The Rail Trails
So, The Surf Cost and Tasmania are done and dusted. I was very impressed with the rail trail from Warrnambool to Port Fairy that I saw earlier, and searched for other similar trails.
Later on I was in a cafe eating lunch and reading the newspaper the Herald Sun, I came across this gem, which I wish I'd seen before:
The discerning among you will noticed the newspaper is dated 1 April! But it's not a joke. These trails really do exist!
I would love to ride all of them. But there are some practical issues. Is it easy to get to the end of each trail? Is there a camp site along or at the end of the trail? Is there a railway station somewhere nearby (ahem, a working one that is)?
These Rail Trails turned out to be good candidates:
- Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail: Tallarook to Mansfield (with a branch to Alexandra)
- Murray to Mountains Rail Trail: Wangaratta to Bright (with a branch to Beechworth). How could I miss out on that one?
- Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail
I discounted Bairnsdale to Orbost as it would be very difficult to get to the start. I could have gone through the mountains from Bright but I was limited for time anyway.
That and the others I will have to save for another day.
The Ride
The previous day I had got a bus from Launceston to Devonport (dropping me off at the Ferry terminal) and stayed at the Tasman Caravan Park again like the first day of arrival.
So today was simply a short ride to the Ferry terminal taking about 5 minutes.
Because it was a daytime ferry, I enjoyed the trip a lot more. It was amazing to see the pinch point in Port Philip bay, with land close by on both sides, and then see the land totally disappear. That bay is so large it is incredible.
Ferry Terminal to Southern Cross Station
Then at Melbourne I had another short ride across part of the City to get to Southern Cross Station. There is a cycle path for most of this, which is a relief as I really didn't know what I was doing, with the phone battery dead and my Garmin GPS city map being useless.
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After that, a train journey back to Woodend, and time for a rest before the next adventure!
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| Before | |
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| After |
For comparison purposes, before and after photos of my trip to Tasmania.
The Characters
Getting off the Ferry, I saw a man who was obviously a cyclist, He was carrying Vaude cycle bags, was dressed like a cyclist but had no bike. I asked him where his bike was. He said that he had gone to Tasmania to cycle tour, and on the first night in Devonport, a thief had stolen his bike leaving him with just his tent and belongings. So he had to abandon and come straight back.
He had left his bike locked to a rack away from his tent. During the night the thief lifted the whole rack and took 3 bikes. This poor man, I felt his pain.
This reminded me that I had been a little fortunate only to have had a battery charger stolen. There really is no security at camp sites. Tents cannot be locked. Bikes often have to be left free standing as there is nothing to lock them to. I got away with locking the bike (wheel/frame) and also locking it to the side of the tent, hoping I'd be woken if someone tried to take it.
The Ride
It was on a bus. The driver was crazy, throwing the bus everywhere. My bike was in a trailer being towed by the bus. I expected carnage when he opened it up. There was some damage but not enough to file a complaint.
The Camp Site - Treasure Island Cabin & Caravan Park
Official Web Site
This is a large city and the caravan park is right by a very busy road. I eventually got some sleep but don't expect the peace and tranquillity of the rest of Tasmania! The park is expensive.
After enjoying the whole trip without any security mishaps, I got my vital phone battery charger stolen from the camp kitchen overnight. I didn't think anyone would steal a battery charger but I was wrong. Although I could get a replacement in Launceston, I arrived on a Saturday evening and it was closed Sunday. So I had to go back to the mainland with no phone battery.
The Camp Kitchen and Toilet are a bit close together.
My tent and the crash barrier for the Midland Highway behind it. It should be mentioned that I enjoyed 20 dry days in a row since the 6 days of rain ending at Queenstown. So the tent was no longer waterproof but I got away with it for 3 weeks.
The Town - Launceston
I think this was my fourth time here so I had established where to eat, and how to get around by now. It was feeling like a second home! It's quite a way from the camp site to the city centre so I used the bike. It was by now in a terrible way. I was afraid of permanently damaging the back wheel beyond repair. Spokes were falling off everywhere!
The Characters
To the thief who nicked my phone battery charger, don't cross my path as long as you live!
The Ride
The best ride of all, saved till last. All the way along the coast. No big hills, a long ride of 47 Miles but most enjoyable.
See Full Ride Details
The Camp Site - BIG4 St Helens Holiday Park
Official Web Site
I try to avoid BIG4 holiday parks wherever possible. They are great for families with children, but for a lone cycling tourist they are expensive and unnecessary. You are looking at $40 a night here. However there is no other choice within the town.
