Outdoors in Tasmania

When Frederik and me arrived in Hobart we first tried to organize our cycling tour and got a very usefull free map from Discover Tasmania at the I-Site with information about the elevation and distance to cover.





Getting equipped for the trip was easy, especially to organize the bikes was smooth. And Hobart has many shops selling hiking equipment, therefore the prices for cookers, pots, ... are acceptable.


Set off with bikes!
30 min Later we were back, on Frederiks bike the front brake was broken. But they fixed it and we could finally leave Hobart. Right after crossing the Tasman or Derwent Bridge we stopped and asked a lokal for directions. He somehow was prepared with copies of local maps and gave us very usefull information about a safer route to Richmond than along the sometimes very narrow motorway A3. But as it turned out the way wasn't that save, I fell down twice while pushing the bike up a very steep slope which we impossible could have cycled. And only after that we realized that we had to go back to the A3 and cycled along there for some time till we found our exit to Richmond, the B31. From that moment on everything was easy going.
At the campsite we had our first camping meal and it wasn't as bad as expected. Thanks to Frederiks apprenticeship as chef. It's still fascinating me how he can create something good tasting out of limited supplies and equipment.
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The French guys at the campsite last night ensured that we coudn't fall asleep till 2 am. They enjoyed themselfs at the two bonefires and to our shock also left a chaos in the camp kitchen.
The way today was very exhausting, mainly hills all the way and almost no nice views or stops as a reward. Quiet often we pushed our bikes up the hills. The talles hil was about 350 m and we realized that we are in no shape doing such a cycling tour.
Later at the campground we met some other cyclists, who also said they were pushing their bikes more than cycling. What made us feel a lot better, it is always good to know not to be the only one having problems with one thing. But we all had a mussle ake in the legs. After dinner Angie, Antrescha and me went to discover Triabunna which we thought to be a little town from the map, but as it turned out it is only a village with one big street, some local shops and a little harbour. But it was a funny time walking along there with the girls and talking to some local boys who told us where to find the only pub within 9 km.

Getting up was very hard, and after breakfast packing the bikes was even harder because I carry by far to many things. Right after being ready to set off I saw my back tire is flat, great! There is nothing beter than a flat tire in the morning. But thanks to the good training from Germany I mad it within 15 min and not realy thinking about what I have to do. So my body being up and fixing without thinking gave my brain just the time it needed to wake up.
The road was like yesterday, but not that hilly. So it was a lot easier to cycle along the much less dangerous A3, which is more like a normal german country road by now. Nevertheless, the mussle ake made it hard again. But we managed it: another 60 km.
In Swansea we were so exhausted that we choose the first campground instead of the second, where all our cicling mates were staying. But therefore we met some Aussies from Perth and went out with them for a pint. It was a very funny evening with them, mainly talking about delicious desserts like Pavlevas, Kaiser Schmarrn, Bayrisch Cren, Apfel Strudel, ...
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Packing up everything and heading to the other campsite for breakfast with the other cyclists is easy in theory. In practice I had a flat tire again. At the other campsite we enjoyed breakfast and the nice sea view, talked to Steffan (Swedish) and set off for Bicheno about 44 km away with only one hill of 190 m, it looked very easy. But this demotivating head wind today was horrible and we couldn't even enjoy rolling downhill. The wind was so strong that we almost had to work to get down. In Bicheno we allowed us a coffee and talked to some other cyclist, a well trained doctor told us that he turns back to Swansea for tonight because of this ugly head wind. Originally he planed geting to St. Marys, about 400 m above sea level.
After we explored town it was time for dinner, a good portion of Fish n Chips for today. Man, that tasted good! After days on the bike and burning some thousands of calories each day this fatty food tastes good.

