Jan 31

We woke up to strong winds and rain. The rain was not that heavy but it had Barry pacing between the bedroom window, the view from the dining area, and the back door. Then he would let out a volley of what I would refer to as Australian. He does not like rain. The rain had let up by the time we left and the wind would be at our backs during the first half of our day. We couldn’t take the straight gravel road we had planned on due to washouts so we were on the roundabout highway route. It would add about 25k to our day. It was a long hard day. We had a strong headwind and lashing rain the last 50Ks with a total of 1511 meters of climbing for the day. We biked a total of 104Ks.

The view of the sea as we were coming into Eaglehawk Neck was fabulous. The craggy rocky coastline below was rimmed on one end by a white sand beach and all edged by heavy forest. It almost made us forget our weary bones. The “Neck” is a narrow small isthmus with the sea on either side. We checked in to the only hotel here – we are not in a town – and headed down to the beach on which the rock had formed as what is referred to as tessalated pavement. The beach looked like a road surface which had been paved with large rectangular stones. It was pretty remarkable. I’ll try to get a photo on this site tomorrow.

We are heading to Barry’s sisters at White Beach tomorrow.

Photos – 1840 home – Tasmanian Devil road sign – tessalated pavement at beach

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Jan 29

Last night the rain came in sheets – in waves as it rumbled on the metal roofed carport. Great weather for sleeping and I took advantage with eight solid hours. We waited for a lull in the wet stuff to head down to the coffee shop to catch up on our emails. I cleaned my chain and re-lubed. We headed down in a slow drizzle. After getting caught up on the Internet, we heard from a local that last nights rain was a record here and that the roads were washed out in both directions.

After lunch the rain stopped but still looked very threatening. I decided screw it I’m heading to Wineglass Bay. Barry elected to stay home – he doesn’t like to get wet. Off I pedaled the 6K into the Park and to the end of the road. The trail started off sandy then became very rocky as I moved up the saddle between mountains to the viewpoint at the crest of the heavily wooded slope. I stopped to take a couple of photos of this beautiful white sanded beach below but the mist and poor light made for poor shots. Down the other side to the beach I headed. The trail looked more like a creek bed with all the rainwater running down it. I met several other people including a group of six from Chicago. As I approached the beach I could hear the roar of the surf. Walking out of the woods onto the white sand I was greeted by a wide long semicircle beach being pounded by some very impressive waves. It was beautiful – and only four other people playing in the surf about a hundred yards away. They had camped there the previous night. I spent some time savoring the sights, the warm ocean air and the water rushing across my feet. A great Tassie beach and not a drop of rain the whole afternoon. Wineglass Bay got its name in the early whaling days when the blood of the butchered whales filled this wine glassed shape beach.

We’ve heard tonight that the road south is now re-opened so barring another big gulley washer tonight, we can bike again in the morning.

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Jan 28

We woke up this morning to hard rain. With 119k to bike down to Coles Bay today, we had been hoping that somehow the forecast for the whole East Coast of Tassie would miss us. Barry, especially, does not like rain. Living in Wallongong, south of Sydney, he is not used to inclement weather. He has his phone out and is busy researching the possibility of taking a bus and putting our bikes in the compartment below. I have much more experience with this wet stuff and don’t really mind it. My good friend John Wood used to call me to go running in the pouring rain – off we’d go. You can only get so wet and then it’s fine. That is, of course, as long as it is not cold outside. The temps here today will be in the 60’s and 70’s. We dawdled at breakfast. The rain would let up and then start again. Barry hasn’t had a call back from the bus company. It’s time to go. We loaded our stuff on the bikes under the cover of the hotel carport. Off we peddled into the rain.

Today we traveled along the seacoast the entire day on a paved road very similar to the narrower parts of scenic Highway 61 along Lake Superior where I live. We passed numerous sand beaches, rocky outcroppings, islands and hidden coves. The waves were crashing hard and large against the shore, prompting Barry to wish he had his surf board along. There were no big climbs today but the road weaved and bobbed along comfortably. Despite the rain, it was a great place to be on a bike.

