Apr 5: A Meander Through the Meander Valley

Today was a short day, just 50km. That was good because my back decided to give me some problems. I’ve been doing stretches every morning, but I guess, coupled with yesterday’s climbing, it wasn’t enough. 

 

I was hoping I wouldn’t have to leave Launceston on the main highway. Thanks to the Pocket Earth app I have on my iPad, I saw that I didn’t have to. It was still a climb to get out of Launceston, but at least not on the main highway. The road was B54, but it is also called the Meander Hwy. It pretty much paralleled the Bass Hwy, going through all the small towns along the way to Deloraine. 

 

The first town was not exactly on B54, but I went through it anyway. It was Hadspen. There wasn’t much there. Next up was Carrick. I stopped for a snack. There was this cool building. 

Building in Carrick

 

 

The region was where the flour mills used to be. In Westbury, the largest town (along with Deloraine) had a bakery that I stopped at. On the wall was information telling about the milling history. 

Old Hotel in Westbury

 

 

I arrived in Deloraine at noon. The caravan park that I’m staying at is on the Meander River. I’m camped about 10 feet from the edge of the river. A couple of black swans keep paddling by. The caretaker says there are platypus in the river. Hopefully, I’ll see them this evening. 

My campsite by the Meander River

 

 

 

Tomorrow I’ll make it back to Devonport. Unfortunately, it looks like I will have to do a short stretch on the Bass Hwy. It looks like only about 5km, then I can get off onto another “B” road. It would be nice if my back feels better...

Apr 4: I Think I Did More Climbing

Remember when I said I was going to go to Launceston via Lilydale? It was supposed to be less climbing, well, at least I wouldn’t have to do the 6km climb.  It’s true, I didn’t have to do THAT climb, but I had several others.

 

I got my usual (since the time change) start this morning. For the first time last night, I used my ear plugs. The road noise, and the Rodney-yelling-at-Niles noise warranted some ear pluggage. 

 

Not wanting to do the steep climb up into Scottsdale, I went back to the trail. I traded 1km of steep uphill for 3km of slightly down (after getting back up to the trail) and flat. It was a good exchange. Plus, I popped out right at the road I wanted to head to Lilydale. 

Lingering fog on the trail

 

 

At first it was quite nice downhill. I was thinking, wow, this is great! I’m so glad I went this way! Plus, because it was a “B” road, there were no logging trucks...really, very little trucks at all. 

 

Then it started getting more roller-like, only it seemed the downhills were shorter, distance wise than the uphills. But, I thought, at least I don’t have that steep climb with all the trucks and traffic! 

 

The rollers kept coming. Finally, I came down into Lilydale. It was close to noon, so I stopped and got a sandwich. Lilydale is known for their painted poles. Here’s some. 

Painted poles of Lilydale

 

 

I talked to a nice couple while I was eating. They said they had passed me on the road. I told them I get that a lot.

 

With 27km to Launceston, the hills kept coming. Oh, it wasn’t anything really terrible, just a lot of them. It was also pretty warm for a change. Finally I crested a hill, and could see Launceston in the distance. From there it was a long downhill to the East Tamar Hwy where I turned for more downhill toward the city center. 

Launceston down there

 

 

Because I was coming into town from a different direction, I really had no idea where I was. I just kept following the signs for the city center. Just as the road was getting quite freeway-like, I spied a bike path. I followed the path all the way until it went through Royal Park, and ended at a college. 

 

I decided my best course of action was to go to the Visitor Center. There I could inquire about where to stay.

 

At the VC, the lady checked the various backpackers, but they were all booked. I asked about camping somewhere near where I would be leaving town tomorrow. She said there was a Big 4 in Glen Dhu. That meant nothing to me, but she told me how to get there, and it is indeed on my way for tomorrow (I just need to see if there is a way I can get to the old highway without going on the “dual carriageway”). 

 

I’m really not a fan of bigger cities. Hobart, although larger, seemed quite easy to navigate. Of course, that probably was because I had Dorothy and Greg to help me. Launceston just seems like a big, busy city. Also, the Big 4 Holiday Park is nothing special (unless you like freeway noise), yet is by far the most expensive place I’ve stayed at ($44).

