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Post by kuri77 on Sept 14, 2014 6:46:44 GMT 10
Hi, Introduced myself in the new members section recently. "Coming over to Australia in April. Going for minimum 6 wks around the eastern half in a clockwise direction from Melbourne, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Cairns, Sydney with a week at first in Tasmania. Why I'm here? I hope to learn more about Australian laws on owning and driving vehicles, great roads I won't find in a guidebook, someone to show me what they think is the best beer in Australia and just get to know some more bikers with similar interests." So now I want to post our tentative route and maps for your area and hope you will tell me where or where not to go, the best local beers, your favorite ride, etc as I said in my original intro. If you're not near the map route I post don't let that affect you because we have no plans so can easily deviate if you tell us about something we shouldn't miss but as foreigners are completely unaware of. Even though we plan on camping most of the time we are not tied to any direction or specific dates. The only reason I have planned out some routes is for you and us to have a rough idea of our direction and mileage per day. Kangaroo Island, Uhuru and the Great Barrier Reef are the big 3 I believe so do want to get them in somehow. Otherwise it's totally play by ear. I will repost the maps I did in the newbie section so you can feel free to criticize to your heart's content. I'm here to learn and get as much out of this as time will allow. Unlikely we'll be back to Oz since New Zealand and South Africa are calling so we plan on having the best time ever with your help. Here's the overall big plan and the first 3 days of the actual journey after we've obtained the bikes and got all the paperwork done. Day 1 Tasmania Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
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Post by Frank on Sept 14, 2014 21:15:37 GMT 10
G'day, Kuri On day 4 if can spare the time, it would be worth going up into the bay of fires, just for the scenery and beautiful WHITE sands then as you head out of St Helens you have to look out for a small shop in the forest called “The store in the bush” where you can get cheap souvenirs if you want them, then further along you'll come across Weldborough pass rain forest walk, it is well worth a 15 - 20 minute stop to walk this cold climate rain forest, you can read a bit about it in the following that I have cut an pasted from our blog on our Tassie trip
Frank
we packed camp and took the van into St Helens, filled up with water and had a shower before leaving, the drive today has been very changeable, as we headed away from the coast, back into forest at first, just 20 minutes out of town there was a brick-a-brack store, advertised as the “best in Tasmania” and called “The store in the bush” a nice looking building made of timber planks and it looked like an old general store, unlike other brick-a brack stores it wasn’t messy and dusty but very clean and orderly, filled with old wares, jewellery, souvenirs, and Tasmanian timber bowls, clocks and the like, it was also the cheapest we have seen in Tassie, it was a great shop and by the time we left there was hardly any room to move for customers, we then went on through into farming land over windy mountains of forest and into beautiful valleys of lush green pastures with farmhouses dotted here and there, every mountain brought more forest and each got higher and windier, each valley was greener and lusher, then we got back into high mountain rain forest with all it’s ferns, tree ferns, lichen, moss and tall trees, till we came upon Weldborough pass rain forest walk, just a small car park on either side of the road and a 15 minute walk into the forest, it was time for a break and a walk so out we got, well it was like stepping back in time about 2 million years, other than the traffic noise, which was muffled by the forest, we could have had been transported back in time, huge fallen trees covered in moss, gigantic tree ferns filling the forest their fronds making a natural canopy trying to block out the sun so that other ferns and moss could live in their shadow, insects scurrying to get out of your way birds calling to each other as if to warn of our intrusion into their world, and magnificent tall trees including some awesome, huge old myrtles which have to be hundreds of years old, one at least 5 meters in diameter at the base where the earth has eroded and left a twisted mess of huge roots, entangled like tentacles, with holes, nooks and crannies, all over it, which look like the holes of some prehistoric insects which you expect to come out at you in defiance of you intrusion, all along this path, little interpretive signs tell of the evolution of the earth, from Gondwana land the present continents, but still at any time you expect to see a dinosaur lurking in the shadows as you are entranced by this magical place, it was only a 15 minute easy walk but as we just strolled along imbibing the atmosphere it felt like we had spent half a day in there and it was almost sad to leave, back on our journey in the present time leaving the lurking dinosaurs for the next visitors,
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Post by kuri77 on Sept 15, 2014 10:57:44 GMT 10
Thanks for those tips Frank. From googlemaps looks like about an hour or so on a dirt road which may be unsuitable for our loaded down cruisers. I have some dirt experience but my buddy has none so he might be more reluctant. But if he's game should be a nice side trip. Since there appears to be no town anywhere on that route from St Helens other than at Anson's Bay if we got a flat or had a breakdown would it be a matter of only minutes or days til someone came along? Both of us I'm sure will enjoy the souvie store you mentioned and all our friends and relatives are expecting mementoes so this would be a great spot. It's near the end of our Tasmanian leg so we can load up and leave them with my friend in Melbourne before we take off for Uluru. As for Weldborough, neither one of us are hikers, me cause I'm lazy and him due to war wounds but if it's relatively flat that would appear around his maximum for a doable excursion. Will make for a nice break spot. Did you see any parts of the route maps that appears to be a waste of time or any more preferable ways to go?
