|
We did this ride in January 1994 with our two sons when
they were 16 and 11, with the four of us riding two tandems. We
stayed mostly in YHA's and pubs or motels. Since then, all of the
YHA's where we stayed have been closed. We travelled light, with
only one pannier each to carry our gear, including sleeping bags.
We found the best way to minimise any whinging or friction between the
boys was to throw food at them regularly, and swap who they rode with.
We did short days as a concession to our fitness, the
presence of the boys (who could have handled longer days) and the
opportunity to see more of the sights. The duration of this trip
could be shortened without too many problems if time is an issue.
The roads were a mix of gravel and bitumen. The
weather was variable, and we experienced four seasons in one day on
several occasions. Due to the hole in the ozone layer, the sun can
be quite intense in Tasmania. It is wise to use sun cream
liberally to prevent any problems. Climate The following climate statistics are
for the weather station at Oatlands. For more information on this
location, including wind roses, go to "Climate Statistics for Australian
Locations" on the Links page. You
can also obtain similar details from other locations enroute from that
site.
| |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Av Max Temp oC |
22 |
22 |
19 |
16 |
13 |
10 |
9 |
11 |
13 |
15 |
18 |
20 |
| Av Min Temp oC |
9 |
9 |
8 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
8 |
| Av Rain mm |
44 |
39 |
40 |
47 |
43 |
47 |
43 |
45 |
42 |
54 |
51 |
55 |
| Av days of rain
≥ 1 mm |
5 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
|
|
Itinerary
Towns listed below that have distances marked
( ) are those where
food/drink is expected/known and those marked [ ] are points of interest
|
To the start
|
|
We flew from Sydney, arriving mid
afternoon at Hobart. Check the flight times on the various
Links. |
Day 1 - Hobart Airport - Sorell (11) - Dodges Ferry (23) - Dunalley
|
42 kms |
540 m climbed |
|
It took a while for me to
assemble the two bikes to get us on the road. The road to Dodges
Ferry was easy going bitumen, and I would suggest that, if necessary,
camp at Dodges Ferry. It has a variety of accommodation as well as
a supermarket. The road from there to Dunalley was good gravel.
The motel at Dunalley where we stayed does not appear to be open now.
Dunalley had a pub and a store. It is worth seeing the Denison
Canal that provides an access for boats that avoids the need for sailing
around Port Arthur. |
Day 2 - Dunalley - Murdunna (9) - Eaglehawk Neck (19) - Taranna (27)
- Port Arthur
|
39 kms |
750 m climbed |
|
This was a day of sightseeing
opportunities. At 16kms, take the left turn to see the Tessellated
Pavement just before Eaglehawk Neck. There were a few interesting
historic sites at Eaglehawk Neck, as well as some good food. After
there, take another left turn to see the Tasman Blowhole, Tasman Arch
and Devil's kitchen. At Taranna, the Tasmanian Devil Centre had
some interesting displays.
 There was a variety
of accommodation available at Port Arthur, including a caravan park.
There is also a general store. We spent a day at the historic
site, and out on a boat to see the Isle of the Dead. I had my lips
badly burnt when we went there because we went equipped for rain.
The day cleared while we were on the boat and I had no sun cream nor a
hat. The scabby blistered lips were unpleasant and a problem for
the rest of our trip. |
Day 3 - Port Arthur - Taranna (12) - Eaglehawk Neck (20) - Murdunna
(30) - Dunalley
|
41 kms |
780 m climbed |
|
The return trip to Dunalley
provides the opportunity to visit the sites that were not done on the
way to Port Arthur. When we were at the YHA we had considered
riding down to the Remarkable Cave, 5kms to the south, but others
informed us that it was not terribly remarkable. At Eaglehawk Neck
take a right turn onto Pirates Bay Drive (past the pub) for a longer,
but more gradual climb to the top of the range. |
Day 4 - Dunalley - Copping (9) - Sandspit Forest Reserve - Rheban -
Orford (48) - Triabunna
|
58 kms |
1,410 m climbed |
|
 This day proved to be the
toughest of our trip. The road from Copping to Orford was gravel.
With the gravel surface, we were unable to take advantage of the
downhills on the tandems. The continual ups and downs drained us
all. After 26kms to the last peak in the Sandspit Forest Reserve,
our average speed was less than 9kph.
I have been advised that as of April
2010 Dunalley to Orford has been closed due to a bridge being washed out
on the
Wielangta Forest Drive. It would be wise the check on the
status of the bridge before attempting the route that I have mentioned
above.
Orford was
a town with supermarket and a variety of accommodation. Triabunna
is similar and has a caravan park. Boat trips across to Maria
Island can be arranged from Triabunna. |
Day 5 - Triabunna - Little Swanport - Swansea
|
51 kms |
620 m climbed |
|
 The road to the convict built
Spiky Bridge, a few kilometres before Swansea, travels through a variety
of countryside, including some coastal areas. The Spiky Bridge was
built around 1843. In 2006, we met a YHA hostel manager in a trip
to the UK who had visited the bridge. She couldn't see what all of
the excitement was about because all of the houses that she had lived in
were older than the bridge!