End of the Tour
My bike problem with the back wheel turned out to be loose spokes. I didn't carry a spoke tool to correct this, the whole back wheel was basically falling apart. The nearest bike shop was Launceston. Fortunately there was a bus from St. Helens to Launceston, and I could take the bike on it.
The spokes were coming loose because the wheels had been rebuilt at Castlemaine just before the tour of Tasmania. The mechanic warned this could happen but I didn't have any running in time before leaving for Tasmania.
So that was basically that, I had run out of time and after Launceston got the bus again back to Devonport and got a day ferry back which was much better than the outward night time ferry.
So by being forced to finish early, I avoided some murderous hills around Scottsdale ( I drove up this hill later!)
The Ride
Another pleasant day with just one hill of around 170m in the centre. Not along the coast like yesterday, but still pleasant enough.
See Full Ride Details
A view coming down the only hill of the day...
I noticed some noise on my back wheel as the ride ended. It didn't sound good.
The Camp Site - Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park
Official Web Site
Actually there's plenty of choice in Bicheno with a Big4 holiday park and backpackers place too. This park has a good camp kitchen.
The Town - Bicheno
Pronounced "Bish-eno" (Don't say "Bitch-eno" whatever you do), is a good size, with a few shops, restaurants and places to stay. It has a Tourist info place and there are some attractions such as the blowhole, that are well worth seeing.
The Characters
Unbelievably, the Garden Gnome was waiting for me as I rolled into Bicheno. He was the first person I saw as I arrived. Nicely he directed me to the camp site and gave me a few tips about what to do there. I was too tired to listen much, just needed food and a good shower!
In the camp kitchen I met a couple of children who were really well behaved and polite. I got to know that family who were so interested in what I was doing, cycling around Tasmania. The children really wanted to see what my bike was like fully laden and the boy wanted to see if he could lift it up.
At the time I was leaving, I went round to see them, and he couldn't even move the bike let alone lift it! Then waved me off, as I made my last leg to St. Helens.
The Ride
Today was a nice ride up the East coast to Swansea. Only one hill of around 100m, it is nice to be on the East coast which is relatively flat!
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There are nice beaches to stop at...
... and glorious views of Freycinet, the national park seen as mounds in the distance.
The Camp Site - Swansea Beach Chalets
Official Web Site
This is on Shaw St, so when you get into Swansea, follow the road left at the IGA, continue for a short while and turn up Shaw St. on the right. This is not to be confused with Swansea Holiday Park (Shouten Beach) which does not support tents.
There is only room for a few tents here so it is imperative to book ahead, or else you will be wild camping!
(Or, if you are super-fit like the British Garden Gnome cyclist, you can go on to Bicheno!)
The Town - Swansea
It is a small town with a good sized IGA, some places to eat and some very nice beaches. A nice place to stop.
The Characters
The "Garden Gnome" cyclist turned up here again. Only this time he could not get a place to camp as he arrived after me. So off he went to Bicheno, only another 27 miles!
The Ride
I had originally planned to head to Port Arthur and the Tasman National Park today, but that whole area was still closed off due to Bush Fires, so I proceeded towards Triabunna and the East coast.
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03:52:55 40.9 10.5 34.6
It all starts very nicely out of Richmond, then at the 10 mile mark there appears this almost vertical wall in front of you. That is a 222m climb initially then some further climbs after. The hills have frightening names. Black Charlie's Opening, Bust-Me-Gall Hill and Break-Me-Neck Hill.
The first hill was the worst. I stopped at Runnymede for refreshments at the cafe. There I finally caught up with a British touring cyclist I'd been following since Richmond. When he saw the size of me and the weight of the bike, his first question was "How the hell did you get up there? [Black Charlie's opening] He went on towards Triabunna as I sat down for a well deserved lunch.
Black Charlie's opening was a tortuous hill, I had to go in the lowest gear almost all the way up it at around 4 or 5 mph.
Buckland to Orford was frightening too. This is the section the Giro guide said was narrow and dangerous. It follows a river bank on the left, protected by a crash barrier, along a narrow road favoured by trucks. So basically there was nowhere to go if a truck got to you with someone coming the other way. I just rode flat out and hoped few would have to overtake me. In the event, none did.