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Post by Frank on Sept 15, 2014 20:58:23 GMT 10
The maps look good to me (But we were only in Tassie for 7 weeks) we did travel most of those roads The Weldborough walk is flat, Brenda has a chronic back injury and it was OK for her The road up the bay of fires is all bitumen and there are many terrorists tourists up that road as well as locals, no problems getting help Something I forgot to tell you, in St Helens there is a free hot shower at the wharf, ask at the visitor info centre, in fact also ask them (the visitor centres, there are many around the state) if there are freecamps close to the towns where you want to stop for the night.
Frank
PS you'll love the road (uphill) out of Queenstown, it's called the 99 bends, the place looks like a moonscape
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Post by kuri77 on Sept 15, 2014 23:54:51 GMT 10
Geez Frank you're practically a personal tour guide, thanks so much for all the tips and ideas. Filing em all away in the Oz folder. Hope I can do the same for you and any others on here who make it to SoCalif some day.
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Post by traversing2 on Oct 8, 2014 19:34:50 GMT 10
Hey Kuri77, good to hear you are coming to visit the greatest state in Australia, I have looked at your proposed route around Tassie and considering the amount of time you have here you seem to have covered some of the better routes around. I understand time is short but be aware that the roads in Tassie are not as smooth and straight as on mainland Australia and so some travel times may be longer than anticipated, most of the route you have picked are single lane and have limited passing lanes but on the bike you would be better than most tourists in cars or motorhomes. The west coast road to Queenstown is very rugged and scenic and the trip to Hobart is similar with some great riding.The Huon valley is scenic and if you get a chance the Tahune Airwalk out of Geeveston is work a trip if you like tree tops and forest scenery. There is a thermal pool near Southport if you want a warm swim or the caves at Hastings are just up the road. The Arthur Highway is once again a fantastic bike ride and then heading up the east coast is the best ocean road in the world in my opinion and if you have time a walk to Wineglass Bay out of Coles Bay is fantastic but dont know if you will have time. Continuing on up the coast to St Helens is spectacular and then heading through to Launceston you get to ride the sidling and Weldborough pass which has been mentioned above. If you drive from Launceston to Devonport the road is more highway riding with dual lanes and great farm scenery and some awesome cheese, chocolate and other food delights on the way. If you wanted more winding roads then maybe go from Launceston to Exeter and through the Frankford Highway to Devonport. I live in Hobart and depending on what days you are in Tassie I may be able to catch up and have a ride. regards Ian
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Post by traversing2 on Oct 8, 2014 20:08:53 GMT 10
If you want to google Targa Tasmania they use a lot of the roads you will be travelling, you may find some youtube videoa also and you will see some of the great cornering etc. They start next year on April 27th and this will close a lot of the roads for half a day while the race is run.
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Post by kuri77 on Oct 9, 2014 7:10:21 GMT 10
Thanks for all the tips and info traversing2. We can alter our plans for more days in Taz if we're having a good time. Hopefully ferry tickets are easily changeable otherwise I guess we'll have to buy one-ways. The only other consideration would be weather. I've checked April temps and they seem pretty cold. And if you throw in rain we won't be hanging around too long. Both of us are California boys who like the sunshine and don't stay around if it rains. I know we're weather wusses but we are what we are. No reservations means we can add or subtract days at will so we'll contact you when we get there and see how it goes. I love your line "heading up the east coast is the best ocean road in the world in my opinion". Same thing lots of Californians say about Big Sur and since I did the Mediterranean coast road in Spain from Barcelona to Portugal there's at least 3 "best ocean roads". I'm so glad that I'll have been able to ride them all. If there are any Kiwis lurking I'm sure they'll have another to add too. Filing your post in the Oz folder, thanks Ian, looking forward to seeing you in Hobart.
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