Vineyards on the river, a family maritime history and... penguins!

Tasmania 2023, Day 2

Published Sunday 10 December 2023 911 words

This morning was a lovely one as we packed up our gear, and rode around to the Paperbark Café, not far from the park we’d stayed the night in. The café was new, and the breakfast — “mushroom huddle” with bacon for me; smashed avocado with Tasmanian salmon for Danielle — was delightfully delicious. And cheap! $18 without the extras in this economy!

Smashed avo with salmon at the Paperbark Café — Smashed avo with salmon at the *Paperbark Café*

We also stopped at Marion’s Vineyard, which was stunning. We arrived almost an hour early, so I had a fish from a little jetty in the Tamar River in front of the winery. Once opened, we were greeted by Echo, a big German Shepherd and Flash, a border collie, as we pushed our bikes up the steep driveway to the cellar door. We took a glass each of the Pétillant Naturel, which was pink-hued and very refreshing, and some bush pepper cheddar and vegan cheeseVegan cheese is good for not going bad as quickly as dairy — bicycle tourists don’t carry Eskies and some venison and chilli cheese sausage.

Parking our bikes and looking out over the gorgeous picturesque Marion’s Vineyard.

From the vineyard we rode around the riverside bends, past the Supply River junction, where some locals were fishing for ocean run troutA great example of stopping on tour to do something: I regretted not stopping here for a fish for the rest of the journey., and up to the Batman Bridge.

Danielle and I at the Paperbark Café — Danielle and I at the *Paperbark Café*

Serena at the Supply River — **Serena** at the Supply River

Serena looking out over the Tamar River — **Serena** looking out over the Tamar River

Danielle with a Pet Nat at Marion’s Vineyard cellar door — Danielle with a Pet Nat at *Marion’s Vineyard* cellar door

Danielle and I enjoying the beautiful vista from the Marion’s Vineyard cellar door — Danielle and I enjoying the beautiful vista from the *Marion’s Vineyard* cellar door

Resting our bikes at Marion’s Vineyard — Resting our bikes at *Marion’s Vineyard*

From here the journey got a bit shit. We were forced by lack of options into riding on the A3 highway almost all the way to George Town. The hills were relentless as was the traffic, who barely gave us an inch. There was no shoulder most of the way.I intend to write a longer more detailed post on the dismal state of cycling infrastructure in Tasmania: stay tuned!

Once at George Town we stopped at the Bass & Flinders Maritime Museum. Danielle’s uncle Bernal Cuthbertson — who sadly passed ten years ago — was an instrumental part of both the museum and the vessels and history within it, and we walked in the door with 5 minutes until closing time. Bern’s photo was hung next to the door, and when I explained to the volunteer at the desk how keen Danielle was to see the museum due to the family connection, not only did the volunteers keep the museum open a little longer and give us a tour, but they treated Danielle and myself like visiting dignitaries, took photos of Danielle holding Bern’s photo and were just altogether lovely.

A display for Bern read:

Bern was well-known for the project to build the replica whaleboat Elizabeth that he sailed around Tasmania, and he also managed the building of the replica Norfolk among his many achievements. Both vessels are here on display at the Georgetown Bass and Flinders Centre.

Danielle with The Norfolk in the background — Danielle with *The Norfolk* in the background

We left the museum and had a beer across the road at The Pier then rode out to the East Beach Tourist Park to lodge for the night in a cabin. The owner Craig was a great character and very friendly!

We went to see a penguin tour at Low Head. The little fairy penguins were lots of fun and very cute! They are very acclimated to human presence and walked right past our legs on their way to their rookery nests. We watched the sun go down and had a lovely evening.

We then went home, trimmed down our bags and packed up some items to be posted ahead at the George Town Post Office to reduce weight in the morning. Next stop: Bridport!

Danielle at the Bass & Flinders Maritime Museum with a photo of Uncle Bern in the background

Danielle in the mess on The Norfolk — Danielle in the mess on *The Norfolk*

Danielle and I on the deck of The Norfolk — Danielle and I on the deck of *The Norfolk*

A particularly old and dusty map of Tassie 🤣

I just love beautiful old wooden boats like this one: Tom Thumb — I just love beautiful old wooden boats like this one: *Tom Thumb*

Danielle having a pint at The Pier. She earned it. — Danielle having a pint at *The Pier*. She earned it.

Parking our bikes at The Pier — Parking our bikes at *The Pier*

Our bikes resting against the Low Head Lighthouse

Danielle and the bikes with Bass Strait in the background

A very beautiful way to spend my evening. The sunset was nice as well.

