Forum: Chris L circles Tasmania

I have to admit, I'm getting a little tired of caravan parks. I didn't get a huge amount of sleep last night. Firstly, being school holidays in Tasmania, there were little grommets running around like headless chooks until 10pm, then drunks stumbling back from Coles Bay Tavern at midnight, then...

Woke up in something of a pool this morning. A persistent downpour last night (which managed to keep me awake for long periods) had left quite a legacy. The good news was that it managed to wash away some of the corrugations in that dirt road from Douglas Aspley National Park back to the coast. ...

Having struggled for sleep in the hot Queensland nights leading up to my departure, I saw tonight as a chance to rectify the situation. Not so, as a dawn wake-up call came from a couple of (apparently) hungry ducks. Evidently news of my generosity toward that particular animal back home has...

Star Wars fans might remember a line from Yoda in "Return of the Jedi" in which he suggests that Luke Skywalker must defeat Darth Vader before he can call himself a Jedi. It's a similar situation with a tour of Tasmania and a climb of Mt Wellington (a 1,270 metre job near Hobart). I couldn't say...

Hard to believe this thing is over already, although on the other hand it feels like the epic has been going on forever. The time has passed quickly, but I feel like I've seen and done so many things. Either way, I have resolved to come back one day, if only because there are so many more things...

Still not sure about the chain this morning, but at least the weather has improved. I'm heading for Hobart, where the anticipated temperature range is 10-23 degrees C. After the last two days, I might die of heatstroke in that weather. Incredibly, I got a little sunburned yesterday. I actually...

The rain intensified through the night - as did the wind. Perhaps that would make life easier - it would be behind me this time - if only I could motivate myself to get out of that sleeping bag. An absolutely freezing night in Strathgordon - a few suggestions around that the temperature dropped...

I heard the showers starting as I went to sleep last night. I heard them getting larger as I woke up this morning. Today would be a big day. The Strathgordon road across three mountain passes through the south west wilderness was one of the things that attracted me to this particular tour. ...

I decided to take things a little easier today - given that the next two days will feature three mountain passes each. I awoke not feeling the best this morning. Seems I ate a little too much from the Ouse Supermarket last night - or was it the water here? I don't know. I started to feel a...

Started the morning with the 1km walk out of the campsite back to the end of the road, and set off to continue where I left off yesterday. The first 5km or so follows alongside the River Derwent as it starts it's long journey toward Hobart - mine would be a little longer. I rejoined the Lyell...

Another quiet night. The anticipated possum attack didn't eventuate - perhaps because I ate all the food before going to bed. I got up and pedalled a mainly flat 11km or so into Strahan. I rode past the camping area of the caravan park - even after people had begun leaving it was a sea of tents....

This was a day I was looking forward to. 56km riding through the Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers world heritage area. It did not disappoint. I awoke to a spectacular scene with patches of low cloud hovering around the mountains. I set off in freezing conditions, and pedalled the 7km or so to the...

Early morning departure from Rosebery, more patches of light rain on another overcast morning. At least it offers some relief from Tasmania's legendary U.V. The early part of the ride had some sharp ups and downs through the forest, offering some occasional mountain views. A supposed tourist...

If yesterday hadn't been cold, this morning certainly was. I set off heading west straight into the "roaring forties" and freezing rain wearing just about all the layers of clothing I had with me. A few ups and downs across the western end of the plateau, before joining the Murchison "Highway"...

Alright, so the title of today might be a little self-indulgent, but sometimes I can't help myself. Still, today has been more than a little eventful. A surprisingly warm night, given the alpine location. I awoke to the sound of sniffing and digging just outside my tent. Of course, my first...

Gorgeous sunset from the campsite on the Bluff at Devonport last night. Not sure whether the late evening cloud cover added to it or detracted from it. In anycase, today's ride started with a pleasant ride out of Devonport alongside the Mersey River once again. I think this is what passes for...

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...

Another day, another classic ride. I set off early from Launceston, attempting to beat what passes for traffic in Tasmania. The first couple of km were virtually all uphill as I climbed out of the city. I took a "service road" route on the old highway (next to the new one) for a few km out of...

Well, what a day this has turned out to be! I decided to hang for an extra day in Launceston, as there is a criterium on here tonight with a few big names taking part (Baden Cooke, Robbie McEwen, Stuart O'Grady etc etc). This morning i set off for a relatively unladen ride to explore Ben Lomond...

Having decided to bring up yesterday short, I set of early again to head for Launceston, Tasmania's second city with a population of around 70,000. The ride into "Lonnie" was quite easy, with only one sharp descent to really take note of. One of the first things I noted about this place was the...