Situated three kilometres to the south-east of Launceston’s CBD, St Leonards is a sprawling suburb along the edge of Weavers Creek and Nunamara forest reserves. It’s a mix of residential homes and rural dwellings, equipped with its own schools and shops which provide an attractive alternative to inner city living.
The suburb’s main commercial hub clusters around the intersection of St Leonards Road and Station Road where the post office, milk bar and an old hotel are situated. St Leonards Primary School nestles just to the south, together with the Worldview Centre for Intercultural Studies. St Leonards Road meanders north-west along the North Esk River where the Northern Athletics Centre, St Leonards Croquet Club and the local veterinary hospital are situated. Abels Hill Road runs into the Tasman Highway which stretches north-east to Scottsdale, branching off onto small rural roads where large dwellings and farms are found.
Public bus services connect St Leonards with Launceston’s CBD, traversing both St Leonards Road and Station Road. Most of the commercial services are within easy walking distance, although car or bicycle is best for accessing the rural east and south of the suburb.
The first school to be established in St Leonards was the Pattersons Plains State School which opened its doors to six students in an old woollen mill in 1859. It changed its name to St Leonards Primary in 1866 when the town’s name was altered, and it was here that renowned Australian composer, Peter Sculthorpe, was educated.