A penguin in the muted lamps at Low Head

Follow the journey

Plan
Planning our tour of the Apple Isle — and doing it this time!
So we started planning this trip a few years ago, and unfortunately events at home (and not just the pandemic!) have transpired to keep us off our bikes for the most part, with a few exceptions such as my Great Ocean Road trip, but I had to do that one solo. In that time I’ve started a new job, Danielle bought a beautiful custom Velo Orange Pass Hunter gravel/touring bike and importantly, my children have continued to mature to the point I can now leave them for a few weeks to go a‑touring!
Day 0
Taking the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to Devonport
After more than a year of looking forward to, planning, stressing and organising, we’re finally on our way to sunny Tasmania! Of course, we haven’t quite made it to Tassie yet.
Day 1
Poppies and hills to Gravelly Beach
Our first-ever day of touring as a couple was, I fear, a bit of an eye-opener for Danielle! Not in terms of adventure, of course, as Danielle is a seasoned traveller who has roamed every corner of the world, but in terms of the physical demands of heavily loaded touring bikes.
Day 2
Vineyards on the river, a family maritime history and... penguins!
This morning was a lovely one as we packed up our gear, and rode around to the Paperbark Café, not far from the park we’d stayed the night in. The café was new, and the breakfast — “mushroom huddle” with bacon for me; smashed avocado with Tasmanian salmon for Danielle — was delightfully delicious. And cheap! $18 without the extras in this economy!
Day 3
He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps, he likes to mow down cyclists...
We slept well last night. Maybe a little too well. We didn’t get packed up and off until late and we rolled into George Town at about 09:30. We visited the post office and mailed ahead 3.9kg of extras to reduce weight from our packs. We stopped at a café and I bought a coffee and found a free copy of Deliverance.
Day 4
Cherries
We set off too late again this morning from Bridport and as a result rode in the peak of the heat. We only did 20 kilometres to Scottsdale but there were lots of hills, trucks and no shade nor shoulder. Scottsdale itself is atop a big hill. We rested, however temporarily, at a cemetery on the outskirts where a nice little park bench under a tree provided us shade. It was lovely.
Day 5
The North East Tasmanian Rail Trail
Today was a lovely day. We got up before sunrise (05:00) and were on the path to the North East Tasmanian Rail Trail before the sun came up. Compared to everything we’d ridden to date, and standing alone, it was a delightful leisurely roll through rainforest, farms, granite cuttings with overgrown ferns, old growth forest and logging areas and little makeshift station memorials where we had coffee and a breather.
Day 6
Hitching a ride to the Bay of Fires
We woke up this morning at The Dorset Hotel, and had our breakfast in the little dining room downstairs, packed our bags and bikes, and wheeled them across to the road to Bark Off Bikes. We took our fenders off in the rain then boarded the bus.
Day 7
On our way to Biche—oh no!
Today was… well… let’s start at the beginning, shall we? We awoke after spending a beautiful night under the clearest skies, to a gorgeous sunrise on the Bay of Fires. As we packed our tent, the sun poked up with beams of light streaming through the clouds and spread across the bay, and it was marvellous!
Day 8
Bumming a lift
We started the morning with a nice brunch at Sco. & Co. and The Lifebuoy Café in St. Helens, as we we had arranged a rendezvous with Steve at 11. I had a mushroom bruschetta with bacon and Danielle had the green eggs and haloumi. It was delicious and both dishes featured a really nice basil pesto. We finished breaking our fast and rode back to the park opposite the hotel to take off our fenders and await Steve.
Day 9
On the road again...
We left the holiday park in Bicheno this morning nice and early, about 07:00, and stopped at the Blue Edge Bakery for a quick start coffee before heading south. The hills were very flat and rolling along was easy enough.
Day 10
Freycinet Lodge and Wineglass Bay
A red letter day. We awoke naturally to the sunlight streaming over The Hazards and into our cabin as we nursed our hangovers from the wine and beer consumed last night. We dragged ourselves off to a breakfast of smoked salmon benedict for Danielle, and a Freycinet “Big Brekky” for myself, with two double espressos. We returned to our room for an in-room couples massage…
Day 11
The end of the cycling portion of our cycling tour
Well, fuck. We awoke late and had a nice breakfast, then packed up, checked out and headed off. At first we made good time.
Epilogue: Conquering the Mountain!
I’ve had such an awesome tour this year around Tasmania, but I have to admit to some small disappointments and setbacks. So when I set out this morning at 05:45 to conquer kunanyi, the 1,270m high mountain overlooking Hobart, I was very dubious about my chances of making it successfully to the summit.
Epilogue: Kingston Beach
Danielle’s parents live in Sandy Bay, and her aunt Jan lives in Kingston Beach. The Channel Highway connects the two seaside suburbs of Hobart and lucky for us, it’s a favourite route for local cyclists, and for very good reason.