We love Australia!!! - Part Two (Pic heavy)

[Stickbow Hunter]

Well next it was off to Tassie and we were just so excited; after all the months of planning and waiting it was finally going to happen. We took approx 1,350 photos in Tassie so I will really just have to show a photo or two of some of the main features and some extras I think will interest you all on here.

We arranged to have the bike shipped across on the ferry and we flew into Devonport and picked it up there. I am not able to go on a boat so had no choice.

We don't get to fly much so I had to get a shot out the window of the plane

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By the time we flew over and picked the bike up etc it was already afternoon so we only rode half an hour and stayed overnight in Sheffield.

We were only ten to fifteen minutes from Devonport and this was the view before us; lookin' good alright.

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Sheffield is a beautiful little place and is known as the town of murals. We had a good wander around the streets.

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We got a reasonably early start the next morning as the weather was supposed to be fine so we planned to ride to Strahan. They say if there is a break in the weather head to the west coast as it can be pretty miserable weather wise. As it was the people said we got the first two days of summer.

We started off and I can tell you it was more than a little cold. A few minutes out of Sheffield I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a couple of stops to take photos of Mt Rowland - a real feature in that part of the world.

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Did I mention it was cold; it was very cold!!! We had thermals on and all the warm gear we had as well as the heated grips and seats on on the bike and we were still cold. The temp gauge was averaging 4 degrees but in places it was flashing ice warnings on the dash and somewhere near the turn off to Cradle Mt I had to pull over to let Jude warm up a bit in the sun.

Frost on the side of the road where we stopped to warm up a bit in the sun

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We were prepared for riding temps down to about 8 degrees but not for how cold this was; obviously minus degrees with the chill factor. It had snowed on the mountains that night apparently. Thankfully it was never that cold again for the whole trip.

After we warmed up a bit we continued west and reached a high point where we could get a great photo of the way we had just come and Cradle Mt in the distance - stunning!

For some reason this is one of my favourite photos from the trip

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Around 10am and we stopped to make a coffee and the temp had risen to 6 degrees - wonderful.

We rode down through Tullah, Roseberry, Zeehan and finally Strahan. Before Strahan we got our first view of the Southern Ocean. We planned to stay a couple of nights and got one of the only cabins (caravan park) left in the place; tourists everywhere. I might add it was the most expensive accommodation for our whole trip at $120.00 a night - ouch, over our budget.

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Strahan is built on an inlet and it was interesting that the water was all brackish.

Strahan

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[Stickbow Hunter]

Huon Pine comes from down these parts but I believe they can only take fallen timber now days. There is a small touristy saw mill in the main part of town and I found it interesting having a look around it.

This log is approx 800 - 900 years old and was cut back in the 1960's

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Cutting a Huon Pine log

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A nice slab of Huon Pine

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An interesting looking wall

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I read that there was still some old Huon Pine grave markers in the cemetery so off we went for a look. I have been known to look as such places in old towns as they hold a lot of history.

We found there was only two of these head markers remaining and one was devoid of any markings but the other was still in remarkable condition and was dated 1892 which I think you should be able to see in the photo. It amazes me that the wood can withstand the elements for so long.

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You might notice the moss growing on the markers; that is because it is so wet over there. I read they get two to three metres of rain a year. The ground has lichen growing on it and is spongey.

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To finish the day off we rode to the Ocean Beach. We had to ride on a few kms of rough dirt road but it was worth it. The wind was blowing but seeing the Southern Ocean and to think that there was nothing between us and Antarctica was an interesting thought. No wonder it is so windy, cold and wet a lot of the time.

Ocean Beach

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[Stickbow Hunter]

The next day we had just planned a day of riding some great roads and sightseeing in the process. I must say the roads in Tassie were made to ride motorcycles on - fantastic!!!
We rode up in the mountains first.

A simply breathtaking ride

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Lake Plimsol

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Wilderness

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We then did a big loop out to the west coast via Reece Dam. We only saw two bikes and a few locals collecting fire wood on this section - very isolated.

All alone

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View of the Southern Ocean again

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We then went into Queenstown for a look see. There is a lot of history to this old mining town. There are still mines operating.

The hillsides are scarred from the mining

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Queenstown in the distance

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[Jeffro]

Nice interesting photos Jeff,looks like a great time you had down there.
I am hoping to take my wife there for a holiday too so ill show her this.
Jeff

[Stickbow Hunter]

I'm sure you won't be disappointed Jeff as Tassie is an amazing place. Try and take as much time as you can as there is just so much to see. We had eighteen days and hardly touched the surface as they say. In all honesty I reckon one could spend a couple of months down there no problems at all.

Jeff

[Stickbow Hunter]

After two nights in Strahan we headed east towards Hobart. We actually ended up in a small town called Richmond about 25kms north of Hobart. The ride up the side of the mountains out of Queenstown and then down the other side was simply spectacular.

The road east out of Queenstown

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One has to watch out when going around bends - log trucks and tourists!!!

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Yeah, we were enjoying ourselves.

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What a backdrop

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It was simply amazing how the country changed once we headed east.

Lake Burbury

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The next two photos were taken as we were riding through the Franklin - Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. It was very pretty but I had to watch for wet and mossy corners in the road.

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I think I might start a part 3 now.

