Our first-ever day of touring as a couple was, I fear, a bit of an eye-opener for Danielle! Not in terms of adventure, of course, as Danielle is a seasoned traveller who has roamed every corner of the world, but in terms of the physical demands of heavily loaded touring bikes.
We left Devonport this morning after stopping for coffee at a little heritage house called Miss Jacqueline’s, but I once knew this place as The Gingerbread House when it was owned and operated by the family of a friend I had in my twenties. I also talked to a lady (another customer) who lived there some years during her youth.
The road out of Devonport was hilly and rolled through green pastures full of cows and poppies. There were lots of signs with skull-and-crossbones warning off anyone wanting to make their own opium!
After we passed the road that would go north to Port Sorell, the forests began and it was very picturesque and scenic, however the hills were long and winding and we were absolutely fucked by the time we’d gone 20 kilometres. We stopped at a little creek for a rest and a fish.
In Frankford we stopped at the Blue Barn Café to stock up on drinks and snacks, and Update: The postal service in rural Tasmania is pretty amazing, and these parcels, though posted from a little store on the highway in the middle of nowhere, reached their destination only a few days later, at Christmas to boot!
The café was lovely with a quaint little country garden. The people were nice also.
In Exeter we stopped at the Exeter Hotel to ask for lodging and the barmaid looked at me like I was asking for directions to Mars. A local barfly directed us to the Rose Bay Park in Gravelly Beach, where we cooked up some chicken, eggs, capsicum and onion we purchased from the IGA in Exeter. We also had salad and jerky. I had a fish but there was lots of jellyfish in the Tamar River. We set up camp in a quiet part of the park behind the toilets (and some bushes — it was nicer than it sounds) and we’re now resting and snoozing the afternoon away.
Serena parked on the side of the Frankford Road
Danielle and I setting out from Devonport
Danielle and the bikes at The Gingerbread House Miss Jacqueline’s
Danielle taking a rest at the side of the road
Riding in the forested hills
Fishing at a rest stop along the way
Resting at a driveway entrance
Starting to feel the hills
Beautiful big trees
Rolling green pastures
Resting at the Blue Barn Café
The Blue Barn Café
The garden in front of the Blue Barn Café
Danielle resting on the porch outside the Blue Barn Café
Setting up camp out of the way at Gravelly Beach
Sun setting on the Tamar River
Boats at sunset on the Tamar River
Today I journeyed on the lands of the Tommeginne, Tyerrernotepanner and Punnilerpanner people, who have lived on and cared for this land for millennia, and have never seded their sovereignty. I want to thank the Traditional Owners and acknowledge their custodianship of, and connection to the beautiful land, rivers and waterways I enjoyed today because of their care. I also pay my respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their Elders past and present.
Copyright mmxxiv Ryan Moore. All rights reserved unless otherwise specified.