Swansea has a
supermarket and a variety of accommodation, including a caravan park.
In my visit there in 2007, I found it necessary to buy water as the
local water was vile. This may have been due to the town being in
the midst of a drought.
For the next day's ride, it is necessary to arrange
passage from Port Bagot to Swanwick with the "Ferryman", who is well
known in the area for taking cyclists across the inlet in his tinnies.
His phone number is (03) 6257-0239. I found it best to call a few
days in advance. |
Day 6 - Swansea - Point Bagot - Bicheno
|
53 kms |
240 m climbed |
|
If time permits, it is
worthwhile riding from Swanwick to Coles Bay and perhaps spending a day
or two there exploring the Freycinet Peninsula. The ride to
Bicheno was along a quiet road from Coles Bay. It was so quiet,
that we had echidnas roll up in the middle of the road to protect
themselves when they heard our tyres on the road.
Bicheno is a fishing port with a variety of
accommodation and a supermarket. The Bicheno East Coast Holiday
Park is at 4 Champ St - only 300m W of PO and close by everything. |
Day 7 - Bicheno - Elephant Pass - St Marys
|
45 kms |
880 m climbed |
|
 Our ride to the turn to
Elephant Pass was made hard by a strong headwind. We climbed the
pass in a series of walks and rides until we arrived at the famous
Pancake Factory at the top of the climb. There we refuelled
several times with some great pancakes before travelling on to St Marys.
St Marys is a larger town with most facilities, except
that it does not have a caravan park. The YHA that we stayed at
there was on a farm, and it was a wonderful experience for our boys
playing with some of the animals. Unfortunately it is no more! |
Day 8 - St Marys - Fingal (21) - Fawlty Towers
|
36 kms |
270 m climbed |
|
 The ride to Fingal was an
easy trip. It was necessary to get food there, as there was none
at the Fawlty Towers camp on the Rostrevor sheep station near Ormley.
The camp had a number of cabins that had previously been miners huts.
It was possible to also camp there. |
Day 9 - Fawlty Towers - Avoca (12) - Conara (37) - Campbell Town
|
51 kms |
430 m climbed |
|
The road to Campbell Town was
easy riding with little traffic. Campbell Town is an historic town
and worth spending some time walking around its streets. There is
no caravan park there, but there are a number of sites that are used by
the motorhome set. There are toilets but no showers. The
Campbell Town Recreation Ground is at the northern end of town beside
the swimming pool, and the Campbell Town Lions Park is at the Esplanade
on the southern side of town beside the river. Another option is
to ride on to the caravan park at Ross. |
Day 10 - Campbell Town - Ross (11) - Oatlands
|
48 kms |
570 m climbed |
|
We found Ross to be
enchanting. Its historical buildings were impressive. We
regretted not being able to spend more time there.
Oatlands is an historic flour milling town. The
mill had been wind powered and it and some of its buildings were still
standing. It was fascinating seeing how people lived and worked
there in those early days. We took a guided walking tour around
the town at night. Our only lights were those that the early
settlers used - candles in an enclosed glass lamp. It helped our
kids to understand how much better off they were than those in the
1800's.
Oatlands has a variety of accommodation, but no
caravan park. The grey nomads use the Oatlands Rest Area near
Callington Mill, Lakeside. It has toilets, but no showers. |
Day 11 - Oatlands - Colebrook (29) - Campania (47) - Richmond
|
57 kms |
510 m climbed |
|
This day's ride was made
interesting by us having drag races along the flats with the tandems - a
bit like truck racing! Richmond is another historic town with its
gaol as well as the other buildings in the town.
Richmond has a range of accommodation and a caravan park
as well as all of the facilities of a large suburb of the city. |
Day 12 - Richmond - Cambridge (13) - Bellerive
|
26 kms |
340 m climbed |
|
Richmond seemed to be a
dormitory suburb for Hobart. We left early in the day, which
probably proved to be unwise, as we had all of the maniacal peak hour
traffic tearing along narrow roads on the way into the city. There
were no road shoulders, and we were forced into the gravel on the
roadside a few times. Perhaps the road has been improved in the
intervening period!
We rode to Bellerive to use as a base for our next few
days exploring south of Hobart in a hire car. |
Day 13 - Bellerive - Hobart Airport
|
15 kms |
220 m climbed |
|
We took Cambridge Road most
of the way to the airport. We had been told that there was less
traffic on it than the Tasman Highway, and that was the case. |
Getting home
|
|
After packing the bikes, we
caught our flight back to Sydney. Refer to
Links for the timetables. |
