Sun-chasing the Apple-Isle....Tassie 2018

ozav8r · Mar 31, 2018

So, away we went then

As it Turned out, Kingstrom had done his back in, so couldn't ride himself. The Strom was replaced by a Support Truck and a set of rubber was placed in the back (along with 2 sets of Gourmet coffee preparation gadgets, enough tents and camping equipment to help alleviate an earthquake or a fire (more about that later ;-)) and the kitchen sink

Had a great crossing, catching lots of rays on the bow-deck (attempting marine jargon)

glitch · Mar 31, 2018

Usually overlooked....Branxholm is a cute, little town and a PERFECT base to discover the North-East via some day-loops, as the next few posts/ pages? will show.
Mt. Horror, Ringarooma, Derby....all within 15km!
Road and gravel options alike.
Good supplies, fuel (91+ 95), food and cots (there's a half-decent Pizzeria along the main drag) as well as some other accom choices from B+B to group accom for 12 (old school) etc.

Tassie's North-East Crackers (all ex Branxholm) :glu

Mt. Horror...the highest spot in Tassie's far North-East corner.

https://goo.gl/cvvgFG

Poor bugger must be glowing with radiation every night...

AWESOME views, even on an overcast morning.

Next target...the Waterhouse Coast, then for a cuppa or icecream to the tiny shop at Tomahawk.
If we can find our way out of this plantation-maze.

Not much to report from Croppies Point or Waterhouse Point except that there's a good number of excellent coastal-scrub camp-sites around....
via some juicy and teeth-dropping corrugation and potholes, ouch. The Dishrack decided to crack a chainguard bolt instead, as discovered by a 4WD punter who would've been wearing the guard next, flopping around the back wheel on a single bolt.
Thanks mate!....

Update....just tried to remove the remainder of that cracked bolt via heatgun and vice-grips this arvo ('twas loctited, being a known issue on the Stroms)....arghhh, no!
Just finished drilling the sucker out and re-tap the thread 2 hours later.

glitch · Mar 31, 2018

Meeting some of the local guys at Tomahawk Beach and boat-ramp

Musselroe Bay, Tassie's top right-hand corner....

The "whirlybirds" of Cape Portland in the distance....

ozav8r · Mar 31, 2018

First night was spent at a gorgeous little cottage in the shadows of Mount Roland. Brekkie time we went around to feed the 3 little piggies - Huey, Lewie and Pork-chop (last one was - unbeknownst to him - on death-row!

On the front porch was a "Cowch" -pun intended. Led to a flurry of Googling on where to get one and how much. Turned out the answer was "somewhere in Queensland" and "about 1200 bucks". "Cowch" became "ouch"

Next day - driven by nasty weather moving in on the West-coast, we (as it turned out) - wisely headed East/North-East to the sleepy little hollow of Branxholm, where we spent the next 3 nights doing spurts of motorcycling around the top-right quarter of the Apple Isle. Great pub, newly done up and very affordable at 35 smackaroonies a head for individual rooms.

Goodie and I went Platypus-hunting while waiting for the pizzas. Turned out it was just stalling -tactics from the pizza-ladies, and the only entertainment avvailable for hungry visitors. No beaked, egg-laying mammals to be found anywhere, but a nice litte wander along the riverbank nonetheless.

Mount Horror, looking North towards Flinders Island

There were multi-legged scary critters lurking about on Mount Horror

I think it was the famous philosopher E. McGregor that said that returning from a motorcycling holiday entailed going through 500 new pictures of your motorcycle, each with a slightly different background. Wise words - get used to it

hoto:

glitch · Mar 31, 2018

Mt. William National Park loop...

Goodie sneaking one in... :whistle:

The 4 camp areas at Stumpys Bay (Mt. William National Park) are straight out of the Book Of Fairytales....#2 with a canopy of teetrees, tables, benches and boxes of chopped firewood....

...and #4 at the end of the sandy track amongst the local shrubbery, blindingly white beaches, small island and a sandy lagoon/ estuary, firewood, shelter...
what an AWESOME place ! :drool:

Williamson · Mar 31, 2018

Fixed .....

Some other nice sharp pics there boys and girls, (ya won't get that good outta a smart 'phone).

:clap:

glitch · Mar 31, 2018

ozav8r said:
There were multi-legged scary critters lurking about on Mount Horror

Multi-legged flatheads, too! :thumbs:

glitch · Mar 31, 2018

Poking around Little Blue Lake (next to the main road)
and Blue Lake (after some digging around for an access track and bouncing through some fairly rough + rugged old mining areas)
The water is toxic in Little Blue Lake (minerals), no idea about Blue Lake.
Location: https://goo.gl/3x7Eag

Blue Lake

Time for a snooze...

Derby, now Pedal-Power HQ, throwing town + future into the pushbike-boom.
https://www.ridebluederby.com.au/trails-map/
https://www.railtrails.org.au/trail-descriptions/tasmania?view=trail&id=168
https://flowmountainbike.com/features/must-ride-derby-tasmania/

Bike shops, bike-pubs, bike-center, bike burgers, bike B+B's, bike-cafes, bike dunny-paper...I just hope they can make this last, otherwise Derby might look like Pioneer, up the road, in a few years.
. :doh: