With a day to kill until our ride starts we headed off to Metung by road, stopping in all the little coves along the way. As we drove up endless steep gravel roads we were very glad that we had opted for the car instead of the bike.
First small stop was in Nungurner – quiet and picturesque but very isolated.
How cool is this tree house?
Slowly made our way round to Metung – much more developed but nonetheless still quite beautiful. Definitely had boat envy…
Quick check of the realestate windows revealed this waterfront gem/renovators delight
From Metung we headed north through Swan Reach following the Tambo Rover to Tambo Upper. Fabulous red cliffs reminiscent of the SA Murray
First post-lockdown long(ish) ride – dead flat & mild temperature – and it nearly killed us. My how the mighty have fallen! Let’s hope that there’s truth to the saying that ‘you get fit on the road’ or we’re in for a big week.
With 2 days in Bairnsdale to reunite with our bike legs we set off for Paynesville early. Rode along the Mitchell River the whole way- the first few kms was on the main highway, traffic was busy with school drop off but the shoulder was wide so pretty easy riding.
About 8k out of Bairnsdale the highway split off and we rode down a mix of quiet back roads and gravel walking trails. LOTS of potholes which made for sore bottoms but thankfully no punctures.
The highlight was riding down the 5km silt jetties – long narrow deltas that extend the banks of the Mitchell into the lakes. Was quite magical albeit blowy- had the jetty mostly to ourselves with the exception of a few fishermen.
After re-fuelling at the Paynesville bakery we took the ferry to Raymond Island. Sounded positively idyllic as described to us by the old bird on the ferry- only 540 people live on the island, lovely warm community, huge population of koalas. And it is beautiful. Only downside were the 540,000 mosquitos that await unsuspecting and juicy tourists who don’t happen to know about the mandate for tropical strength Aeroguard. So… David and I are a bit spottier than we were yesterday but did indeed get to see our national treasures in their natural habitat.
beware the masked man with a bike
This little guy was feeling shy
However a quick trip to the shops on our return and we are now prepared for anything the insect world throws at us
With two frustrated riders, one tandem bike and one hour/5km limits we decided to use our snippets of freedom creatively and join the ‘burbing’ movement. We set off a couple of weeks ago, determined to ride every navigable carriageway in Postcode 3103.
One hundred and twenty-eight kilometres and five and a half hours of riding later we had left no street, avenue, bike path or night cart lane unexplored.
What did we like most?
exploring the 42 courts/no through roads that we wouldn’t normally drive or walk down – and the way people living in courts leave their garages open so you can see right in
that people no longer call out “she’s not pedalling on the back” – they call out “that’s not social distancing” instead
the curious glances of our fellow suburbians as the strange masked couple rode past once…twice….. then back again trying to cover off every nook and cranny
planning the route- I know this sounds strange but when your burb isn’t set on a grid, the route requires careful planning to minimise repetition (hence the 128km)
seeing who’d put their bins out early so we could sneak out before curfew to dispose of excess rubbish (thanks Boroondara for cutting back to fortnightly collections)
the total absence of cars – bikes rule during lockdown!
Keeping our hill conditioning. We always knew we lived on top of a big hill but hadn’t appreciated how many other hills were around it. We climbed over two vertical kilometres in elevation in our 5+ hours riding.
Next steps? Our old stomping ground 3127 where we hope many of our buds will be out the front gardening as we ride by. Unless of course Dan the Man lets us out early tomorrow in which case we might go all the way to 3000!
As is customary for our last blog post for a ride, we are sitting at Launceston airport reflecting on the highlights, challenges and lessons learned over the last couple of weeks.
We both agree Tassie is magnificent- it was every bit as wonderful as we had heard and more. And we picked a fabulous time to go- while the weather was variable, tourist numbers were low so we often had these magnificent unspoilt places to ourselves.
The numbers:
Total distance travelled: 780.9km (we thought about riding around the block to make it up to the 800 but have you seen the hills in Hobart?!).
Total distance travelled on foot pushing bike: estimate 20, felt like 50.
Time in the saddle: 65hrs, 57mins (ouch)
Mechanical failures: amazingly none- not even a flat tyre!
Biggest thrill: flying down the 10kms from Eaglehawk Neck to Dunalley without turning the pedals once (at a PB speed of 80km/hr)
Biggest challenge: hands down the logging trucks, with the wind a close second.
Best view: ahhh this is a tough one. Wineglass Bay neck in neck with the Devil’s kitchen and Bruny Island coastline – But every single day brought breathtaking scenery.
What we have learned:
our physical limits – and how to push past them
we still don’t mind riding in the rain, but are less fond of wind
sometimes it’s the unexpected places that you want to spend more time in- so flexibility is the key
It’s fun spending time with our extended family (but we knew that already)
It’s OK to accept a ride sometimes – 780 km is still a long way.