There are very few people here in Tassie. It is high summer season yet no crowds and lots of space. Tassie is like one big small town. As I passed a guy working in his yard during a lull in the rain, he looked up and gave me a comfortable easy smile like he’d known me forever. “G’day, mate” with a wave as I cruised past. That’s the people in Tassie.

We have now moved into the Freycinet Peninsula. It is a National Park with small abruptly rising heavily wooded mountains and white sand beaches. The small village of Coles Bay fronts one of these beaches. A few fishing boats bob on their moorings and a small water taxi sits alongside the dock. This is where we will spend our day off tomorrow. Cole’s Bay.

Just a kilometer bike ride and a half hour hike away lies Wine Glass Bay. It is considered to be one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world. You can also get there on the little water taxi located just below our accommodations. This white sand beach is shaped perfectly like the bottom of a wine glass and in the whaling days the blood of the butchered animals would color the water red leading to its name. We are hoping the weather will allow us to spend some time there tomorrow.

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Jan 26

Today’s ride to Scottsdale was described to us as a big climbing day despite its relatively short distance of 67k. The weather was good and we elected to travel on a smaller road that took us through Lilydale at our half way point. We find ourselves in mixed agriculture and forest. The trees are impressive size and though we are no longer in rainforest and it is the dry time of year here, it is still very lush. Our route saved us some of the steeper climbing over a pass that the main highway follows but there is still a considerable difficulty to our day. I find my right knee a little stiff today. The geometry on the cyclocross bike I took on this trip is less designed for big climbs than the mountain bike I used on my South American trip. I know that it will be fine but it is a notice to be sure to shift down and not to just power through today. We started our day biking at 8 and were very happy to be done at noon – the ride was not nearly as taxing for us as had been described by other cyclists we had met.

Scottsdale was a big timber town in it’s early days. The Pub where we had dinner that evening had a display of old photos of the early logging that were just amazing. Huge trees. One tree to a logging truck. Men with crosscut saws and wedges were dwarfed by the trees the were working at falling. I wish I had remembered to bring my phone to dinner so I could have photographed some of these images. We saw quite a few logging trucks during the day but of course they no longer carried the trees of yesteryear.

Our lodgings, Anabel’s, was opened in 1890 and was listed in the National Trust. The gardens and surrounding shade trees created a beautiful and comfortable setting. There had still been some smoke in the air from the fires but now the breeze cleared the air. Rain is predicted for the next few days but we are ever optimistic.

Jan 27

Our trip to St. Helen’s is 107k and is our last big day of climbing on this trip. We got an early start to try to get as far along as possible before the rains find us. We had learned about a trail along an old railway bed that would take us the first 26k and avoid some of the first steep climbs from some nice folks at the local info place. The rails never have too steep an elevation since the trains have to move on less aggressive climbs. It was a great choice since this trail went through some beautiful forest with huge ferns, thick trees and nicely packed rail bed. I had four wallabies cross in front of me on different times on this narrow trail including one just a few feet away from my tire. We got a few photos on this stretch and enjoyed the change of pace.

The grades on our remaining route were held to 6 percent so our legs appreciated that although our total climbing of 1550 meters was still a lot. The rain and wind found us around the halfway point but temps were OK so we persevered. The view of St. Helen’s on the water below us was a welcome sight. We shoved all of our wet clothing into the dryer and found a comfortable bar/restaurant.

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Jan 25

Barry and I enjoyed a day off from the cycles today but were quite busy anyway. We started off with a hike up the beautiful gorge on the Tamar River. It is the most widely known attraction in this clean pleasant little city. There is a chair lift you can ride but we chose to walk the trail adjacent to the gorge. It wound its way up, down and around the bends while moving through the deep chasm with its rugged rocky sides. It is a dry time of year so the trees growing through opportunities in the rock were largely brown and blended into the surrounds. There were several park areas we hiked through. In one of these greener areas I saw my first live wallaby. A second one came over to check us out as well. Photo time.

At the head of the river was a small lake (the river was dry above this) and a small covered bandstand was tucked into a cluster of large shade trees. A beautiful spot. I walked in and discovered that it had been built in 1896 with funds donated by a local women’s group for Sunday concerts. All other activities were halted during these concerts including chaining up the children’s swings and “no playing games.” We were surprised to find peacocks wandering through the gardens. I took a photo of one of these gaudy birds on top of the roof. They were brought in when the gardens and bandstand were built and still reside here.

