After finishing my cycle tour of Tasmania, this wonderful island had one more fun experience in store for me – the Spirit of Tasmania. You can fly to Melbourne from Tassie fairly easily but the more adventurous option is to take the ferry.
Continue reading “The Spirit of Tasmania”
I’ve just finished a month-long, 1,500-km cycle tour around Tasmania. This remote island is a pleasure to travel by bike with long winding roads that pass through incredible scenery with little traffic. Its diversity is striking. There are vast temperate rain forests, tropical white sandy beaches with turquoise water, rugged coastlines with towering sea cliffs, and peaceful sheep pastures and lavender farms. Tasmania’s history is equally rich. From its notorious convict beginnings to hardy miners who struggled to make a life in the remote corners of this island, there’s so much to learn. Whether you stay in campgrounds or treat yourself to character-rich B&Bs and historic hotels, you’re sure to discover some real gems along the way.
Continue reading “Tasmania Cycle Tour”
Cycling Tasmania – Day 32
Gladstone toward St Helens
40km, 625m elevation
It’s my last day of cycling in Tasmania! What a great trip it’s been and a wonderful way to see such a unique place. I began a month ago in the town of St Helens and that’s where I planned to finish today. I left Gladstone with a plan to cycle the quiet gravel roads that meander through the forest all the way to St Helens. I got off to a good start and made surprisingly good time, even though unsealed roads are always slower. I should have known trouble was ahead when I came around a corner and saw this warning sign.
Continue reading “A big bang to finish a big cycle tour”
Cycling Tasmania – Day 31
Bridport to Gladstone
60km, 360m elevation
It was hot today! I remember reading about how cold Tasmania can get before I set out on this cycling trip. One couple even said it snowed only a few weeks later in the year during their visit. I must have chosen the hottest summer of all as only a few days have been cold and some, like this one, have been scorchers!
Continue reading “Obscure history in Tasmania’s remote northeast”
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”
We stayed with Simon & Stuart last night and got along so well that they asked us to come back for another night to look after their pets while they’re away. I’d planned on continuing my cycle tour but these opportunities don’t come up everyday. I’m a huge animal lover. That’s one of the wonderful things about spontaneous travel – unique experiences that just seem to pop up.
Continue reading “Pet Sitting in Paradise”
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”
“The woody interlacing branches, even when not an inch in diameter, will bear the weight of a man laden with his knapsack. But woe betide the luckless wight who, while travelling through this scrub, treads on the treacherous mossy disguised twig or branch which has decayed. Should this not infrequent case happen, down to unknown depths he may drop, while the green treacherous mossy carpet springs into its place like a trap, concealing the engulfed explorer. It is to be feared that one or two of our missing mining prospectors have met their fate this way…”
Continue reading “Corinna Wilderness Experience and Pieman River Cruise”
Eating Snow Around the World 