Riverside is situated 5 kilometres north-west of the CBD of Launceston, Tasmania’s second largest city. The West Tamar Highway runs through the suburb, adjoining Riverside to the West Tamar, which includes the small towns of Beaconsfield and Beauty Point.   The suburb is now Launceston's largest by population, (6472 Census 2016) and is narrowly ahead of Kings Meadows.

 The main shopping centre opened in the 1960s and includes a Woolworths Supermarket, a bakery, a pharmacist, a hairdresser and several retail shops.

A mixture of modern and character homes, the majority of Riverside has beautiful panoramic views of the Tamar River and Valley beyond.  Long sweeping streets, with large housing blocks typify Riversideʼs typography. 

Most homes in the area along the Highway were built in the 1960s, and many are older brick or weatherboard homes.

Small pockets of land are still to be developed, with small subdivisions opening up regularly. Riversideʼs closeness to the Launceston CBD (8-10 minute drive) make it a highly desirable suburb to live in.

The Tamar River forms the north-eastern boundary and part of the southeastern boundary.  Typically hilly – the lower part of Riverside is based on the river flats of the Tamar River. The majority of properties in Riverside would enjoy sweeping view of the Tamar River, Valley and Mountains beyond.

At the northern end of Riverside you will find the Tamar Island Wetlands, a nature reserve with interpretive centre and bird watching facilities managed by Parks & Wildlife.

 

The Windsor precinct is home to a portion of the West Tamar Council facilities, within the building and available to the community,  there is a meeting centre and also a dedicated function space, with access to a kitchen.  There are many kilometres of paved and gravel pathways within the area, a specialised dog exercise area, an amphitheatre, free BBQs and a community garden. Within the physical community hub there is an indoor training centre and privately owned gymnasium.  Public toilets are also available.

Sporting grounds at the Windsor precinct include an Australian rules football ground -Windsor Park - home to the Launceston Football Club, a State League AFL club,  a fully fenced soccer ground, plus multiple other grounds which is home to Riverside Olympic Football Club – a participant in the State Premier League.

The park precinct also includes Riverside Cricket Club an NTCA aligned turf cricket ground and two astro-turf grounds, alongside these are turf and astro-turf training nets.

There are several schools located in Riverside, namely Riverside Primary School, Riverside High School, Launceston Christian School and St Anthony's.

There is a childcare centre centrally located catering for birth-5, and also before and after school care.

Regular public transport is available to both  the neighbouring suburb of Trevallyn and the CBD, but also northbound to Legana.