We wandered through the marina area as we worked our way back to our current home then spotting the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania. They had a 1953 Holden Station Wagon displayed outside and the promise of much more inside. It was a stunningly beautifully restored machine. So Barry and I reached into our pockets for the $12 entry fee. What a hoot it was to see all the old classic cars built all over the world. My favorite was the 1936 Jaguar roadster – two toned black and a deep violet. I didn’t even want to ask how much it would sell for. I had asked about the Holden and they said about $30K. The Jag would be out of sight. Aston Martins, Rolls Royces, old race cars, and so much more. Probably around 50 cars all refinished perfectly, they are all privately owned and are rotated regularly to make room for others. The oldest was an 1899 Locomobile built in the US. We enjoyed our time in this great collection.

We headed on up a block for a tour of the James Boag Brewery. Cascade in Hobart and this brewery here are the largest and most popular breweries in Tasmania. It was fun to hear about the process and the ingredients. We had a little sampling of beer and cheese then headed on back to actually have a little rest.

Tomorrow we head up into the mountains of the Northeast then on to the beaches of the Eastern coast.

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Jan 24

We left Cradle Mountain in what looked like a cloudy, cool, and damp day but before we had covered 5K the sun emerged and our moods elevated just as quickly. After climbing out of the park we had a 3K winding descent. We were not looking forward to the upcoming climb of about the same length but to our surprise we enjoyed about a 6 to 8 degree of elevation throughout so we just had to grind our way through. It was our last big hill before Dave and Amanda leave in Launceston the following day. We had to alter our route for the afternoon because of fires and smoke. We were still seeing helicopters bucketing water overhead. The afternoon ride was great – winding country roads through little villages with more and more farms. We were moving out of the heavy forest and into pastureland. The smoke was thick – the trees along the upper side of the lane had burned in the last couple of days. Barry tells us that they remain alive but can take years to recover. This little country lane was easily the home of the most road kill we have seen on the trip. It was crazy. Mostly wallabies. We didn’t clear the smoke until we cresred the small hill into Deloraine, our home for the night. After cleaning up we headed down into town for a drink before dinner. A local pub with four chairs outside in the shade was perfect as we reminisced about the days ride. A burley beer-bellied old boy shuffled out of the bar and leaned up against the wall just below our table. Slow in his movements, He fumbled with a set of papers and a pouch of tobacco while trying to keep the filter pursed in his lips. The paper dropped from his hand and while trying to catch it the filter shot out of his lips towards me. I picked up the filter as he struggled to bend down to retrieve the cig papers. “Thanks, mate. I appreciate it,” he said. That led us into a pleasant conversation and we teased him about his phone ringing. She found you, we said, there goes your afternoon here. He was a regular. Ruddy complected, he was tattooed along both arms. His hip obviously bothered and when I asked him about it he said he was waiting for the government to pay for a replacement. Despite appearances I think he was younger than Barry and I. He’d had a hard life. We left our new friend heading back to his favorite chair. His wife would come to pick him up later.

I asked Dave if he found himself, as a doctor, diagnosing people as he observed them casually. He said yes, with his training and experience, it was almost second nature to pick up on certain things.

We moved down the street to a very good meal in a little cafe/pub. The food in Tassie, even in the smallest villages, is really well prepared. Gourmet cooking is obviously part of the culture and we are loving it.

Jan 25

Dave and Amanda will leave this morning after breakfast. They pick up a car here in Launceston to explore the East Coast of Tassie then are on to Melbourne to visit a friend of Amanda’s.
We will miss them big time. It’s been great having them along on this part of the ride!

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Jan 22 – Jan 23

We left Strahan early knowing that we had a tough section with 1900 meters of climbing. The morning was beautiful with wonderful descents in the thick forest and mountains flashing by as we sped along the roadway. There are fires burning all through this part of Tassie which has lent some haze in the vistas. The trees are tall and closely line the road which makes taking landscape photos difficult. The Tassies could help us tourists along by establishing viewpoints. Can’t complain much about this countryside though as it is spectacular. When we do come to the ascents they are steep and long. Barry and I have been riding ahead, then finding a good lunch spot to wait for Barry and Amanda. Amanda is doing great but these long rides and big ascents do leave her knackered (as our Aussie, Barry says).

