Ode to Tasmania ~ AUS Post #35
May 3 - 11
Our loop around Tasmania (black line through the NW corner loosely outlines the routes missing from Gaia app.)
Garmin Stats:
Total Distance - 2,278 kilometers/1,416 miles
Total Ascent - 26,908 meters/88,279 feet
Total Time - 183 days
Devonport Bound
Once we descended into the Midlands our travel distance between stops had jumped to 50kms a day with gentler roads, minimal climbing and amazingly good weather. Our final ride was to be about 64km and included a small section of the Tasmanian Trail to cut through the forest and avoid the two major roads into Devonport. For the first 40kms, we planned to follow a route recommended by our North Bruny family. We had been in touch with them a couple days before reaching Deloraine and hoped to meet up with them somewhere along our route that day.
With our new cycling companion alongside, we left Deloraine at a leisurely pace, chatting along the way, taking breaks at historic signs and curious cows, enjoying the rolling countryside and each other’s company.
At the start of our long descent into the valley, where we would turn off to connect with the Tasmanian Trail, a honk from a passing car caught our attention. We quickly realized the excited waves coming from inside were our North Bruny family. They circled around and pulled alongside us before we could call out to our cycling companion now fully embraced in the descent. We spent the next few minutes catching up at the side of the road before they headed off to Cradle Mountain.
A few minutes later, we got a text from our cyclist friend letting us know she would meet up with us again that night in Devonport. After cruising down to the valley, we decided to take a quick lunch break alongside the Mersey River before heading into the forest. Not long after we started riding again, a second text arrived - “after a very big hill, the entrance to the Tassie trail has a locked gate - be prepared to unload or reroute…”
One more Tassie Adventure
We began to mull over whether we had any other options, while pedaling up the “very big hill”. The reality was - there were none - unless we backtracked or succumbed to riding the major highway. It was nearing 3pm and neither seemed like a better option. By the time we reached the locked gate, we had received multiple texts letting us know - “there was not only one locked gate, but two, about 200 meters apart; the dirt track through the forest was rideable; and she had made it out without issue”.
As we stood outside the first 4 foot high, locked metal gate, we both groaned - “whyyy!?” The path was about 8 feet wide lined by fences on both sides and full of waist-high grass with a thin dirt track weaving down the side. As we unloaded all our gear dropping it on the other side, heaved one bike over, then the other only to reload, and then unload again 200 meters later at the end of the paddocks, and the entrance to the forest - it seemed beyond absurd and lessened the appeal of ever doing the entire Tassie trail (however, keys can be picked up when you register to do the trail and returned at the end). The logic of having locked gates on this short narrow strip between paddocks was lost on us. Once the gates were behind us, the dirt track through the forest opened up into a logged section and then popped out onto a road following the Mersey River into Latrobe.
From Latrobe, we rode the river-side bike trail as the sun painted a picture-perfect scene across the landscape, encapsulating just how incredible this entire trip around Tasmania had been for us. Even in our last day, we had a bit of everything that made this adventure so memorable - unexpected connections, new friendships, surprises around every corner, always another hill to push up, and never-ending beauty all around us.
As we rode across the bridge into Devonport, it felt surreal to be back where we started just six months ago, returning with what felt like a lifetime of experiences. We retraced our route along the shoreline underneath the night sky to rejoin our friend at the caravan park and spent the rest of the evening bonding over our gate-jumping escapades and all things that unite adventurers on two wheels.
Closing the Loop
The next morning we lazed around camp enjoying the last few hours in the company of our friend before she left to catch the ferry and continue her journey home. Little did we know our fast friendship would become so much more than we could have ever hoped for.
To celebrate the completion of our Tassie loop, we decided to brunch at the nearby beach cafe with mimosas, eggs benny and an idyllic view of the Bass Strait. It was hard to believe this part of our journey was over - what was expected to take two months, had become six, and yet there was still so much left unexplored.
On our way back to camp, Nivaun wanted to memorialize our journey thus far and let me know he had a plan. Since riding through the West of Tassie, we had each carried a skull atop our handlebar bags, most likely Pademelons whose lives had come to an end at the side the road. Being so close, so often, to animals lying lifeless in varying stages of decay had been a constant reminder that we ourselves were riding a thin line and how precious it was to awake to ride another day. So that afternoon, we walked out to the rocky shoreline to search along the cliffs until we found a protected notch in the rocks and tucked them both into the bush. Unlike them, we had been granted safe passage and for that we were truly grateful.
With our ferry departure still a week away, we decided to book a cabin at our first caravan park, to give us time to clean up ourselves and our gear, and spend some much needed time organizing photos and memories for our blog. On the way, we stopped to visit the couple we first met after arriving in Devonport. It was their welcome that really set the tone for the rest of our travels. All along the way, we met so many amazing people - some appearing at just the right moment, meeting an unforeseen need in ways that we never expected. Before we started our own journey, we watched endless vlogs of other cyclists recounting how bike travel restored their faith in humanity. Each one left me wondering, could that possibly be true for ourselves once we started traveling?
From the moment we landed in Australia, it was as if we had slipped into another reality where exchanges with others are full of curiosity, wonderment and a genuine concern for our well being, either in awe of, or in solidarity for, how we have chosen to live out our days, unstructured and unencumbered.
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To all our hosts & friends across Tasmania ~ May your lives continue to be full of all things wild and wonderful. You are indelibly linked to our most treasured memories of a place that you made feel like home.
Devonport ~ for the welcome dinner at your home.
Boat Harbor - for sharing the history of the area, shuttles to and from the walking tracks, for a cozy spot out of the rain & an unexpected hot meal after a rainy walk.
Smithton - for a rescue from the storm delivering us out of the Tarkine and back to the caravan park.
Montagu - for “volunteering” to be our gear-minders and our first authentic Australian brekkie and BBQ; and reconnecting with us on our departure day.
Robbins Island - for a most unexpected tour of the Island, its history and future, and sharing your musical talent with us.
Queenstown - for a coincidental meeting with a local to help us contact the resident bike mechanic to order new gears and a gourmet Italian dinner; for a historic bike tour around the town from a long-time resident; and for the amazing local bike mechanic that got us perfectly setup for riding the many hills to come.
Gormanston - for giving us shelter from the 3-day storm, an authentic Australia Day, road trips to Rosebery & Tullah, and a lift to drier climates with stops at Lake St. Clair & The Wall; and later our first Australian ute-camping trip to Cockle Creek to ride the most Southern road to its end!
Oyster Cove - for a cozy sheltered paddock, a home-cooked meal & shower, fur babies to cuddle and connecting us to our hosts on Bruny; followed by a return visit and shuttling us to appointments.
North Bruny - for the most scenic camp spot of our trip, farm fresh meals, a bike loop and scenic sunset beach walk; and much needed help navigating the health system.
South Bruny - for our first and best Australian Warm Showers experience ever!
Hobart - for opening your home to us, a family picnic by the river, a trip to Mt. Wellington, our first TIP visit, and accommodating our unexpected, extended stay.
Triabunna - for storing our gear while we visited Maria Island.
Lake Leake - for a warm welcome from the fishing community on Anzac Day.
Devonport - for a lovely “welcome back” dinner!
…And to the many travelers we met along the way - by bike, motorcycle or caravan - thank you for sharing your own stories with us. May your journeys continue to delight each of you beyond your expectations! Cheers!