Beachy's All Aussie Travels

They say all good things must come to an end and this trip is no different.  We woke up early and a small sense of sadness came over us when we realised it was our last day on the Island. Our Tasmanian mates are more than just friends, they are almost a kindred spirit. Knowing it will probably be another 2 years before we see them again is sad but also something to look forward to. Our stay at Alice's Cottages included breakfast with some yoghurt, muesli, juices, bacon, eggs, bread, jams and honey. It was more than we would normally eat but we were not expecting to have some lunch so made the most of it. The set up in the room was a little unusual in as much as the shower over a spa bath was tucked away on the side of the room with the bed in the middle. There was no shower screen or curtain although there was a rail for one, so you had to be careful where the shower was aimed. I started the shower and was waiting for the water to heat up. The shower rose was aimed into the bath so...

This was our last day in Hobart and we had a few things to do before we hit the road. With the bikes packed we hit the road around 9.00 AM and into Hobart's peak hour traffic, hoping the GPS would play the game today. Despite my best efforts the GPS was still not talking to me so another adjustment was made when we refuelled. I gave up with the BMW GPS and used Google maps on my phone instead. It seemed to work a lot better and finally I was hearing the directions through the speakers. Our first stop was a motorcycle shop so I could get some new gloves. Mine had a blow-out on the index finger, and after yesterday's rain the inside of the glove was pretty wet, making it hard to take off and put on again. We eventually stopped at Motorwork's Motorcycles and walked into a huge range of motorcycles and gear. We also got a look at the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. It's a pretty nice looking bike and from all reports a step up from the very capable 410 we rode ...

This was our last full day in Hobart so we wanted to catch up with our mates from the Tas South Sub Branch. They had extended an invitation to anyone still in Tas to join them at the Vet Assistance Centre (VAC) for a sausage sizzle. Somehow my gps stuffed up and wouldn't talk to me with directions and refused to put me on the right road. I managed to eventually fumble my way there and overshot the drive into the VAC. Another U turn in the big beamer and we made it into the park to our awaiting comrades. The President of Tas South, (Pecker) has done an outstanding job of getting the VAC set up in collaboration with the local council. It really is everything this club stands for, and to see all the members there welcoming us made me realise that this is bigger than we ever imagined. We caught up with old and new friends and had a surprise visit from the Mayor of the local council, Brendan Blomely,   who sung the high praises of Pecker and his team. He was genuinely interested in us a...

After a good nights sleep, we rose early ready for the big day ahead. The whole plan was to be in Hobart for Saturday morning so we could go to the Salamanca Market. This is a huge market held every Saturday Morning in the Salamanca square. It has everything from glass and metal, wood and textiles to plants, food, wine, whisky and gin. It is a must see for any tourist in Hobart and well worth every cent of the free admission! We arrived at 8.30 AM just as the market was starting and already there was a decent crowd there. After doing a lap of the market we stopped at the food stalls for a coffee, and to soak up the atmosphere. Ready for another lap we set off to see if we could find some huon pine slabs for Ann's glass art projects. Unfortunately we didn't find any so looked at the local galleries alongside the market. There are a few there and one that caught my eye was a metal and jewellery galley.  We needed to kill a bit of time before our 12.30pm bo...

We knew this was going to be a long day. It is only 300 km but can take over 5 hours depending on conditions, other road users and road works. As luck would have it we got all 3. The road from Strahan to Queenstown is very twisty and is around 40 km, even so it could take over 40 minutes to ride. As we rode through we could see where trees had fallen and were cut to allow vehicles through. We made it to Queenstown unscathed and after 45 minutes of intense cold riding. Thank god for heated grips, and heated seats on the beamer. Ann had her heated gloves on as well but it seems had an issue with the power switch. Even so, these gloves were much warmer than her normal riding gloves. As you ride out of Queenstown en route to Hobart, you come across the '99 bends'. It is exactly that, 99 bends with no straights as you climb to the top of the hill. The big beamer needed some manhandling to get around some of the corners but thankfully no traffic in either direction made i...

 After a good nights sleep and a cold start to the day we headed off to our next port of call, Strahan. This is a 140 km ride that will take over 2 hours to complete due to twisties and road works. There are a few mining towns along the way like Rosebury & Zeehan, and a few waterfalls to visit as well if time permits. Unfortunately for us there were a lot of unsealed roads to the falls so taking the big beamer there was out of the question. The twisties finally gave way to some nice long bends with an occasional straight section and we arrived at Strahan in time for a mid morning coffee. Strahan is very tourism oriented, with the Franklin river and Macquarie Harbour cruise, the heritage rail and Morrison's Huon pine saw mill. At night you also have the long running pantomime 'The ship that never was'. We had done all of these the last time we were here and thankful that we did. The train doesn't go all the way to Queenstown at the moment, where it did wh...

The day wasn't what we had been hoping for as rain was forecast  for the first part of the day. We had wanted to do the Dove lake walk again but it would be no fun in the rain. Instead we decided on a leisurely start to the day and stay warm in front of the fire until around 1100 AM, when the rain eased. In a very light drizzle, we made our way to the shuttle bus and went out to the Cradle Mountain Lodge. The plan was to have a lunch here and then do the walk when the weather had cleared. You can drive to the lodge, but why would you when you have paid for the bus anyway.  The lodge itself is very reminiscent of the chalets we had seen in our European trip last year with dorma windows across the roof, and nestled alongside a small lake. The lodge is a very busy place on wet days with everyone clambering for the seat by the fire, regardless of it actually giving  off heat. We snaffled a seat fairly close and settled in for lunch. The meals were quite good and p...

Cradle Mountain is a must see for anyone coming to Tassie. We had been here 6 years ago for 1 night and it wasn't enough, so we decided on 2 nights this time. There has been a lot of changes in the past 6 years. A brand new visitor centre and ranger station has been built and shuttle buses take you through the park, reducing the impact to the environment by visitors. It is a populat location for walkers and although we are not dedicated bushwalkers, we do enjoy walking through nature and absorbing the ambience.  We planned to do the Crater lake walk on one day and the Dove lake walk the next. The weather was fantastic for the first day and we set off around 930 for our Crater lake walk. It is recommended you get off at Ronny Creek and follow the boardwalk across the Wombat Plains.  You don't have to go too far to see Wombats in the wild. These magnificent Aussies are digging and eating machines. When you see them up close you just want to give them a big cuddle but I would str...

This was our last day with the club roundup. The 11th November is a significant day to all Australian, particularly servicemen and women. We had what is known as a thunder run from St Helens to St Mary's where we attended a remembrance service. Around 100 bikes made their way up through St Marys pass, on a closed road thanks to Tas Police. It was quite a sight and many locals lined the route to see the club ride past.  After the service we said our goodbyes to our Tassie mates and started on our journey to Sheffield. The ride was pretty uneventful with the exception of one of the Vic riders running out of fuel along the way. We rolled into Sheffield around 3PM and checked into the motor inn. Sheffield is a very tidy town and at times seems to be locked in the past. Some of the shops and buildings remind us of shops from our childhood and earlier. It is known as the town of murals, with most of the walls in town painted with some type of mural. There is even a park dedic...