The climb up to Roseberry was steep and sharp but after 107K and a lot of steep climbing we arrived in this friendly little mining town.

The next morning we turned off of our course northward and headed to Cradle Mountain, an Australian National Park which is world renowned. Again, our route, though very beautiful and heavily wooded, is tough with a couple of big climbs and a long one of 14 percent grade just before the park. We climbed 1800 meters in just 67k of riding which is an indication of our mountainous surroundings. Dave and Amanda spotted a Kangaroo during the ride and got a couple of nice photos. We all saw Wombats and Achidnas along the Tarmac. Wombats are chunky vegetarians which look sort of like a fat Beaver without the tail. Achidnas are Spiny Anteaters and are small. I will try to post some photos when I figure out this Wifi connection from my camera to my iPad. It’s being stubborn today. Most of the animals we see are road kill since they are nocturnal and easy for cars to hit along these curvy mountain roads. It’s great to see some moving around on their own accord.

When we arrived at our cabin in the park Barry elected to get a rest, have a beer and check out where we could find a well deserved good meal. Amanda was really tired but determined to have a hike in the park where we could have great views of the lakes and mountain sides. Her number two goal on this trip was to see a Platapus (number one is to snuggle a Koala in her arms). The Koala snuggle was not about to happen in this part of Tassie so we were looking for Platapus once again. Amanda had had enough of her bike for the day, so over to the Park Headquarters we hoofed to get our passes and catch a shuttle bus for the 6k ride down to Dove Lake where the roadway ends. We had chosen (actually Amanda) a 3.5k hike up to Cradle Lake and back along an wildlife area where we hoped to find the elusive Platapus. The walk was said to be a three hour affair but we were counting on our fitness to make it in two since that was all the time we had to make the last shuttle bus back to where Barry was quenching his thirst. This is rugged country but sections of the trail were boardwalked to protect against erosion and make it easier for folks to saunter along. We took some photos of scenic Dove lake then headed up the sharply pitched trail along two small lakes (Wombat and Lilla) where we found great photo opportunities. We also discovered a Wombat along the trail who cooperated very nicely for our cameras. The sun was out after a mostly cloudy day and thoughts of our tough cycling day were put aside. Cradle Lake itself was nestled below the rock towers of Cradle Mountain and beautifully flat and still. There is an old boathouse located at the far end of the waters – no boats in sight. Our cameras were clicking away as we swung back around the rocky high terrain on down to the tussock humped open meadow heading back to our shuttle stop. We were well within our time frame despite taking our time with photos.

It was on this stretch where we were surprised by a number of Wombats trundling along next to the walkway. Pretty cool. Then we came to a small slow moving creek with deep under banks that got our Amanda excited. Perfect habitat for that elusive Platapus which might as well be extinct as far as we could tell. We peered hopefully long both sides of the walkway then Dave and I started to move away in surrender when suddenly Amanda yelled out “there’s one!” Dave and I turned and caught the ripple, brown haired body and light colored bill just before it disappeared back into the dark waters. The sun was in our faces making good photos impossible. We caught one more view before he moved back under the embankment. Wow! Amanda’s day was complete and so was ours.

We enjoyed a good meal and a glass of wine to celebrate the day, then had a nice chat with a young woman from Pittsburgh who had pitched a tent near our cabin the night before. She had a PH.D. in statistical computer analysis for the medical field. She had saved up vacation time to take a month long trip here in Tassie. Off we went to our cabins knowing the sand man would catch us early this evening. Sent from my iPad

Jan 21

This morning we trotted on down the hill to the harbor for breakfast. It’s our first day off from cycling and we’ve planned a cruise up the Gordon River. The boat, a double decker 100 foot cruiser with an additional viewing platform on top, is named Lady Jane Franklin. Just three years old, the engines were quiet and the boat traveled very smoothly as we moved out into the harbor. Macquarie Harbor is the second largest harbor in Australia and at 20 miles long and five wide, it is six times larger than Sydney Harbor. We headed out Hell’s Gate, the narrow entrance to the harbor just for a feel for what a ship may endure in rough seas. It was a nice calm day for us but the reefs on each side still cause short chop. Gliding back in we headed up towards the Gordon. This ship cruised around 55 knots so we moved right along except when viewing specific aspects of life.

