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Tasmania mini-tour, February 2018

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derillius24
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PostPosted: 12:18 - 09 Mar 2018    Post subject: Tasmania mini-tour, February 2018 Reply with quote

Hi, All. I was fortunate enough to spend three weeks in Australia in February this year with work, and while there got some great riding in around Tasmania during four days off. I thought I'd write a small report on what did I in case anyone is bored and fancies a read/ because I fancy reliving some of the detail. I travelled with my boss who started riding about 9 months ago.

We started in Melbourne where we were flat-out with work, before heading to Launceston, Hobart and Devonport, all in Tasmania, to talk, teach etc. We then based ourselves back up North in Launceston for 4 days as there is a reputable hire company there (Tasmanian Motorcycle Hire) who have quite a nice fleet of hire bikes. The owner, Grantley, is a top bloke. Very personable, clearly passionate about bikes and happy to talk at length about route recommendations, do's/ dont's and general advice. That may sound a bit patronising, but many of the things we'd encounter along the way were not typical of a Sunday morning blat through Scotland...!

I rented a Triumph Thruxton R and my boss a CB500F. Both clearly meticulously maintained and beautifully presented. That Thruxton was a handsome beast.

Day 1: Launceston - Scottsdale - Scamander - Coles Bay - Lake Leake - Launceston (417km)

Beautiful day, lovely warm weather.

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Riding the Trumpet away from the hire shop in Launceston, snapped by the owner, Grantley. Chuffed.

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Pulled over by the side of the road on the A3 - excellent riding road, pretty challenging in places with seemingly endless series of tight, undulating bends on inconsistent surfaces. Excellent fun and the smell from the Eucalyptus trees was incredible, especially after it'd showered with rain - in fact, that's one of the things I'll remember most vividly from this trip.

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This was taken at Scamander Bay. What looked like a small bay turned out to be an enormous stretch of beach once at the water and there wasn't a single other person in sight. We sat here for a while with a rubbish picnic. It's a spot known for whale watching/ spotting during migrational periods. Unfortunately we didn't see any but it was some spot.

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A fuel stop on the Lake Leake road, the B34 heading towards Campbell Town. A number of bikers we met on our travels recommended this road as one of the best rides in Tasmania and it lived up. Wide, immaculately surfaced sweeper into sweeper into sweeper. Very fast. I don't think I saw a single vehicle, in either direction, from start to finish. It doesn't get any better.

Day 2: Launceston - Poatina - the Great Lake - Derwent Bridge - Queenstown - Strahan (night spent in Strahan) (285km)

It took a long time to cover distance in Tasmania as the roads are generally very twisty and there are long sections where the tarmac just stops, without warning, and you'll find yourself in gravel or dirt for up to 40km at a time. Strahan was recommended as a place to see so we made this an overnight stop, which was the correct decision. Not far away, we stopped at Lake St Clair for some food and the rain came on like I've never seen and didn't stop for about 12 hours. 'Wet' didn't really cut it, and the gear was still saturated the following morning. Still, it made those Eucalyptus trees smell great again(!) and the darker skies changed the scenery quite drastically, which was cool. Strahan was nice. Had some scran at a pub by the marina and got a bit bevvied.

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Day 3: Strahan - Zeehan - Cradle Mountain - Sheffield - Launceston (305km)

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Cataract Gorge, Launceston.

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Quite an unusual seagull

Day 4: Launceston - Bridport - Tomahawk - South Mount Cameron - Launceston (250km)

Plenty of riding on loose gravel on the final day, which was really good fun, if a bit nerve wracking at first on someone else bike. Some sections were no problem, others were steep with deep, loose gravel that was a bit more challenging. Bloody hot here.

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Bridport Beach.

One of the best thing about Tasmania, is how sparsely populated it is. It has a land mass similar to that of Scotland, but with only 10% of the population. There were times, without any exaggeration, when we rode for up to an hour without seeing a single other vehicle.

Everywhere we went, people spoke to us, commented on the bikes and were friendly, welcoming and full of recommendations. There was roadkill absolutely everywhere, the sort of stuff that would write a car off; roos, wombats, echidnas, Tiger snakes etc. It was always in the back of my mind while nipping on a bit. I had to take evasive action once to avoid an echidna that waddled out in front of me.

I'd been a bit concerned about fuel availability before setting off, but there were fuel stations absolutely everywhere. Even the smallest villages we rode through tended to have more than one.

The Thruxton, I thought, was excellent. It looks lovely, the ride is plush but with lots of feel and the front end is planted and confidence inspiring. It held a line beautifully and was easy to handle. The front brake is a weapon and it pulls like a bloody train. Torque for dayzz, yo. The seat, however, is harsh, and sare arse set in pretty quickly (at least it did for me). There was also a surprising amount of weight going through my wrists. The engine felt a little stifled. It could do with a system.

I had a shot of the CB500F and it is, errm, fine?

Anyway, thanks for reading if you got this far. If you're ever over that part of the world, do try to ride Tasmania. It's ace.

Cheers,

Mark
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