The Camp Site - Triabunna Cabin & Caravan Park
Official Web Site
This site only has a small grass area for tents so it is a good idea to reserve ahead of arrival. Quite a few cycling tourists had arrived here the night I was there. I started to realise that some of the guys I spoke to had met some of the other cyclists I had seen in other places. It was like a big family.
The Town - Triabunna
This town is the gateway to Maria Island - Pronounced "Mariah", this island has no cars and a couple of camp sites. Had I not been so strapped for time, I really wanted to visit this island. The ferry leaves from Triabunna a few times daily. Oh well, next time!
The town is well equipped with an IGA, hardware store and Post Office.
The Characters
The Garden Gnome - The British cycling tourist, fit as a a fiddle, older than me, and described how he cycled south of Deloraine into mountains much bigger than I'd yet seen. He kept popping up in various places after this! After our first meeting in Runnymede, he was waiting for me at the camp site in Triabunna, telling me how he'd booked a nice cabin for the night.
The Ride
Cathy was kind enough to give me a lift to Richmond where I started the ride. Today was extremely hot, around 35C and it was hard going.
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After reaching Hobart I had to cross the colossal Tasman Bridge. For cyclists and pedestrians there is a very narrow lane, caged from either side and just wide enough for my handlebars.
That view above was looking back where I had come from. It was an incredible challenge to keep straight on this very long bridge. And I met a couple of cyclists going the wrong way, they had to lift their bikes over me to get past.
Still the view was quite amazing from the bridge.
There were 2 hills of around 200m climb and the second one, approaching Richmond was particularly energy sapping in the hot sun. That was OK though, according to my guide books, the camp site had a swimming pool!
The Camp Site - Richmond Cabin & Tourist Park
Official Web Site
Ahhh.. where is that swimming pool? I need it now!!
"Sorry it's closed. The camp site is under administration and the administrators decided to close the pool".
That was the reply from reception when I arrived. Damn damn damn damn !!!!!!! Really nothing was going to endear me to this camp site now. It was grubby, and it had a grubby camp kitchen, which the delightful Preying Mantis took a liking to.
The Town - Richmond
For some reason I didn't take any photos.I did have a quick look around, quite touristy, and some old buildings.
The next day (18th February 2013) was even hotter, I think this was the hottest day of my Tasmanian tour. It was 37C I believe, and I decided it was silly to ride. So I took a day off and relaxed at the camp site and in the town sampling the bakeries. Unfortunately I left my thermometer at the camp site and couldn't record temperatures after this.
The Ride
The ride back to the ferry was very nice but more hilly that I had remembered. I didn't have much spare time to catch the Ferry.
After that I headed back towards Hobart with no real plan about where to stay. If I was tired I knew there was a camp site at Snug, or I could go further and stay in Hobart again. In the end I was really tired at Snug and stopped there.
See Full Ride Details
Saying goodbye to the lovely beaches of Bruny Island, looking over to Tasmania
Australians seem to have a fascination with white cars. I was quite amused to notice this.
The Camp Site - Snug Beach Caravan Park
This caravan park is especially expensive so be aware of this. The camp site is perfectly good, and has a fine camp kitchen, and a nice beach to walk along. They don't allow anyone to arrive after 7pm in the Summer, so you are up Shit Creek as a cyclist if you get here after 7.
A few weeks after this visit I was back in the area driving, and called this camp site to see if I could arrive around 7.30pm to put up a tent. Their answer from the miserable owner was categorically no. Despite them having all the space in the world for a car and tent, I had to drive on much further to Cygnet where there was a camp site for $8 instead of this one at $30, and who let me arrive at 9pm no problem.
The Beach is rather nice here though. The tent area is at risk of flooding I have heard. Best to put up a tent in the higher ground rather than right by the water.
The Town - Snug
There is an IGA and a Servo here so you can stock up on anything you need.
The Characters
I met some very kind people here. A couple from NSW who owned a suite of fitness centres befriended me and they cooked dinner for me. I've rarely met such driven people. The guy had automated all his fitness centres and used his iPhone to check the security cameras at any of them. Entry was controlled by finger print so it was not staffed except for personal training and introductions during the day. He emphasised to me the importance of eating protein. His partner was more an expert on stretching techniques and Yoga. They had met in the gym, obviously!
I met Cathy in the camp kitchen. She was kind enough to take me to a really spectacular cafe overlooking the sea, and we had a tour around the area and met her daughter who was visiting. One sunny afternoon was spend on the beach having a picnic with her family, which was a particularly fine way to spend the afternoon. Then Cathy was heading in the Kingston direction and gave me a lift there, which helped propel me to Richmond the next day.