Soon we came to a group of fish farm pods. There were 16 of these mesh covered pens each holding about 40,000 fish which grow to about 11 pounds each in 18 months. They raise salmon and sea trout here. We saw several other farms as we moved up towards the Gordon. The little town of Strahan had now disappeared from view. We are in rainforest now and the dense lush vegetation receives over 16 feet of rainfall each year. It was raining lightly to begin our cruise but soon let up. The Huon Pine found along the Gordon grow at a rate of only 1 mm in girth per year. This extremely slow rate makes this species very strong. Our guide pointed out one he said was about 500 years old.  He also said there are trees over 3000 years old along this river. Logging was once the basis of the economy in this sparsely populated area but now it is a World Heritage site and largely protected. As we slowly cruised along this winding slow moving river, the lushness and density of the rain forest covering the steep hills and mountains was quietly amazing. We saw a sailboat and a couple of adventurous kayakers plying the waters but that was all. The air here has been tested and found to be the cleanest in the world. The fresh water coming from the Gordon lays on top of the sea water entering the harbor through Hell’s Gate.

On our return we stopped at the former Sarah Island Penal Colony. Infamous for its brutality, this colony began in the early 1820’s. It was here that the triple cat o’nine tails was developed. This cruel lash was used frequently and incorporated small lead pellets to tear open men’s backs when whipped. There was an average of about 500 convicts and prison personnel living here during the twelve years of operation and many attempted escapes, very few successful. One famous prisoner, Alexander Pierce, escaped three times taking a fellow convict with him on each occasion. When it was discovered that he was killing and canabalizing his partners, Pierce was hanged. After some fallen Huon Pine washed up on the island, the prison personnel started building boats using convict labor on this small island. This enterprise grew rapidly, eventually becoming the most productive shipyard in the Southern Hemisphere. Administrative problems led to the colony’s closure but not without one last great story. The 10 convicts remaining who were completing the last ship built here commandeered it and sailed 8000 miles to Chile where they lived for several years till four where discovered and brought back to England for hanging. The other six lived out their lives as free men.

We returned to the wharf and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sunshine that had burned away the misty clouds of the morning.

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Jan 21

Today was a day we had been waiting for – for several reasons. It was our longest day and a source of concern for Amanda. All of these days are distances much greater than any she has cycled before. We had changed our itinerary to include a day off in Strahan to take a cruise on the Gordon River. To do so we had to add mileage prior to getting there – hence a 127K day today. We also knew we would be heading into the rainforest which we all had been looking foreward to.

What a glorious morning it was. We flew down long ascents and wound our way through beautiful dense lush forests. The K’s zipped by and the weather was perfect. Mountains would appear on our right and as we came around another S-turn we found more on our left. The tree canopies rose high, lichen and vines filled in the spaces and huge tree ferns covered the base with wonderful color and texture. So many hues of green that you needed no other color. It was 89K to Queenstown and Barry and I got there in 4 plus hours despite many stops for photographs on my part. There was a fairly significant climb before Queenstown then a steep sharp series of turns into the town.
We went ahead and had lunch, then waited for Dave and Amanda. Since there was a couple of turns to find the cafe I decided to go back to the first intersection so they wouldn’t miss us. After some time Barry came down too – we were both a little concerned that something may have happened. We decided that Barry would head out on our last 40K to Strahan and I would wait. He was just leaving when here biked up the two of them. It turned out that a big fly similar to our horsefly had landed on her neck during a descent, bit her several times then found it’s way down her back inside her shirt. In trying to stop and deal with the damn insect at the same time, Amanda couldn’t get her foot out of the bike clip in time and fell down. Dave could see what was happening, came up beside her and tried to stop her fall. In the process both went down. Though neither was badly hurt, they did each end up with big bruises. It didn’t dampen their spirits though as they were gushing about the mornings ride. We still had the last rolling ride into Strahan but the big ride was now behind us.

We found ourselves in great accommodations with separate cabins and everything you would want in a bustling little seaside town.

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