Once In Hobart the green machine was set aside in favour of exploring on foot initially – then car. We had three busy days trying to see as much of this beautiful city and surrounds as possible. We are staying in Battery Point in an old stables conversion so we’re right in the thick of the history, art and harbour centre and we both agree- we could live here!!!!
Day 1 was spent mostly on foot- trawling the Salamanca Art Centre and surrounds. We met up with cousins Jenny and Ray who took us for a beautiful lunch at the Mount Nelson signal station, followed by a trip down memory lane exploring Sandy Bay around my grandmothers house- which seems to have shrunk from what I remember (or I’ve grown?). The house has been rendered and become quite shabby. Those front windows with what I remembered as enormous views over the Derwent are actually quite small.
Fabulous views of Hobart from the signal stationThe bones are still there but the poor old thing has got quite shabby and The garden has disappeared
On Wednesday we picked up the rental and drove down to Bruny Island for the day. Made it to the 9.30 ferry and pretty much left no road untraveled on either North or South Bruny. Gorgeous views and dirt tracks through thick bush . Very remote with few services apparent but fabulous food/produce, which made it high on the ‘let’s visit with the bike’ scale and low on the ‘we could live here’ scale. Magnificent coastline views at every turn…
‘The Neck
Day 3 was as far removed from nature and wilderness as it’s possible to get- we went to MONA.
We went vis the ferry which was an experience in itself- literally riding on the sheep’s back to get there
The museum itself was an amazing experience – ranging from traditional to bizarre artworks.- and definitely challenging my definition of ‘art’.
Just the descent into the bowels of ‘The Mine’ was a challenge for me (who loves confined spaces- NOT!).
Favourite works: ‘Heartbeat (David); ‘Sump oil’ (Naomi). Most bizarre- the replication of the human digestive process (including smells) – we decided not to rerun at 2 for ‘pooping time’.
Too dark for photos of anything- and photos wouldn’t have done justice for MONA’s multi-sensory experience- but if you’re in Hobart – go!!!
Not often you get to rest on a cow for the trip home…
Came hone via the Wursthaus- picking up supplies for our ploughman’s dinner of cheese, liverwurst, prosciutto etc. Will be so hard to return to reality!
Woke up with aching legs and mixed feelings knowing that today would be our last day on the road. Feeling quite proud of ourselves that we had got this far and just a tad nervous that something might happen to get in the way of us completing these last few kilometres.
The old girl packed up and ready to go for the last time
For the first time on this trip we had a late start and a cafe breakfast- which allowed us to avoid the peak traffic of those commuting to Hobart.
Instead of taking the main highway we decided on going via Grasstree Hill (the word ‘hill’ was a total misnomer). This was a longer and much steeper route than the highway, but had much less traffic. Those cars that did pass gave us a wide berth, with a couple of beeps and waves for encouragement (we no doubt looked like we were about to explode). We would our way up that last massive hill of our journey and were chuffed that we managed it without having to get off and push- that would be right- get fit just in time for the last day!
The reward at the top of the hill
The Pass was just beautiful with views across forests- but extremely dry. Wouldn’t want to go through here in bushfire season.
Like all other parts of our trip- the slow climb up took us an hour and the 5k descent took about 5 minutes and landed us on the outskirts of Hobart right near the banks of the Derwent.
A welcome (and exciting) sight
We crossed the river on the Bowen Bridge- while busy and unpleasant it was definitely preferable to the enormous Tasman Bridge carriageway.
Very glad not to be climbing this old thing!
Once over the bridge we were able to hook up to the Inter-city cycleway
On the way through we did a short detour to visit Uncle John in Lutana- had a lovely time sitting in the sun on his deck sharing gossip about family.
Then back on the cycle-way all the way to Salamanca Place. Was quite a feeling rolling into the port knowing all the hills and miles we’d traversed to get there.
Woo hooJust to prove we did get there by bike and not Uber!
We are staying in a fabulously located apartment in an old stables building in Kelly Street Battery Point. Not sure how we will reconcile our ‘we can no longer eat everything we see’ policy with all the incredible eateries around here- we might just have to get on the bike again….
Left Dunnalley round 9am. Opted for a route starting on the coast and then working its way up the Carlton River rather than going along the very busy Arthur highway. This made for a much hillier trip but also more picturesque.
Big hills and fast descents todayDid quite a bit of this today…
Along the river was a mix of farming, beach/bush batches and expensive waterfront properties complete with boat ramps and the boats to go with them. Very few of these towns had shops or facilities though.
At about 11 we took a short detour into Dodges Ferry where a local told us there was a bakery. With coffees and shepherds pie under our belts we set off to face the next challenge.
While we aimed for backroads inevitably the closer one gets to the ‘big smoke’ the bigger the roads and the faster the traffic. After a relentless 3km of the busiest traffic we’ve seen so far as we approached Sorrell, we decided we needed a plan B. We stopped at the Golden Arches which had all the things we needed to steady our nerves- carbs, salt and bathrooms!