At last a lazy day! A day to get rid of mussle ake(s), reading books, annoying each other, eating all day long and watching Open Season II. OK, watching the DVD doesn't count as doing nothing! It was hard work to open. The DVD cover was still locked/sealed and we had serious problems. I like new inventions as long as they are fool prove, and this definitive isn't. But with the right tools (my huge knife) and 20 minutes of time we made it. Later I tried to organize a hiking track, the Overland Track, for the time after our cycling trip. But unfortunately the booking system isn't the most reliable and I couldn't get a place.
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Our last cycling day! We went to Coles Bay for the Freycinet National Park about 40 km south of Bicheno. On the way there we had comfortable and supporting tail wind. The only thing about it is that we knew we had to get back the same way but with head wind!
When we arrived at Coles Bay and all shops were dark, great! We planned having lunch there and not experience a power outage. Into the bargain a storm approached from south and the Freycinet National Park was closed due to fire hazard. Fire hazard? One of the most difficult tasks to do during a storm is probably to start a fire! Anyway, we went to the supermarked, the only shop open, and bought something for lunch. After lunch we made our way back to Bicheno, hoping our tent is still standing. But, just before we started geting back something hit my left eye and caused me crying the whole way back and till I felt asleep. In addition it started raining, great! And of course, when we arrived at the campground our tent was broken. My sleeping bag and rucksack were totaly soaked. But we could fix everything till nightfall.
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We haven't done anything today, just relaxed and tried not to think about tomorrow when Frederik was going back to Hobart to catch his flight to New Zealand.


Saying good bye and going to Launcheston. Now I'm traveling alone again. On the way to Launceston I saw where yesterdays power outage came from. The bush fire along the A1 burned down some power line poles and they were just about to be replaced. One thing I realy don't understand is: Why do they replace the old wooden, still burning poles by new wooden poles. The next bush fire will burn them down again and they have to replace them again. It must be a lot cheaper having wooden poles instead of fire resistant.
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Launceston is a very little city and there is not much to do arround appart from the Catarac George walk which is realy nice. It took me about two hours where I have seen many Walabies and one Echidnas on my way. Somehow it was a very nice walk, but I spent a long time just standing around in the forrests waiting for the Walabies to reappear.
And don't trust the signs around there, one stated "Hikers only". But the track couldn't have been easier!
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Getting to Cradle Mountain was my destination for today. Originally I planed geting there by bus. But in the hostel Eliane (French-Kanadian) said she is going there by car and if I want I can join her as navigator (I had a map) and passenger. OK, why not. After we had breakfast and talked for ages we picked up her car from the car rental station, it turned out to be a pink Nissan Micro. She was so happy about it, unbelievable! Finally on the road we soon realized that Tasmania doesn't have many radio stations. Quiet often we didn't even have one station and so we switched it off and talked. By "we" I mean she talked and I listened. And even when I got the chance to say something she interrupted me before I could finish. I know that women like to talk and like to talk a lot, but breathing is (at least for me) vital for me.
Anyways, at Cradle Mountain Visitor Center, the entrance to Cradle Mountain National Park we bought our tickets and went for a walk around Dove Lake with a stop at Glacier Rock, arround the Honeymoon Islands to the boat shed and back to the carpark along the Cradle Valey Boardwalk. On the way she said she gets upset by people who let their dogs shit everywhere. It took me some time to convince her that domestic animals are not allowed in parks and you get fined if you bring them in. Her next and legitimate question about where it all comes from answered itself almost immediately when we saw a possum beside the track. On the way to Snake Hill we saw even more possums all around us sitting, eating and walking away from us.
For the night we went to a free campsite at Lake Mackintosh. On the way there we counted 3 rabbits, 2 quolls and over 40 wollabies. Once Eliane had to break very hard not to hit a wollaby crossing the road right in front of us. And on one of those roads cars passed us. They realy don't care about hitting animals or damaging their cars.
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Geting up and on the road again was very easy this morning. We stopped at a some hippie coffee shop right after Tullah for her morning coffee and breakfast. There was a nice art gallery across the street and we were looking at the quiet huge paintings and discussing them for the entire breakfast.
Our next stop was for lunch at Donaghys Hill where we enjoyed a gorgeous fiew. And finally arriving at Lake St. Clair where I got informed and equipped about walks arround there and we missed dinner.
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This morning 8 am I waited for the Ranger Information Center to open, to ask for advise how to use the time I have left the best. They told me I could get the ferry across the lake to get to Pine Valley Hut and climb the Acropolis and see the Labyrinth. The ferry left 8:45 am so I had to hurry since I haven't had packed anything.
When I arrived at the ferry terminal the ferry was ready to leave and only one place was left. Lucky me! The captain introduced himself as Jack and his crew as "Plan B" while he was pointing to a live vest. About half an hour later we arrived at Narcissus Bay where some other hikers were already waiting to get back to Cynthia Bay. One of them said: "They smell all so fresh!" They have just finished the Overland Track and weren't allowed to use soap or shampoo, so we must have smelled realy fresh for them. The first thing I did with my rucksack after getting of the ferry was placing it beside track to pack it better since I was in a rush this morning. Later on the way to Pine Valley I stopped somewhere along the way and tried to remove some dirt from my belly. By doing so I soon realized that it is some kind of animal, to be more precise it was a Leech (For the Germans: Blutegel). The worst thing about it is that the place where it bites it doesn't stop bleeding like a normal mosquito bite. But I was lucky enough to just tighten my rucksacks abdominal belt to make it stop blooding. The further way to Pine Valley was very hard, first walking through a gum tree forest and then through a dense underbush part of leaf tree forest where almost no sunshine came through and the track sometimes vanished. And then suddenly without warning it reappeared besides the hut and campsite.
About 3 pm I went for the Acropolis (1470 m). The first 200 m has been a hard ascending through under bush, but the remaining 400 m weren't that hard. It was mainly climbing above rocks and a lot easier. Nevertheless some parts, especially close to the top, were hard to climb. And the usually red or orange arrow markings changed into little stone piles. At the top it was such a clear overlook and clear air, incredible. I enjoyed it as long as I could and tried to burn this gorgeouse view from up there as deep into my brain as possible. I have suceeded, I still remember it as it would stand up there. Even without looking at the pictures. That was one of the best things I ever did and nothing in New Zealand is compareable to it!
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Leaving Pine Valley and making my way to Windy Ridge Hut. The first half of the way was as expected very dark, even at 11 am and bright sunshine above the trees. The second part was just up and down hills all the time in the hot sun with few shady spots. This made it even harder to walk than in the under bush. Can't they distribute shade and sunshine a bit more equal? But to my solace all other hikers felt the same. Somewhen on the way I met a Tiffany (Australian), a girl hiking with a huge coil of duck tape, just in case something needs to be fixed.

