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Twenty kilometres southeast of Launceston is EVANDALE , a National Trust-classified town from the 1830s, where the principal attractions are the Sunday market and various places serving good food. At the Evandale Tourism and History Centre , on High Street (daily 11am-3pm; tel 03/6391 8128), pick up a Heritage Walk brochure ($2.20). When it's closed, consult the map opposite the Ingleside Bakery, also on High Street, that points out notable features - many of the old buildings bear descriptive plaques. Solomon House (1836), on the corner of High and Russell streets, is a whitewashed two-storey brick building with a green tin roof, which operated as Clarendon Stores for about 130 years. The bakehouse at the rear once supplied the early settlers, though now it's an excellent tearoom. Another good place for refreshment is the Dalmeny Bookcafé & Gallery at 14 Russell St (closed Mon & Tues). The Clarendon Arms Hotel , on Russell Street (tel 03/6391 8181; $50-70), was built in 1847 on the site of the former convict station. Its interior walls are covered in murals depicting the early history of Tasmania; one shows the infamous bushranger Matthew Brady and his gang, and there are also portraits of the Aborigines King Billy and Truganini.

Further down Russell Street is the Evandale Market (Sun 10am-2pm), which attracts large crowds to its 140 stalls. A lot of local vegetable-growers -particularly those who grow organically - bring their produce here. You'll also find a flea market, and some food stalls that are rather exotic for Tasmania. Once a year, running over three days in late February, Evandale hosts the National Penny Farthing Championships as part of its Village Fair; the races using the old bikes are quite a sight. There's no public transport to Evandale.