Bike Forums - Day 17: Back to the coast

Alright, a couple of things need to be noted about camping at Deloraine. Firstly, the 9pm "STFU" (i.e. noise) curfew in operation in most Tasmanian parks is not in place here. This means that anyone planning to camp here is best advised to arrive late and be a little picky about just where they pitch their tent. I had the misfortune to be next to a rather noisy family last night (and no, this is not an "anti-children" rant - the adults were the ones making all the noise!).

After not much sleep, I awoke to see the whole area covered in fog. Evidently it had rained the previous night at some point, and a thick blanket of mist still covered the area. It had cleared by the time I had eaten and got myself ready to set off.

Today's destination was the "city" of Devonport (if a population of 25,000 really constitutes a city). Again, there were two options to follow here, either just take the highway and do it in about 50km, or take a slightly longer (and probably more scenic) back road route. Given I was in no real hurry, I took the latter option.

More rolling farming country with the Great Western Tiers still in the background, although this was slightly more interesting as I got to watch the clouds from whatever happened last night still lifting from them. A few of the fields were colourful from the flowering poppies that I first saw in the North East last week. The other major notable thing about today's ride is that it was the first tailwind I've had in over a week. Probably not a bad thing as tomorrow's Cradle Mountain ride involves a 21km climb!

The final stages of the ride passed through an industrial area, notable only because it was the first time the air has been less than 100% pure. Generally speaking, breathing in Tasmania is an indulgence rather than something we do because we have to, such is the quality of the air. After passing through the Industrial area, the final stretches in the town followed the blue Mersey River.

Tonight's campsite is just about perfect. Away from the crowds (assuming they don't arrive late), with a great view of the ocean from Mersey Bluff. I could be in for an awesome sunset if the clouds stay away!

P.S. This could be the last update for a little while. I'm not expecting to find any more net connections now until Queenstown, and I'm not due to reach there until Saturday. We'll just have to see what transpires on the rugged west coast.