandering pathways, a Japanese Macaque Enclosure, and the John Hall Conservatory. Yes, you read that correctly. Launceston has its own mini-zoo exclusively for the Japanese Macaques. Launceston has been a sister city of Ikeda, Japan, since 1965. Launceston has three other formal sister cities, including Napa (United States), Taiyuan (China), and Putian (China). Bruce and I bypassed the Macaque exhibit (I returned later with The Doc) and headed out of the park onto the University of Tasmania grounds.

Bruce holds a position at the uni as the media and content guru. We took our time exploring the mix of buildings on the South and North sides of the Esk River. The campus felt massive, and the mix of new and old architecture painted a story of honouring what was and celebrating modern architecture in meaningful ways. Bruce once again was a faithful guide as he detailed the history and complexity of the spaces, buildings, and people who made the university a world-class educational institution it is today. Photographing architecture is something I am always keen to do, but what made this occasion special was having Bruce’s insider knowledge. It’s fair to say that my respect and appreciation for the man doubled after having spent a couple of hours with him. And I am grateful for that opportunity to get to know Bruce more.

As the sun strove to reach its zenith, our morning together came to an end – Bruce had a day job to get to. Before we said our farewells, the Doctor and her dad joined us for a quick tour of the impressive Shed building, which houses state-of-the-art facilities and jaw-dropping interior architecture. The Doc also works for a university here in Melbourne, so she was especially interested in checking out the Tas Uni space. We said our goodbyes to Bruce before making our way back through City Park and spending time marvelling at the Japanese Macaques and the gorgeous gardens. Fun fact: apparently, the Launceston Macaque population are riddled with Herpes. We all have checkered pasts! I had an amazing morning hanging out with Bruce and chasing the light. Launceston’s architecture and environment never cease to amaze me, and most of my images from that walk are of the city’s architecture. The Doc and I spent two nights in Launceston, mostly catching up with family, before we jumped on the bus and headed further south to Hobart. But more on that, and our day at MONA, in a future blog. Be safe. G