The hut had many vacancies this night and only four people slept in my room, a couple at the lower bunks and Suska (German) and me at the top bunks. We both had about eight bunks for us alone, which I used seven during the night. I somehow awoke still in the night just before the first light appears around 4:45 am. The reason I woke up was the strange position I slept in, my head hanging just over the beds corner. During the night I somehow managed it to move over half the distance to Suska, but there was still about half a meter space left. When I moved back to my site and tried to fall asleep again the couple from the lower bunks got up for their hike. And I decided to do the same to make my way to the waterfalls I wanted to see yesterday.
How do you know you are the first person on a track that day? Right, by the spiderwebs still all over your way.
The waterfalls were nice, but for me nothing special, just nice waterfalls. Maybe because I've been in New Zealand and my expectations were a bit to high.
The way back from Windy Ridge Hut to Narcissus Hut has been a lot easier than the day before walking in the opposite direction. At the hut I met Suska again and we had a nice evening talking and cooking dinner. She told me she carries five cartridge fuell for her cooker, the salesmen told her the cartidges go empty very fasts. I hardly need one complete for a 6 day's hike.
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Today I wanted to go to Lake Marion, the last side track on my trip. At the begining it was easy going, but it graduately became harder and the spiderwebs less. But after two hours walking, the second stream crossing without shoes, picking several leeches from my legs and unable to find the track anylonger I turned back without seeing this beautifull lake. On the map the track is stated as well maintained. When I asked later at the ranger station, they told me this side track is in rather bad condition and they have no plans to change anything. At least puting up new or more markings where the track should be would be very nice!! With more time it would have been no problems geting to the lake, but I just didn't have the time to find my way through thick underbush.
To my suprise the way Narcissus Hut to Cynthia Bay was in a better condition, but to climb over fallen down trees with a rucksack can become a little challenge.
At Cynthia Bay Suska was already waiting for me, so we went to the a bit expensive restaurant for a radler & sandwich for me and cola & ice cream for her.
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At 8 am I've been at the Ranger Information Center again to book my bus to Launceston and got a coffee for me and a hot choclate for Suska. In Hobard we said good bye and I went on to Launceston for my flight to Sydney.
In Sydney after leaving the plain and heading for the public bus station I met Tiffany again waiting there. That was realy strange, I absolutely didn't expect her there and had no Idea where I know her from. For her that was a lot easier, since I only changed my T-Shirt and Trousers, but didn't shave, was wearing my hiking rucksack and my hat from the hike.