After poring over our maps we plotted out a quieter although more circuitous (and inevitably hilly) route- meaning we arrived at Richmond tired but safe and sane.
We were so excited to finally see this!
Arrived at the bridge round 2.30. With the superb weather the grass called our names and we laid on the riverbank mesmerised by the view and the quiet for about an hour. Then the biggest challenge of all- getting back up on our feet!
Richmond is just gorgeous – after dinner at the local pub we went for an evening stroll- had the whole town to ourselves, with Water birds out on mass, feeding and preening and the evening reflections working their magic.
It seems unbelievable but tomorrow is our last day of riding. We’re a bit nervous about what ‘joys’ the traffic will hold for us as we head into Hobart, but we’ve asked around and think we have the best route mapped out….. stay tuned…..
Yesterday we did the first stage of the final leg of our journey up to Hobart.
As Port Arthur is on a peninsula the only way out was the way we cane in, but it was a very different ride to the one we had done two days earlier.
We left in a fine misty rain- just enough to require jackets but not heavy enough to be a problem for us- this kept our faces cool as we climbed the big hills out- although our rain coats soon became steam boxes making us wetter on the inside than out, so we eventually ditched them.
The heavy mist made this a very different view to two days earlier
Being a Saturday and travelling outbound we missed most of the tourist traffic. Because we were travelling on the coast side of the road we were able to stop safely and enjoy the views which we had had to pass by on the way there. It also gave us a chance to check out the realestate signs and do a bit of dreaming.
This convict station B&B offered the highest temptation
…and a wonderful view to wake up to each morning
Unusual letterboxes seem to be a’thing’ down here- perhaps it’s how people signpost their houses on this endless highway.
The comicalThe creative recyclerLoved this sculpture of old tyres, firewood and disused tanks
It wasn’t until we coasted down the long hills (some up to 9 km long) that we realised why we had found the trip in so punishing. Apart from the trip up through Eaglehawk Neck it was a pretty easy ride until the last kilometre when gale force headwinds kicked in.
Back to the beautiful views from our cottage
We arrived in Dunalley mid afternoon happy to curl up and binge watch ‘The Crown’ on Netflix (the first TV we’ve watched in three weeks!) while the wind buffeted our little cabin (the same one we stayed in on the way down) – leaving only to walk to the pub for dinner.
On the way back saw this little echidna racing across the paddock to get his dinner
Spent our layover day at the Port Arthur Historical site today. Cycled down there for the 9am opening determined to pack in as much of the 100 acre site as we could. This included an introductory walking tour; a boat tour including a stop over at the Isle of the Dead – which bears the graves of some 900 convicts alongside soldiers and their families; and finally the ‘’Escape’ tour- with tales of various escape attempts – well embellished with cannibalism and other equally gory exploits.
The guides were all characters – very knowledgeable and clearly getting a lot of fun out of what they do. The site itself has been well preserved with the ruins of old buildings now enveloped by beautiful gardens.
As you enter you’re given the identity of a convict (on a card) who you can find out about as you go- a really engaging way of learning about the history.
My convict was a bigamist!This guy was singing his head off
Heading back to Dunalley tomorrow taking the path of least gills (we hope).
A big ride today. Although the distance wasn’t huge (51km) the hills were and at 31 degrees it was the hottest and probably the hardest day we’ve had.
Set off before 8am stopping 8k down (or should I say directly up) the road at Murdunna General Store for coffee. Tiny unobtrusive store but a treasure trove of interesting fresh foods. We came away armed with freshly made sandwiches for our picnic lunch and two extra litres of water to replace what we’d drunk climbing the hill to get there.
Most of the ride was through bush land, and we were grateful of the shade from the big gums.
Yes please- give us ice!
As has been the case all through this trip, big hills = fabulous scenery and today was no exception. First scenic detour was at Pirates Bay, just before Eaglehawk Neck to see the Tessilated Pavement
Amazing natural formation with ‘pavers’ formed as lava cooled and fractured, only visible at low tide- so our timing was perfect
Once over the neck we climbed (aka pushed) up to the Blow Hole and the Devils Kitchen. Riding through the bush to get to these amazing structures made us think of the convicts on whose backs the roads had been forged.
The Coast down here is totally different to what we’ve been following down the east coast. Craggy, rugged cliffs being pelted by thunderous seas.
The blowhole not really ‘blowing’ with the northerly windsHard to capture the full height and majesty of The Devils Kitchen‘The Arch’
Almost every tourist attraction no matter how remote has its own ‘fish and chip van’. Couldn’t resist the scallops – but again had to (literally) fight off the gulls.
Eating our way around Tasdie one scallop at a time
As we were walking along the cliff tops we came across this little fella- bold as brass and totally un-deterred by us he continued fossicking for his dinner.
Our first ‘live’ furry creature – a bandicoot
Arrived at the Port Arthur holiday Park round 4.30 this afternoon- our 50k ride had taken over 8 hours to complete! With schoolies in residence it looks like we’re in for a noisy couple of nights.
