The first month was to be spent on the Apple Isle - Tasmania . The overnight crossing on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry was uneventful except for the dozens of other motorcyclists asking what the heck I was doing tackling the Tassie roads on a 110cc .
Tasmania is largely considered a jewel for two wheelers and it lived up to its reputation . Roads virtually devoid of traffic with excellent surface and well sign-posted for both navigation and tourist purposes .
Basing myself at Lilydale at the home of a generous motorcyclist I began exploring ; first the local areas and Launceston ( where all my English convict ancestors settled ) and then venturing further afield to the North East corner and East Coast .
Highlights of the first week were the Beaconsfield Mine Centre , Legerwood sculptures and the sunrises while free camping at Binalong Bay just north of St Helens .
Storm clouds formed over Swansea and I was flooded in for a few days before escaping through Campbell Town back to Lilydale to dry out , recoup some energy and do some maintenance on Mo .
The Northwest was my next destination and a loop including Sheffield , Forth , Railton and Penguin delivered several towns which had embraced an “ identity ” to attract the tourists . In Railton it is topiary , in Sheffield it is painted buildings , in Wilmot it is letterboxes and in Penguin – well it ’ s penguins . I particularly liked the story behind the revival of Sheffield with the art community banding together to bring the town back to prosperity . The visitor centre has created an excellent self-guided audio walking tour with professionally produced stories from the artists and other local characters .
Tasmania has a multitude of free camp sites sprinkled around the countryside . Most have basic toilet facilities and some even have showers and a BBQ . When the weather closes in and a retreat to a backpacker is in order , finding a bed is easy with the smartphone app Wikicamps . Current crowd sourced information is invaluable . Finding a place which understands motorcyclists ’ needs is also a bonus . I found one such place in Gowrie Park which supplies basic rooms at basic rates – nothing fancy but good , clean and well equipped . It is also the perfect distance for a day trip to Cradle Mountain which should be on every visitors “ must see ” list .
The highlight of my month in Tassie was most definitely Strahan and the trip up the Gordon River . It was a sort of pilgrimage for me as I was returning for the first time in 31 years . Last time I travelled on the Gordon River was by police launch and I was under arrest for “ trespassing ”. I was a 19 year old “ greenie ” who was , along with over 1000 other protesters , including the UK botanist David Bellamy , arrested saving the Franklin River from being dammed . This time I travelled in the luxury of the sailing boat “ Stormbreaker ” and we slept on board overnight just opposite Warner ’ s landing where the bulldozer had ripped a scar through the pristine wilderness . It was so nice to see that Mother Nature heals given time and there was little evidence of the destruction left .
The morning dawned quietly and serenely and the reflections on the water were the stuff of legend . Not a ripple in the water and the only disturbance was birdsong . We collected a group of rafters who had just completed 10 days paddling down the Franklin River and for the next few hours listened to their stories of rugged beauty and serenity . They thanked me for being a Blockader and giving up my liberty to save a river . This side trip has left an indelible imprint on my heart – just as it did 31 years ago .