Cycling Tasmania – Day 30
Low Head to Bridport
79km, 820m elevation
Only three days left in my Tasmania cycle tour! A complete loop around the island I won’t quite finish, though. I decided to spend more time exploring the remote West Coast and northwest, knowing that I’d come up short on time to make it all the way back to St Helens where I started. That’s ok. I really enjoyed the remoteness and beauty of the west.
Continue reading “Back to the East Coast of Tasmania”
Cycling Tasmania – Day 28
Marrawah to Stanley (via Forest)
80km, 640m elevation
Tasmania is known for exceptionally strong winds. I’ve been very lucky on my cycling trip so far, having gotten only one day of really strong winds and much of that was either at my side or my back. Well, today my luck changed. I battled through a headwind for most of the day, still enjoying myself but working a lot harder than usual.
Continue reading “Headwind to Stanley”
Cycling Tasmania – Day 26
Arthur River to Smithton (via Montagu)
73km, 460m elevation
Bushfires are a big problem in Tasmania this year with the weather being so hot and dry. I was keen to cycle the Western Explorer through some of the most remote parts of the already remote West Coast but that will have to wait for another year when that road re-opens. Fortunately, we have a rental car, so once I’d cycled to the north coast, we just threw the bike inside the car and drove the long way around to the far end of the Western Explorer.
Continue reading “Edge of the World”
Cycling Tasmania – Day 25
Waratah to Boat Harbour (via Wynyard and Table Cape)
89km, 1280m elevation
From Corinna on Tasmania’s West Coast there is a remote and rough road that twists through the Tarkine Wilderness, eventually re-emerging 110km later at Arthur River. Sadly, the famous Western Explorer is closed. Recent bushfires have damaged a bridge, making the road impassable. I’d really hoped that the road would reopen and that I’d get to explore this wild part of Tasmania. I guess that’s just one more reason to add to my list of why I need to come back!
Continue reading “Everything in a single day”
Cycling Tasmania – Day 23
Waratah to Corinna
68km, 1,290m elevation
It was a difficult decision but I couldn’t resist heading deeper into Tasmania’s remote West Coast, even if that means I’ll run out of time to cycle a complete loop around the island. The Tarkine Wilderness is one of the world’s last intact expanses of temperate rainforest, something truly rare and beautiful. How could I turn down the opportunity to experience such a special place?
Continue reading “Deep into the Tarkine Wilderness”
Tasmania Cycle Tour – Day 22
Rosebery to Waratah
63km, 1,340m elevation
I reached the 1,000-km mark on my Tasmanian cycle tour today! This is a great milestone for me – the longest cycling trip I’ve ever done. And it’s not over yet…
Continue reading “1000 km of cycling in Tasmania”
Tasmania Cycle Tour – Day 21
Strahan to Rosebery
78km, 1,225m elevation
Before leaving Strahan this morning, I spent some time exploring more of the town and going for a walk through the forest. Strahan is a beautiful place and classically coastal – a tranquil bay surrounds the town, there is a marina full of boats, and you can walk for hours along the beach. It rained heavily last night and continued until the early morning, making everything feel fresh and new.
Continue reading “Here comes the rain”
Cycling Tasmania – Day 20
Queenstown to Strahan
53km, 610m elevation
I was very happy this morning to see that it had rained more overnight and the air was beautifully clear. No sign of bush fire smoke. What’s more, the rain had stopped, promising a nice day of cycling.
Continue reading “I made it to the West Coast!”
I’m taking a day off cycling to explore a sleepy town in the rugged mountains of western Tasmania. Most tourists pass by Queenstown without stopping, turned off by the barren landscape, but it was once a thriving mining town with immense riches – the richest mining town in the world, in fact.
Continue reading “The richest mining town in the world”
Cycling Tasmania – Day 17
Derwent Bridge to Queenstown
99km, 1,825m elevation (including side-trips)
Today I cycled out of Derwent Bridge and into Wild Rivers National Park. It was superb. I sailed down long descents with sweeping turns and stopped countless times to take short walks into the wilderness. Bush fire smoke had blown in during the night, obscuring what I could see of distant peaks but leaving behind silhouettes that left the imagination free to exaggerate. It is disappointing to miss out on so much great scenery because of the smoke but I still marvelled at the grand mountainous country.
Continue reading “Into the Wilderness”
Eating Snow Around the World 