Day 1 Devonport to Launceston-72 kms

We were woken at about 6.30 am after a good night of sleep courtesy of a calm crossing after a shower and getting in to our riding gear it was off to the reception area on the ferry to meet the rest of our team making the ride to Launceston 

After a discussion regarding meeting arrangements Phil

Rob Abdy and myself made our way to the Ute to drive off the boat

The trip off was delayed with a large group of motorcyclists who were on the ferry traveling to Tasmania... many of the riders were seniors doing the ride like the movie a few years ago....forgotten the name but many of you will remember it!!!

The funny thing about getting off the boat was a female rider 

lost balance and fell off the bike... quite frankly the bike was huge and she was struggling to hold it up when it was stationary 

After traveling off the ferry it was on to a cafe selected by Phil for breakfast...great to have a coffee and bacon and egg sandwich to start the day 

It was my turn to drive the first 15 kms out of Devonport which was quite a climb...

The country was mainly vegetable farming with what seemed to be a lot of potatoe farms

After swapping the Ute for the bike it was on to Frankford for morning tea at the Blue Barn Cafe... this was the halfway point of today’s ride and we had good coffee and cakes for morning tea . The ladies at the cafe were delightful and we were treated to a lovely bowl of blueberries grown locally on their farm

After morning tea it was on to complete the climb to begin a lovely descent to the Tamar River valley ... the country here was very much pine plantations with a lot of forestry 

We passed the turn off to Beaconsfield which was the scene of a mine disaster a few years ago

The ride to Exeter for lunch was about 25 kms and lunch at the Exeter Bakery was good although a big breakfast and morning tea meant that the lunch was a light one!!

After lunch we were treated to a very picturesque ride along the Tamar River aided by a tail wind so the 25 kms to Launceston was quite fast... often hitting speeds of over 45 kms per hour 

We arrived at the backpackers hotel in Launceston at about 2.30 pm and were met by the guys traveling by plane from Melbourne for the ride... good to see them all 

We now have our full compliment of 12 for the rest of the ride

The weather today has been very good for riding although for some parts we have had to have an extra layer to stay warm 

Looking forward to dinner in Launceston and an early night ahead of tomorrow’s ride

Now for the photos

The ride out of Devonport... Frank and Des leading the way!!

Morning tea at Frankford

.... at the Blue Barn

.... and lunch at the Exeter Bakery

The Tamar River and Valley ....very pretty

Abdy could not resist the blackberries!!!

Home for the night at Launceston!!

Day 8- travel by car to Devonport

Day 8- travel by car to Devonport

Today we had a laying start to the day after the big dinner last evening

I was up at around 7.30 am and met a few hardy souls who made a short walk to Salimander Wharf to visit the markets 

The whole setup there was quite outstanding and there were many stalls selling all kinds of clothing, souvenirs, jewellery and food. We managed to find a cafe where I had eggs on toast with bacon and tomato together with the obligatory coffee.... great start to the day!!

After breakfast Phil and I went to the Hobart Giant bike shop to get 5 bike boxes to pack bikes to transport them to Devonport. Phil did a great job of loading all 13 of our bikes plus the other odds and sods of luggage on to the Ute despite having a lot of advice from many of us....

After loading everything up Phil, Des and myself said our good-byes to the other 10 guys who were traveling back to Melbourne by plane and began our trip back to Devonport 

The route we took was quite spectacular as we traveled through the Central Plateau region of Tasmania alongside the  Great Lake. The area seemed to have been ravaged by bushfires in recent years and is in the high country which gets snow in winter. There seems to be a lot of country holiday shacks which might be used by folk in the cities for fishing, hiking or generally for leisure.

We made several stops along the way to take photos and enjoy the wonderful scenery 

We had a stop in Deloraine for afternoon tea which was about 50 kms from Devonport. This seems to be a lovely town with a lot of well preserved buildings. Worth another visit sometime 

We arrived in Devonport at about 5.00 pm well ahead of the loading time for the Ute which allowed time for a refreshing drink and snack...

As we experienced in Melbourne the boarding process on to the ship was slowed by the extraordinary number of cars, vans, caravans and motorcycles that were making the crossing to Melbourne 

One we boarded we were able to have dinner in the bistro and have a long chat together about a lot of things

As I lie in my bunk at 11.30 pm I can reflect upon the past week and a bit of the trip...

It has been a wonderful experience and has really opened my eyes again on Tasmania as a positive place to visit ( I last holidayed her in 1969 with mum and dad and I really did not enjoy it )

I was really impressed and greatly appreciated the organising efforts byPhil in making the riding and accommodation a great and safe experience for us all

I thought we met some wonderful people along our journey and the staff at nearly all the places we visited and stayed at were most friendly and made us feel welcome 

The only negative I could say were the significant numbers of dead animals we saw on the road on our journey through the State

This is my last blog for this journey... I hope you enjoy reading another wonderful story from Wheelieharro whenever I can get the blog published 

Now for the photos.....

Loading the Ute 

All loaded up and ready to go!!!

A lovely view of the Great Lake

Another view of the lake and the Ute 

Coming down from the high country

A drink and wedges at a cafe near the Devonport terminal

An interesting photo of a passenger in one of the nearby mobile homes at the ferry terminal... the guys said it was his wife who could not answer back!!!

Day 5- Coles Bay to Orford - 83 kms

Today would be best described as a challenging day of riding!!!

We had rain and were riding in to a head wind for most of the day and although the ride could be described as flat.... we were traveling through rolling hills along the coast which made for heavy duty riding.

I am pleased the ride is over and we are in the comfort of our accomodation enjoying some warmth!