The Ride
Bruny Island is not part of the "Giro Tasmania" but I was tempted to go there by recommendations from others. The ride is along quite busy roads, even taking the Sandy Bay road near the coast. The first ride was to "The Neck" camp site.
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The road to Kingston is hilly and dangerous in places. I was forced off the road by a bus that overtook me, realised it was having a head on and pulled in. That was probably the most dangerous moment of my trip.
I caught the Ferry at Kettering to get across to Bruny Island.
The Ferry doesn't take long, just a few minutes.
From there there's a few more hills before getting to the flat area between the North and South parts of the island.
There's a tribute to a famous Aboriginal woman Truganini whose family were murdered by colonialists and who was disgracefully treated herself.
The pinch point is especially good for photos with 2 difference beaches coming together, and there is even a lookout place built for this and a place to watch turtles.
The Camp Site - The Neck
I had intended to get to the Captain James Cook Caravan Park at Adventure Bay, but
that was just a bit too far and I'd had enough. I later found out that
was fully booked this first night anyway so I would have had to return
to The Neck.
Exhausted, the first night I stopped at The Neck, a free camp site. Oops - it's not free. I didn't notice. You are supposed to place donations into an envelope and post it in a box.
But there is nothing there. No water, drop toilets. What are you paying for?? Camp sites like this are free in the rest of Australia. Come on guys.
The Hostel - William Carte Drive
The next day I cycled a short distance to Alonnah to find a new place to stay.
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The next 2 nights I stayed at a hostel in Alonnah. I basically had the room to myself. The hostel was really nice and even had resident parrots. It was run by an English chap called Bernard. Sorry I don't remember the name, but it was on William Carte Drive, Alonnah.
The Water Shortage
The Neck camp site promised water in the Camps 6 book. However there was no water. The whole island was dry in fact. I had to beg for water off various people. At shops, and from people with RV's (Campervans). See them under "Characters"!
The Characters
A special mention must go to the woman who works in the Store at Alonnah (the place that used to be a Servo). I asked for water very politely and explained I was cycle touring and I had run out. She said "Well, we have to pay for our water.... ", and ummed and arred with much sucking of air through teeth. I managed to get a litre out of her very begrudging clutches.
Still that was better than the store at Adventure Bay. Driven even further by commercial demands than by compassion for fellow humans on bikes, they flatly refused to give me water when I had once again run out and told me to buy bottled water at top rates.
One guy who came up trumps was a campervan owner at The Neck. I asked him for water and he said, yeah no problem. He proceeded to unravel a shower head from the back of the van and used it to fill my bottles! I drank it but boy I was desperate!
I met an American guy, John from New Jersey, who decided to canoe to Hobart. I think he had already canoed around half of Tasmania, he was totally crazy and wasn't aware of currents, tides and didn't have any emergency equipment such as radio, phone, flares, buoyancy aids.
At one point he pulled up outside a millionaire's home, and tried to go through the garden with his canoe. However he was stopped by savage guard dogs. Undeterred he managed to scramble over the walls and fences with his canoe in the next door neighbours yard.
I really expected him to be on the news, dead or missing. I wish him the best! We spent a day cycling around Bruny Island and it was good fun.
I met Lee again, who I previously saw at Mole Creek. She was doing photography on the Island, a great place to do it.
Adventure Bay
I did a tour round the Island, covering Adventure Bay amongst other places.
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This is where Captain James Cook landed. It is the most popular area of Bruny, and a very beautiful bay. There is a well stocked store here (including plenty of bottled water ahem) and the Caravan Park.
At the end of the bay is the remains of an old camp site, now reclaimed by nature and the lovely albino wallabies. (The camp site was destroyed by a careless camper who started a bush fire that destroyed most of the peninsula).
Mt. Mangana
John (the crazy American canoeist) and I continued the tour of Bruny, cycling across the South island crossing the mountain in the centre, Mt. Mangana. A dirt track road rising 430m it was incredibly steep in places. In fact the Hostel owner Bernard said there was no way we could cycle it. How could I refuse that? We got up it with a few breathers.
Coming down from the mountain, my disc brakes started to overheat. This has never happened before, or since. The effect is first a burning smell,. then the brakes start to work less effectively, and the brake disc was glowing. Because of this we had to slow down a lot on the descent. Kangaroos were jumping out from everywhere so it was a good idea anyway.