 

 

Tomorrow I’m on to Deloraine, then back to Devonport the next day.

Apr 3: A Most Pleasant Surprise

I hit the road at 7:20 this morning.

Why did the cow cross the road?

I knew I had a climb right off the bat. Up I went, and before I knew it, I was at the top of Weld Hill. I said to myself, “That’s it?” However, the descent was amazing! It even made me think I could go all the way to Launceston (even though I knew it was 116km). I thought, if I could get to Scottsdale by 11:30, I would look at the elevation for Scottsdale to Launceston, and perhaps go on. 

 

I went through Moorina (a golf course masquerading as a town), Derby (the mountain bike mecca of Australia—yes, there were lots of Mtn bikers there), and Branxholm. I stopped for a break in Branxholm. Across the street was a lovely park that had free camping. If only I had known, I may have gone there yesterday instead of stopping in Weldborough.

 

Today’s terrain was quite rolling. Up down, up down, and up down some more. While there was virtually no traffic to start with, it really started picking up. There were numerous log trucks, and it wasn’t much fun. Then I saw the best sign ever. It said, “Rail Trail 300m”. Then I remembered Bob saying something about a rail trail when I was in Hobart. 

 

I got to the start of the trail. There was this sign saying, “Take the Rail Trail to Scottsdale!” Well, how about that! I was going to Scottsdale! The sign said it was 26.2km to Scottsdale. 

Well, sure!

 

 

The Northeast Tas Rail Trail was amazing! It was a dirt/gravel trail that, surprise, used to be the NE Tas Rail line. The direction I was going was almost entirely downhill. It reminded me of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, only not quite as improved (or, maybe, maintained). It was the best part of the day, and ranks up there as my favorite part of Tassie! Instead of riding along with log trucks barreling by me, I was riding through beautiful fern forest way above the highway. There were places I suspect one could camp, with a shelter and picnic table. They were the old “stations”.

A most awesome ride

 

More trail awesomeness

 

One of the Station shelters

 

 

Eventually, I came down to the level of the highway. I crossed the highway a couple of times. This part of the trail was pretty flat, and much more gravelly. Still, it was better than being on the highway.

 

I came to a sign the said “Free camping, with toilets and showers, 700m”. Now, remember, I said I was possibly going to go on to Launceston. So, I pulled out my Cycling Australia book, and looked at the elevation for tomorrow. Uh, no, I would NOT be going on to Launceston today. Besides, it was already almost 12:30. It would have been another 64km with a 6km steep climb. I followed the path to the park where the camping was free. It was a little tricky, but I managed to end up in the park. 

 

It’s a very nice park. There are several people camping here. I met Rodney and his less-than-stellar son Niles (he kept dumping pots of water right where I wanted to put my tent). Rodney was quite the talker. He offered to drive me and my bike to Launceston for $20 (for fuel). While I do feel he was an okay guy, I declined his offer. Besides, I now think I can make it to Devonport without taking a bus from Launceston. The other guy I met was Steve. He was a nice older gentleman who I met while I was exploring for a better way to get back to the trail tomorrow.

 

   

I had walked into town, up a very very steep hill, to a Take Away for some food. I initially planned to just take the road in the morning, but I do not want to go up that hill! I asked the guy in the Take Away where the Rail Trail came out. It is just down the road. Then he told me it would be better (and about the same distance) to go to Launceston via Lilydale. I would avoid the busy Tasman Highway, and I would also avoid the 6km climb. Sounds good to me! It means I will come into Launceston in a different place, but that’s no problem. So, I will go back to the trail, and I will go via Lilydale. Should be an okay day.

Apr 2: A Change in Terrain and a Change in Scenery

I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to Cam and Will this morning, but we had a nice evening last night, talking about our experiences on Tassie. I did realize that, with the time change, my riding day needs to be done by about 5:45 to have enough time to set up in the daylight. It was pretty well dark by 6:30 last night. 

 

I slept pretty good, even though there was a heavy snorer next door. That person seriously needs a CPAP machine! There was definitely stoppage of breathing! Reminded me of my dad before he got his CPAP machine.

