Tasmania 2023

• 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!

  See the plan
• 

  From Ballarat, Victoria to Devonport, Tasmania

  Distance travelled:
  8.13km (bike)
  190km (train)
  455km (ferry)
  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.

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• 

  From Devonport to Exeter

  Distance: 67km
  Climbed: 735m
  Total time: 6:51:56
  
  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.

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• 

  From Exeter to George Town

  Distance: 48km
  Climbed: 405m
  Total time: 8:45:13
  
  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!

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• 

  From George Town to Bridport

  Distance: 66km
  Climbed: 578m
  Total time: 7:44:55
  
  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.

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• 

  From Bridport to Scottsdale

  Distance: 25km
  Climbed: 303m
  Total time: 4:21:27
  
  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.

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• 

  From Scottsdale to Derby

  Distance: 41km
  Climbed: 357m
  Total time: 6:56:02
  
  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.

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• 

  From Derby to Bay of Fires

  Distance: 12.83km
  Climbed: 126m
  Total time: 1:11:18
  Shuttle: 65km
  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.

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• 

  From Bay of Fires to St. Helens 😒

  Distance: 53km
  Climbed: 399m
  Total time: 6:42:00
  
  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!

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• 

  From St. Helens to Bicheno

  Driving: 76km
  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.

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• 

  From Bicheno to Freycinet Peninsula

  Distance: 46km
  Climbed: 307m
  Total time: 7:12:38
  
  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.

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• 

  Rest day.
  (Still went hiking!)
  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…

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• From Freycinet Peninsula to Not-quite-Swansea

  Distance: 54km
  Climbed: 433m
  Total time: 5:35:22
  
  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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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