Our Story

Where It All Began

In 1989, Mark Brown opened a small travel agency on Brisbane Street in Launceston with a simple belief: that people deserve more than a brochure and a booking confirmation. They deserve someone who knows the world, knows their name, and picks up the phone when things go wrong.

That belief hasn't changed in over 35 years.

Today, Launceston Travel & Cruise Centre is Northern Tasmania's longest-running locally owned travel agency — and still run by the Brown family. Mark's sons Andrew and Baden now lead the business, carrying forward not just a name, but a way of doing things that no online platform can replicate.

A Home with History

Our office has its own story to tell.

We've called Holyman House home for more than 30 years. Built in 1936 and 1937 by the legendary J&T Gunn and designed by architect Roy Sharrington Smith, the building was the headquarters of W. Holyman & Sons — the Tasmanian shipping and aviation dynasty that helped connect this island to the world. Its curved Art Deco facade, neon-lit spire, and red granite ground floor from Coles Bay make it one of Launceston's most distinctive landmarks.

The building later became the home of Australian National Airways and, after 1957, Ansett Airlines — keeping its connection to the world of travel alive for decades. When Ansett relocated in 1998, a travel agency was already well established on the ground floor. That was us.

There's something fitting about a family travel business that has put down roots in a building that has always been about going places. The Holyman family helped Tasmania connect with the world. We've spent over three decades doing the same for Launceston's travellers.

The Man Who Started It All

Mark Brown's path to founding LTCC is one of the great Launceston stories.

Educated at Launceston Grammar School, Mark began his career at Ritchie & Parker, one of Launceston's most respected law firms, in 1966. In 1969 he was conscripted for National Service, and served with the Australian Army in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971.

On returning home, Mark joined Ansett Airlines in Launceston in 1972 — and spent the next 17 years building deep expertise in the world of travel. He was based, in part, at Holyman House on Brisbane Street: the very same Art Deco landmark that would later become the permanent home of his own agency.

In 1989, after nearly two decades with Ansett, Mark took everything he knew about travel and built something of his own. Launceston Travel & Cruise Centre opened its doors — and for the next 30 years, he ran it with the same discipline, care, and personal service that had defined his entire career.

The Second Generation

Andrew and Baden grew up watching their father build something remarkable from the ground up. When the time came, they didn't just inherit a business — they continued a legacy.

Andrew joined the travel industry in 1999, bringing fresh energy and a genuine love of diversity in destinations — from the backstreets of India to the waterways of Vietnam, to the familiarity of the United Kingdom. Baden followed with a tertiary qualification in tourism and has travelled extensively. Highlights include holidays in the Portuguese islands of the Azores, the island of Ischia in Italy, Croatia, France, Italy, Canada, and the Galápagos Islands. And locally, swimming with whale sharks, Dugongs and Manta Rays on Dirk Hartog Island.

They rebuilt it around the same values their father established — personal service, expert knowledge, and the understanding that a holiday is one of the most important things a family plans all year.

"We've seen it all," Andrew has said. "Pilot strikes, volcanoes, everything. You learn that what clients really need isn't just a booking — they need to know someone has their back."

A Team That Has Travelled the World

Andrew and Baden are supported by Philip Overton, a senior consultant who previously worked with Tourism Tasmania and whose recent travels include India and a river cruise from Nuremberg to Budapest through Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Together, the team's personal experience spans five continents. That's not incidental — it's the foundation of every recommendation we make.

Our staff are consistently recognised as some of the highest-performing consultants in Australia across major touring and holiday brands, including Insight Vacations, Scenic, APT Touring, and Qantas Holidays.

We are proud members of Helloworld Travel - one of Australia’s largest travel networks.

Here When It Counts

We've guided clients through the September 11 grounding of all flights. The Icelandic volcanic eruption that shut down European airspace. Pandemic-era border closures that changed the rules daily. Natural disasters. Missed connections. Medical emergencies abroad.

In every case, a client had one advantage that online bookers didn't: a direct line to people who know them, know their itinerary, and know who to call.

That's what after-hours assistance means to us. Every client who books with us receives our direct mobile numbers — so that when something goes wrong at midnight in Singapore or Rome, they're calling a person who knows them, knows their booking, and knows who to contact. No hold queues. No chatbots. Just us.

Part of the Launceston Community

We've never seen ourselves as just a business. For six years, Andrew, Baden, and Phil volunteered monthly with the Vinnies Van, providing meals, clothing, and referrals to services for people in need across Launceston.

We are also proud supporters of the Cancer Council Tasmania and the Launceston Benevolent Society — organisations that do vital work in the community we've called home for over 35 years.

Over 35 years, we've helped Launceston families celebrate honeymoons, retirements, milestone birthdays, and once-in-a-lifetime adventures. Some of our clients have been coming back to us for decades. Their children now book with us too.

That kind of loyalty doesn't come from being the cheapest option. It comes from being the most trusted one.

Why Choose Us

We've been here since 1989. Online booking platforms come and go. We've outlasted all of them because we're genuinely good at what we do.

We're local. We live here. We know our clients. We answer our phones.

We've travelled. Every recommendation we make is backed by real experience, not just brochure copy.

We're independent and family-owned. No corporate script. No sales targets. Just honest advice about what's right for you.

We're here when things go wrong. And in travel, things occasionally go wrong. When they do, you want a person — not a chatbot.

Launceston Travel & Cruise Centre - 54 Brisbane Street, Launceston TAS 7250 (Holyman House, ground floor)
Phone: 03 6332 1222 | Email: info@ltcc.com.au