Tassie on Two Wheels (Autumn '00)

When talking about Tasmania with YHA’ers, one usually thinks of the Overland Track, Walls of Jerusalem etc. But did you know that Tassie is also a wonderful place for cycling? If your answer is yes, you're probably already imagining the long slow climb out of Queenstown or the Elephant Pass on the East Coast.Well you'll be pleasantly surprised to know that there is some less exhausting cycling in the state's north, between Devonport, Launceston and Deloraine.

It was my friend Claire's idea to spend Easter '99 cycle touring in Tassie and I decided I'd like to join her on this adventure. We flew from Melbourne to Devonport on the Thursday night and prayed that our bikes would not be damaged en-route (they weren't). Up bright and early on sunny Good Friday, we left Devonport and headed for the Tamar River, about 80 km east. The countryside was very pretty, very green, and er… hilly - but they were mostly little hills. After 50 km and a very big hill we arrived at Frankland - only to find that the general store had shut at noon. If you thought Melbourne was quiet on Good Friday, Tasmania looks like it's packed up and gone away for the weekend. So we did what any sensible cycle-tourist would do. We set up the Trangia stove on the side of the road and cooked pasta for lunch. Claire asked a local if we could fill our water bottles and soon we were on our way. We spotted a magnificent apple tree just down the road but alas there stood a blackberry bush between us and the tree - damn. We reached Exeter mid-afternoon and feasted on potato cakes, then cruised along some gorgeous back roads along the banks of the Tamar. We bush-camped behind a Church camp and cooked more pasta for dinner. Saturday was another gorgeous day, perfect for a day-tour around the Tamar. We did 60 km, visiting Deviot, the Batman Bridge, church-grounds at Sidmouth and the fruit winery at Hillwood. We treated ourselves to a lovely lunch at a restaurant near Hillwood, then visited a couple of wineries on the Tamar's north-western shore. Tassie wines are unfortunately rather expensive and there just wasn't room in the panniers for a bottle - so we just "tasted". We stocked up on fresh fruit and veg at Deviot. One of the delights of Tassie is the honesty system: where you put your money in a box and take the produce. Our vendor was at home though so we had personal service. We cooked up a feast but unfortunately weren't too vigilant with our food bags that night. We wonder how long that possum spent burping capsicum? We were up early enough on Easter Sunday to see the Easter Bunny hiding chocolate eggs for the Church-campers. The thought crossed our minds that we could steal these eggs, but honesty got the better of us. The gorgeous weather was too good to last, so today we had drizzle. We packed up our camp and ambled along the lower reaches of the Tamar, home to some more great wineries. A late lunch of meat pies at Legana was followed by a 50 km stretch up, up and eventually down. We stopped at Westbury for more stodgy hot food and then hit the road for the final leg into Deloraine. Deloraine is a very pretty little town and my only regret was not having had the chance to spend more time there. We enjoyed a pub dinner and comfy beds at the Deloraine Youth Hostel - the only place where we weren't viewed as being mad for wanting to cycle in Tasmania.

Well what's Easter without rain? It bucketed down on Monday but as we had planes to catch we had no option but to ride on. We arrived at Railton looking and feeling like drowned rats. A hot chocolate later we were feeling human again and the rain had stopped. We headed for Latrobe where we visited several antique shops and enjoyed a hearty lunch. The final leg was to Devonport Airport and we made the fatal mistake of asking a Tasmanian if the road had any hills. "Just a bit of a rise at the end", he said. That "bit of a rise" was the steepest hill of our entire journey! So steep we had to get off and walk. Soon we were back at the airport, deflating tyres, changing out of wet bike shorts, and reflecting on our adventure. We covered nearly 300 km in four days, carried all our food and camping gear on our bikes, and enjoyed some lovely scenery.

So next time you're planning a trip to Tasmania, take your bike.