The day started out at Coles Bay with overcast sky’s belying what was to come... 

the initial ride out to the King gallery and coffee shop was broken by a short 70 metre ferry ride across a channel near Coles Bay that saved us about 70 kms of riding.... as we approached ferry the rain started and gradually increased so the ride in the ferry was in fairly constant rain!

The short trip to the coffee stop was no better really as the rain continued... the joy of getting in to some cover with coffee and lovely scones with jam and cream was appreciated by us all

With the rain continuing we re-arranged our clothing and donned several layers of protective gear to protect us from the elements 

The next shortish part of the journey through to Swansea saw the rain ease somewhat.... at Swansea we picked up our lunch and enjoyed a wonderful warm sausage roll.... Ellio and I shared a sausage roll as having 2 morning teas would be a real extravagance 

As the rain eased several of us peeled off a layer of clothing for the trip ahead which seemed reasonable at the time ....

Little did we know that odd showers would be the pattern for the remainder of the ride.

The ride ahead through to lunch at about the 60 km Mark was through rolling hills alongside the coast abutting the Frecyne peninsular.... very pretty country really 

After lunch we made the final ride in to Orford 

I was allocated the job of looking after the guys at the back of the group where we had a few “mechanical issues “ 

Steve Seymour split his tyre in to shreds.... not sure how but he could not proceed further and was picked by the Ute.

Chris Drake had a flat about 3 kms from the end of the ride and required another pick up by the Ute.... all very interesting and makes us all appreciate the value of a support system on rides like this

Arriving at our accommodation we were all astonished at the  palatial facilities of the Eastcoaster Resort!!!

Wow....the cabins are fantastic and the facilities are wonderful 

We have just had the most magnificent meal at the seafood restaurant complete with local oysters and seafood 

The complex boasts an indoor and outdoor swimming pool with sauna and gym.... Phil has really outdone himself on this!!!!

It is now 10.30 pm after a long day and after a great meal with a wonderful group of guys the traumas of the day peel in to insignificance when sharing it with others you respect

Looking forward to tomorrow when hopefully the weather might be better and we have a tail wind 

Now for the photos 

At the ferry terminal loading up 4 of us at a time 

Coffee and scones at the Kings Gallery 

Great coffee and scones to be recommended 

Getting a “few layers on” at coffee as the rain came down 

A view of the coast as we traveled 

Oops you need to be careful 

What about all these shoes tied up on the fence!!!

A wonderful shot outside our accommodation at Orford 

Wow great to have the ride behind us and an opportunity to have a warm shower to thaw out

This photo captures the beauty of nature and what you see when riding!!!

Test

Tassie trip-Day 1 Devonport to Launceston 73 kms

After a very good night of sleep courtesy of a calm crossing of Bass Strait, we were awoken by the the as announcement at about 6.30am that we would be docking at Devenpot

Tasmania Trip

We are about to go on a 7 day trip down the east coast of Tasmania 

The Ute is loaded up with 8 bikes plus gear and I am about to pick up 4 others to travel to Port Melbourne to join others for the trip across the Tasman to Devenport 

Here is a photo of the Ute.... ready to go!

Looking forward to the trip of about 500 kms to Hobart organised by Phil Eager

Hope you enjoy the blog 

Day 4- Beechworth to Wangaratta 50 kms

Today we had an early start at 6.00 am ... for many it was after a long night of very little sleep with the band in the pub going until about 3.00am. Also there were a few die hard rugby supporters with the surprising English win over the Kiwis 

After a brief breakfast at the hotel it was off at 7.00am towards Wangaratta. We were promised a good downhill and we certainly got that!

The downhill was about 15 kms with a fall of about 450 metres. I was getting speeds of over 50 kms/ hr and I am a slower descender than many in our group. The only real issue was the cool and crisp morning with temps around 5 degrees.... the effect of the wind as we descended made for cold fingers despite long fingered gloves,

The trip to Milawa was through some lovely green country with mainly dairy cattle. Despite the green paddocks the creeks and dams seemed quite dry

We stopped first at the Milawa Cheese Factory for a coffee and cakes then proceeded on to Brown Brothers winery where we enjoyed the wonderful surrounds of the remarkable winery with restaurant and community areas. Well worth another visit sometime 

After this we made our way to Wangaratta to complete the 59 km ride and the 4 day sojourn through northern Victoria 

After a light lunch it was time to say goodbye to those journeying by train back to Melbourne so Dave Bonnett Abdy and I made our way home to Melbourne in the Ute 

Now being home for a few hours I can reflect on the 4 day trip which was well organised by Stephen Seymour and he must be congratulated on making sure we all had a terrific time

The weather was a mixture of the very hot (day 1) and the

Cold ( today and yesterday)

We were challenged on the climbs particularly the Towong Gap but all accepted the challenges and responded magnificently 

The road conditions were very good and we had very little traffic to contend with. The real joy was the comaradre we enjoyed with the group and the fun of enjoying a wonderful journey together 

It will now be rather hard to get back to life again in Melbourne although the legs will certainly enjoyed the rest

So to my fellow Wheeliebinners on the ride I say a real thank you to you all for being such great mates and to Steve a big thanks for bringing this all together 

Early morning line up as we were about to leave

A frosty and cool morning!!!

The turnoff to Milawa 

Breakfast at the Milawa Cheese Factory 

Ellio giving Garmin 191 lessons to Phil

Coffee and a chat at Brown Brothers 

The Wang sign to indicate the end to a grey4 days 

Lunch at the Wangaratta coffe shop ahead of the train and Ute trip home