Jeff

[Curvemeister]

awesome stuff , thanks for posting them up , would love to meander round Tassie and have a look , the murals on the wall were excellent , its a shame the young hooligans around werent more talented in their "street art " such as those examples .

[longbow steve]

Great photos Jeff. Why arent you allowed on boats? I have heard it can be a rough ride across the strait. Is that a new bike ?Steve

[Stickbow Hunter]

Thanks for the kind comments fellas.

its a shame the young hooligans around werent more talented in their "street art " such as those examples .

Indeed mate indeed!

Why arent you allowed on boats? I have heard it can be a rough ride across the strait. Is that a new bike ?

I have a medical condition (Brain Stem damage) Steve which causes problems with my tolerance to motion. I can not even stand being on a boat that is at dock in a still harbour.

Yeah mate some of the ferry trips across Bass Straight are horrendous I have been told. It's not the place to be when the weather is bad that is for sure.

We have had the BM for over twelve months now; it is great for longer trips. It handles incredibly well but has one fault, that being the seats. BMW are renowned for making bad seats so we really need to do something about them. Both of us slide forward and the seat angle really puts pressure on Jude's tailbone.

Jeff

[bigbob]

Love the photos, scenery [especially the clouds at the start, always make feel like you could run accross them] and the beemer.Would have been a terrific tour.Envious.

[longbow steve]

Well it's good your ok on the bike. I had never heard the seats were no good on a BMW.

[Stickbow Hunter]

Thanks Steve. There are times where I am house bound from it so I have to enjoy the good times. Yeah mate BM seats aren't the best and the R1200RT ones are very poor which is extremely annoying when the bikes cost so much.

Jeff

[Guy Layton]

Amazing pictures Jeff...

Cheers Guy

[bear74]

Fantastic pics Jeff, looks like a fabulous trip mate

[Dodger]

Wonderful stuff! And looking forward to some more.

Thanks.

[Gringa Bows]

Ay Jeff,that pic where you and Jude have hold of each other,is Jude trying to push you over the edge Nah there're great pics mate......

[Stickbow Hunter]

Thanks for the comments fellas, I will try and get some more up in the next few days.

Ay Jeff,that pic where you and Jude have hold of each other,is Jude trying to push you over the edge

Nah, but she probably feels like doing that at times.

Jeff

[wishsong]

Really great Pics Jeff . What an adventure eh ! Glad you like the southern bits of OZ . Sure is a beautiful place .

Those pics really show the diversity of the place but man you must have been cold sometimes being a QLD 'er !

[Benny Nganabbarru]

I didn't read the intro properly, and my eyes were drawn straight to the picture, and I thought: Gee, Jeff, that's a pretty good jump you did!

You sure did capture Tasmania on some beautiful days! I imagine the deer hunting would be really nice (albeit cold) in places. Alas, no bowhunting of them allowed, I understand.

[slvrslngr]

Beautiful, thanks for sharing! No wonder my wife likes it when work sends her Tassie!

[UPTHETOP]

Some great photos Jeff. Would of been great doing it on the bike, must of been hard driving and looking at the same time hey.

Cheers Wayno

[Stickbow Hunter]

Thank once again for the comments fellas.

Those pics really show the diversity of the place but man you must have been cold sometimes being a QLD 'er !

Yeah mate a good bit of the time it was colder than we were used to.

You sure did capture Tasmania on some beautiful days!

Yeah Ben we did have great weather for most of the time.

must of been hard driving and looking at the same time hey.

VERY hard Wayno!!!

Jeff

[Tuffcity]

Nice photo's! How many hours did you have to spend going through them when you got home? LOL

RC

- do you always ride in the on-coming traffic lane?

[g_r]

Thanks alot Jeff for the pics! I envy you for that journey
The landscape and the pics are awesome.

[Stickbow Hunter]

How many hours did you have to spend going through them when you got home? LOL

I have spent many hours looking at them but haven't done any real processing yet as we changed to a Mac computer and I don't have Photoshop yet.

- do you always ride in the on-coming traffic lane?

I suppose this sign is for tourists from your neck of the woods too then huh?

These signs are all along the Great Ocean Road and are needed!!!

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Thanks GR, it certainly was a really great trip. I will try and post some more up when I get time to resize them etc.

Jeff

[roscoe]

Jeff, That camera of yours takes the most natural colours i have seen. The pictures make you feel like that your are there. What make and model is the camera jeff. Top pic's...Roscoe

[Stickbow Hunter]

Roscoe,

Thanks mate. The camera is a Canon 40D which is a digital SLR. I had a 17 - 40 f4 L lens attached to it which makes a good combination but you do get some distortion as you will see in photos with buildings etc. It is a compact lens and is an extremely sharp one too. We used a tank bag for the trip and the camera was kept in there where it was easy to get to. We are really glad we took it rather then our point shoot camera as I think the results were well worth the extra room it used up.

Jeff

[Nutgrass]

Great pics mate. One day we will get down there
Looks like you pair had a great time. The 40d is certainly a great camera Haven't had a play with a 17-40 lens yet, but those results speak for themselves

[Stickbow Hunter]

Thanks gidget. Tassie is a great place and is certainly somewhere that we would like to go back to some day if possible.

Jeff