Richmond to Triabunna

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.

See Full Ride Details

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.