He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps, he likes to mow down cyclists...

Tasmania 2023, Day 3

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We slept well last night. Maybe a little too well. We didn’t get packed up and off until late and we rolled into George Town at about 09:30. We visited the post office and mailed ahead 3.9kg of extras to reduce weight from our packs. We stopped at a café and I bought a coffee and found a free copy of Deliverance.

We left George Town and were immediately confronted with lots of logging trucks, all the way to Bridport. Every minute or two I’d spot one in the rearview mirror and call out “Truck! Truck! Truck!” and we’d pull off the road. It was wise: some didn’t even give us an inch, and there was zero shoulder.

We stopped at Pipers River General Store for some South Melbourne dim sims and some Calippos. It was like eating the finest gourmet meal. I guess we just needed the water and the salt! We were We generally get one of two reactions at places we stop: either “Oh wow, you must be pooped, here’s some water and some local tips etc.” or “Make sure your bikes don’t scratch the paint and if you want a drink, go to the toilet!” and then we continued on.

We were between the general store and Pipers Brook when a nice fella from Tassie Tours & Transfers stopped to check on us, due to the heat. We assured him we were OK, and he gave us a huge bag of fresh (and free!) cherries.

We made a slight detour to visit Jansz and Pipers Brook wineries, but when we got there, the cellar doors were not at the front near the road but somewhere around the back of the winery. We couldn’t be fucked riding up and down gravel roads for a glass of wine and a cheese platter, so we quit and had a beautiful picnic on the grass at the front gate. We saw an echidna and watched him waddle across the entrance as we ate the cherries. It was utterly delightful!

Echidna at the gate to Pipers Brook Winery

Echidna at the gate to Pipers Brook Winery

At Bridport we stayed at Bridport Holiday Park, an old links golf course. The camp sites were all situated on the former fairways and putting greens, so the grass was wonderfully soft and bouncy. The managers are new, and Flinders Ranges; we know because they told us so at every opportunity!

Danielle was bitten by a swarm of jackjumpers but old mate Phil from the outback was unimpressed: “That’s not a jackjumper! South Australian jackjumpers are as big as Volkswagens!”

We went for a walk on the beach, had Moo Brew Pale Ale and fish and chips, and are now listening to the surf whilst we go to sleep. Oh, and we met about 20 of the local seagulls, including an old warhorse named Scar.

Follow the journey

  • Plan
    Planning our tour of the Apple Isle — and doing it this time!
    So we started planning this trip a few years ago, and unfortunately events at home (and not just the pandemic!) have transpired to keep us off our bikes for the most part, with a few exceptions such as my Great Ocean Road trip, but I had to do that one solo. In that time I’ve started a new job, Danielle bought a beautiful custom Velo Orange Pass Hunter gravel/touring bike and importantly, my children have continued to mature to the point I can now leave them for a few weeks to go a‑touring!
  • Day 0
    Taking the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to Devonport
    After more than a year of looking forward to, planning, stressing and organising, we’re finally on our way to sunny Tasmania! Of course, we haven’t quite made it to Tassie yet.
  • Day 1
    Poppies and hills to Gravelly Beach
    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.
  • Day 2
    Vineyards on the river, a family maritime history and... penguins!
    This morning was a lovely one as we packed up our gear, and rode around to the Paperbark Café, not far from the park we’d stayed the night in. The café was new, and the breakfast — “mushroom huddle” with bacon for me; smashed avocado with Tasmanian salmon for Danielle — was delightfully delicious. And cheap! $18 without the extras in this economy!
  • Day 3
    He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps, he likes to mow down cyclists...
    We slept well last night. Maybe a little too well. We didn’t get packed up and off until late and we rolled into George Town at about 09:30. We visited the post office and mailed ahead 3.9kg of extras to reduce weight from our packs. We stopped at a café and I bought a coffee and found a free copy of Deliverance.
  • Day 4
    Cherries
    We set off too late again this morning from Bridport and as a result rode in the peak of the heat. We only did 20 kilometres to Scottsdale but there were lots of hills, trucks and no shade nor shoulder. Scottsdale itself is atop a big hill. We rested, however temporarily, at a cemetery on the outskirts where a nice little park bench under a tree provided us shade. It was lovely.
  • Day 5
    The North East Tasmanian Rail Trail
    Today was a lovely day. We got up before sunrise (05:00) and were on the path to the North East Tasmanian Rail Trail before the sun came up. Compared to everything we’d ridden to date, and standing alone, it was a delightful leisurely roll through rainforest, farms, granite cuttings with overgrown ferns, old growth forest and logging areas and little makeshift station memorials where we had coffee and a breather.
  • Day 6
    Hitching a ride to the Bay of Fires
    We woke up this morning at The Dorset Hotel, and had our breakfast in the little dining room downstairs, packed our bags and bikes, and wheeled them across to the road to Bark Off Bikes. We took our fenders off in the rain then boarded the bus.
  • Day 7
    On our way to Biche—oh no!
    Today was… well… let’s start at the beginning, shall we? We awoke after spending a beautiful night under the clearest skies, to a gorgeous sunrise on the Bay of Fires. As we packed our tent, the sun poked up with beams of light streaming through the clouds and spread across the bay, and it was marvellous!
  • Day 8
    Bumming a lift
    We started the morning with a nice brunch at Sco. & Co. and The Lifebuoy Café in St. Helens, as we we had arranged a rendezvous with Steve at 11. I had a mushroom bruschetta with bacon and Danielle had the green eggs and haloumi. It was delicious and both dishes featured a really nice basil pesto. We finished breaking our fast and rode back to the park opposite the hotel to take off our fenders and await Steve.
  • Day 9
    On the road again...
    We left the holiday park in Bicheno this morning nice and early, about 07:00, and stopped at the Blue Edge Bakery for a quick start coffee before heading south. The hills were very flat and rolling along was easy enough.
  • Day 10
    Freycinet Lodge and Wineglass Bay
    A red letter day. We awoke naturally to the sunlight streaming over The Hazards and into our cabin as we nursed our hangovers from the wine and beer consumed last night. We dragged ourselves off to a breakfast of smoked salmon benedict for Danielle, and a Freycinet “Big Brekky” for myself, with two double espressos. We returned to our room for an in-room couples massage…
  • Day 11
    The end of the cycling portion of our cycling tour
    Well, fuck. We awoke late and had a nice breakfast, then packed up, checked out and headed off. At first we made good time.
  • Epilogue: Conquering the Mountain!
    I’ve had such an awesome tour this year around Tasmania, but I have to admit to some small disappointments and setbacks. So when I set out this morning at 05:45 to conquer kunanyi, the 1,270m high mountain overlooking Hobart, I was very dubious about my chances of making it successfully to the summit.
  • Epilogue: Kingston Beach
    Danielle’s parents live in Sandy Bay, and her aunt Jan lives in Kingston Beach. The Channel Highway connects the two seaside suburbs of Hobart and lucky for us, it’s a favourite route for local cyclists, and for very good reason.

Copyright mmxxiv Ryan Moore. All rights reserved unless otherwise specified.