 

While the day was sunny, the wind had kicked up pretty strong early on. I decided to skip Binalong Bay, and get going on the day’s climbing. The good news is that my calves, which were very sore from hiking Wineglass Bay, have mostly recovered. 

 

I said goodbye to the The Great Eastern Touring Route, and hello to the North East Touring Route. No more coastline until Devonport now. 

Goodbye East Coast

 

 

Climbing away from the Coast, I came to an area called Goshen  Scenic Pastures. Now, I’ve never heard of a Scenic Pasture (although I’ve definitely seen some). However, it was quite pretty, all green and hilly like. 

Land O’ Goshen Scenic Pastures

 

 

Before the long climb of 8km, there was a roadhouse. I stopped to fortify myself for the climb. There wasn’t a huge selection, but I had some cookies and a Coke. 

 

My biggest concern was not the climb itself, but the wind. Along the valley before the climb, the wind was brutal. Fortunately, the main part of the climb was not too windy. It wasn’t until I got to the last couple of kilometers that it was more exposed, and therefore more windy. 

I had been way down there!

 

 

The wind was really howling at the top. I stopped to put my jacket on for the descent, and also took the Da Brim off my helmet. 

 

About 3/4 of the way down, there was a short little walk in the forest. I stopped and did it. It was a forest of fern trees and myrtle wood trees. I saw a wallaby crashing through the underbrush. It was a nice, short break from riding.

A walk through the fern forest

 

 

My destination for the day was Weldborough. I’ve now entered the Mountain Bike Mecca of Tassie. There are lots of trails, and tons of mountain bikers. In Weldborough there is camping behind the pub. I’d heard it was free, but it really costs $10. It’s fine. There are showers and toilets, and it’s quite nice...worth the $10. I wanted to get some food, but they were very busy, and the kitchen closed at 3:00. Even though I came in before 2:00, they were already not taking anymore food orders because it was already an hour’s wait for food. However, the lady told me to come back before 3:00, and she would make me some chips. I did, and she made me a big bowl of sweet potato wedges. They were quite filling. 

Oh wait...these aren’t mountain bikes!

 

 

It’s so popular, they even have racks for the bikes

 

   

The mountain bikers have mostly cleared out. Today was a public holiday, but I suspect most people have to go back to work tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will continue to work my way toward Launceston. I think today’s long climb was the last climb of that length. I have a climb tomorrow, but it’s not as long.

Apr 3: A Most Pleasant Surprise

I hit the road at 7:20 this morning.

Why did the cow cross the road?

I knew I had a climb right off the bat. Up I went, and before I knew it, I was at the top of Weld Hill. I said to myself, “That’s it?” However, the descent was amazing! It even made me think I could go all the way to Launceston (even though I knew it was 116km). I thought, if I could get to Scottsdale by 11:30, I would look at the elevation for Scottsdale to Launceston, and perhaps go on. 

 

I went through Moorina (a golf course masquerading as a town), Derby (the mountain bike mecca of Australia—yes, there were lots of Mtn bikers there), and Branxholm. I stopped for a break in Branxholm. Across the street was a lovely park that had free camping. If only I had known, I may have gone there yesterday instead of stopping in Weldborough.

 

Today’s terrain was quite rolling. Up down, up down, and up down some more. While there was virtually no traffic to start with, it really started picking up. There were numerous log trucks, and it wasn’t much fun. Then I saw the best sign ever. It said, “Rail Trail 300m”. Then I remembered Bob saying something about a rail trail when I was in Hobart. 

 

I got to the start of the trail. There was this sign saying, “Take the Rail Trail to Scottsdale!” Well, how about that! I was going to Scottsdale! The sign said it was 26.2km to Scottsdale. 

Well, sure!

 

 

The Northeast Tas Rail Trail was amazing! It was a dirt/gravel trail that, surprise, used to be the NE Tas Rail line. The direction I was going was almost entirely downhill. It reminded me of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, only not quite as improved (or, maybe, maintained). It was the best part of the day, and ranks up there as my favorite part of Tassie! Instead of riding along with log trucks barreling by me, I was riding through beautiful fern forest way above the highway. There were places I suspect one could camp, with a shelter and picnic table. They were the old “stations”.

A most awesome ride

 

More trail awesomeness

 

One of the Station shelters

 

 

Eventually, I came down to the level of the highway. I crossed the highway a couple of times. This part of the trail was pretty flat, and much more gravelly. Still, it was better than being on the highway.

 

I came to a sign the said “Free camping, with toilets and showers, 700m”. Now, remember, I said I was possibly going to go on to Launceston. So, I pulled out my Cycling Australia book, and looked at the elevation for tomorrow. Uh, no, I would NOT be going on to Launceston today. Besides, it was already almost 12:30. It would have been another 64km with a 6km steep climb. I followed the path to the park where the camping was free. It was a little tricky, but I managed to end up in the park. 

 

It’s a very nice park. There are several people camping here. I met Rodney and his less-than-stellar son Niles (he kept dumping pots of water right where I wanted to put my tent). Rodney was quite the talker. He offered to drive me and my bike to Launceston for $20 (for fuel). While I do feel he was an okay guy, I declined his offer. Besides, I now think I can make it to Devonport without taking a bus from Launceston. The other guy I met was Steve. He was a nice older gentleman who I met while I was exploring for a better way to get back to the trail tomorrow.

 

 

I had walked into town, up a very very steep hill, to a Take Away for some food. I initially planned to just take the road in the morning, but I do not want to go up that hill! I asked the guy in the Take Away where the Rail Trail came out. It is just down the road. Then he told me it would be better (and about the same distance) to go to Launceston via Lilydale. I would avoid the busy Tasman Highway, and I would also avoid the 6km climb. Sounds good to me! It means I will come into Launceston in a different place, but that’s no problem. So, I will go back to the trail, and I will go via Lilydale. Should be an okay day.

Apr 1: A Trifecta and a Story

First a penguin update. Last night I made my way down to the place where the penguins are supposed to come ashore at last light. I sat a the picnic table with a couple from central Queensland. We waited and waited for the little penguins to come ashore. Other people were walking around, shining lights (a no no if the penguins are to come ashore), and making too much noise. I guess those people didn’t read the rules. Anyway, while we didn’t see any penguins, we did provide a nice dinner for the blood sucking mozzies. 

 

Earlier in the evening, I had a great conversation with a young man who is a snake handler. When people have a snake in their yard, or wherever a snake is not supposed to be, he gets a call and goes out to capture the snake. I told him of all the jobs in the world, that would be the LAST job I would ever do! He said he has never been bitten, but his boots have been venomized many times!

 

So, onto today...The trifecta of today’s title comes from the fact that not only is it Easter today, but it is also April Fool’s Day, AND the time changed to Standard Time (the sun came up at 6:00 instead of 7:00!). As I’ve said before, Easter is a big deal here. Good Friday is almost an even bigger deal. I was lucky that the Easter Bunny visited me too, and left me these Cadbury Caramello eggs (okay, not really...I bought them at the IGA in Bicheno).

Easter treats!

 

 

The time changing was good in that I was on the road an hour earlier than usual. It was bad in that a place I kind of wanted to visit not far out of Bicheno did not open until 9:00. I was kind of waffling anyway. The place was called Natureworld. It was a sanctuary. I’ve seen many of the animals they have, so I didn’t feel too bad about missing it.

 

The ride was 75km to St. Helens (no volcano here). Today was probably the flattest ride I’ve had my entire time on Tassie. Tomorrow it is back into the mountains. It was overcast, but there were some nice beaches. Here’s some photos of Four Mile Creek Beach. There were lots of free camping beaches along the way. Most were packed with Easter Holiday campers.

Four Mile Creek Beach

 

Four Mile

 

 

I at one of the Discovery Holiday Parks again (stayed in one at Cradle Mtn). It is pretty well packed here, but I’ve got a little patch of ground. Cam and Will, who I met in Strahan are here too! They are the couple from Seattle. I think I mentioned them in my post from there. They head to Hobart tomorrow to turn in their van and head for home.

 

So, now for the story...

 

The following story is true, not an April Fool’s joke. I will call it “Leapfrogging With Daniel”

 

I was riding along today when up in the distance I could see another person. Slowly, I caught up to him. As I passed him, we said hello, and I said what a nice day it was for a ride. Then I pulled on ahead. Further down the road, I was going up a short hill, when the guy caught up to me. I said to him how he was pretty fast. We talked a little bit about where I was going. I told him St. Helens. He said I had about 40 km to go. 

 

 

Once again, I pulled ahead. I continued riding. At Four Mile Creek Lookout, I pulled off to take a couple of photos. As I was getting back on Tilmann, I saw the guy go by. I pulled back out onto the highway. Slowly, but surely I was reeling him in again. He’d pull ahead a bit when there was a rise, but I’d get closer on the flat. It took me about 5 or 10 minutes, but I finally caught up to him again. This time I took a photo. When I came up to him, I said he was amazing! I asked his name. It was Daniel. I told him mine. I told him this would make a great story for my blog...I told him what my blog was. He was turning off just up the road at Falmouth. He still had to go back to where he started. Oh... one thing I forgot to mention...he was RUNNING! I might be Super Biker Woman, but he is definitely Super Running Man!

Daniel aka Super Running Man

Mar 31: Blow Hole and Possible Penguin Sighting

Last night I heard snuffling near my tent again. I got out to see what it was, and it was a large wombat. I was hoping for a bandicoot, as I haven’t seen one of those yet. In my getting in/out of my tent, I must have inadvertently invited a mosquito into my tent. I have a hard and fast rule that no insects are allowed in my tent. Of course, I didn’t know the interloper had come in until I was laying in my sleeping bag and heard the high-pitched whine near my ear. I turned on my headlamp, searching for the offender. I saw him, and squashed him...so I thought. Just after I had started to drift off to sleep, there it was again! Dang! I tried again to end its life. The cagey little bugger evaded me once more. Now, you might be thinking why bother? Why not just go to sleep and ignore it. Well, apparently, the mozzies here carry a virus called Ross Valley Virus. While there is only symptomatic treatment, it causes painful joint swelling, and otherwise makes one miserable. I certainly don’t need that! So, I was determined to kill the thing. I was finally successful, and managed a few more hours of sleep.

 

Today’s ride was very short, just 42km. I did stop at the Pondering Frog Cafe again for a mid-morning snack as it was 29km in and I was ready for a break. I also thanked he owner again for helping me ring the NP to see about a space. The cyclist guys I met yesterday had already been there, and gone. They had more distance to do than I did.

 

The 42 kms was not terrible exciting. Mostly the scenery looked like this.

On the way to Bicheno

 

 

 

No, the goal was to get to Bicheno early in hopes that on this Easter weekend, there would be a spot for me at the caravan park. I needn’t have worried. There is a large spot for tents, and there were only two there when I arrived. Three guys on motorbikes came in shortly after me, as well as another vehicle, so it was still a good idea to get here early.

 

I was also in need of some clean clothes. After showering (free hot shower until the hot water runs out—I didn’t run out of hot water, and I even washed my hair), I through my clothes in the washer. It’s a sunny and windy day here on the East Coast of Tassie, so I hung the clothes on the line. It’s kind of tricky when you only have 6 clothes pins. I doubled and tripled up the clothes. Fortunately, it’s a good strong wind.

 

Once my clothes were on the line, I walked down to one of the star attractions of Bicheno, the Blow Hole. It’s one of those things where you just have to wait, and have your camera ready. I got a couple of decent shots. 

The Blow Hole blowing

 

 

Smaller blow

 

 

 

I walked the road to the Lobster Shack. They had lobster rolls, so I decided to have one and compare it to my lobster roll I had in Maine last summer. It was good, but the Maine lobster roll was bigger. The one here, though, couldn’t have been any fresher as she just made it when I arrived. 

Lobster roll

 

 

I walked the Bicheno Foreshore Path back to where the Blow Hole was. It was a nice path, partly on the rocks (white blazes and arrows marking the way), and partly trail. 

 

Trail marking

 

 

View from the path

 

Down at the path is where to go to see the penguins come back to shore tonight. There is this sign that tells all the rules.

Penguin sighting rules

I think I will go back down there and see if I see any penguins tonight. There will probably be no photos, as it will be dark, and flash photography is not allowed. Suffice it to say they will probably look the this photo.