Circumnavigation complete!

One thing that is constant about the Tassie landscape is that it changes really fast. I can say "fast" even though I've been traveling for nearly a month on my two wheeled friend, Poppy. Cycling up the East coast from Hobart was really quite different then the west of this island state. Still had the friendly and inquisitive Tassie folks and the even more friendly tourists in caravans from other Aussie states. The East coast still had sweet camping spots, amazing hiking and gorgeous national parks, but instead of rugged mountains sparse towns and moist rain forest, the landscape featured historic towns like Richmond and Derby, coastal fishing and resort towns like Swansea, Coles Bay, Bicheno and St. Helens. These towns had turquoise waters, and a warm sun, with a constant air of summer about, even as Tasmania creeps into autumn.

I spent two glorious and solitary nights on Maria Island as I worked my way up the coast. Here, no cars are allowed, and the entire island is a National Park, steeped in a rich history as it was once the home of nearly 800 people, was once a penal settlement, and a holiday retreat spot. Some of the creepy old buildings still remain, including one farmhouse which I pitched camp near, some 12 km away from where the ferry brings you over. The turquoise water and grazing wombats, wallabies and native hens formed a beautiful backdrop as I quietly explored the Isthmus, and cooked up warm meals over my camp stove. What an interesting and beautiful spot it was; a place of remembering, reflecting, and gratitude...

North a couple hundred kilometers on the East Coast and you are back with those folks who seek the famous scenery of Freycinet National Park and Wineglass Bay. Here I camped out at Friendly Beaches, a painfully beautiful place where I walked along the beach, cooked my meals on the crisp white sand, and enjoyed each bright blue crashing wave.

And now, I'm here in Launceston, ready, once again, to close (temporarily?) the Tasmanian chapter of my travels and head next to New Zealand! I'm excited, because, as easily as I could stick around Tassie for another month or two, picking grapes, or exploring more of the special nooks and crannies, I'm looking forward to having a mate to travel with! My cousin Anthony has already landed on NZ soil, and I will follow in a couple days.

And though it is so difficult to sum up a journey in words, so difficult to convey what it's like to ride your bike for glorious hours upon hours, bu yourself, through stunning landscapes, I'll try to communicate to you just what it's like...in my next post, from another Aussie state.

Halfway around...

and I think Tassie has a hold of my heart.

Unplanned, I started the bicycle circumnavigation around Tasmania in an anti-clockwise direction, starting with the more mountainous, moist, and rugged western area first, along with a new friend also on two wheels - Freddie!

A stunning place the west of Tassie is - remote, full of wild moist rain forests, mountainous roads, and abundant wildlife (wombats, padmelons, tiger snakes, honeyeaters, rosellas, wallabies, lizards, echidnas, quolls, and of course, possums). The thing about Tasmania that is so impressive is that its got an amazingly small population (500 000 people, 215 000 which live in the capital, Hobart, from where I write to you now) and an equally amazing amount of protected national parkland and other protected reserves - they are massive tracts of land. I took two days "off" in two of these National Parks. My first day off the bike seat was in Cradle Mountain National Park where I proceeded to hike to the 18km to the summit of the mountain, at an elevation of 1545m. My other day "off" was in Lake St. Clair National Park where again, I went on a bush walk to an elevation of 1416m. These all day, 15+ km hikes were stunning, exposing me to so much more of the Tasmanian wilderness (glacial lakes, alpine environments, including Pandani forests - my new favourite plant, that I promise I will write a children's book about - its a magical setting that they grow in - willy wonka's choco land style, cushion plans, little boardwalks, trickly brown streams...) Climbing to these peaks with new found friends was amazing - never have I scrambled over massive dolerite protrusions to meet alpine summits - so special.

After some more mountainous riding, Poppy decided she was tired, and my back derailleur cable snapped just as I arrived safely in the quaint fishing village of Strahan after bidding farewell to Freddie a couple days earlier. After learning there was no bike shop in town, and there was not very many camping spots left either, I was feeling somewhat defeated. But as the universe has provided so many times before - that day was not an exception. Tony and Lisa introduced themselves, welcomed me to camp on their site, and reminded me of the fact that on that very day, there just so happened to be a cycle race finishing in Strahan, with 300 cyclists bombarding this little town - there just had to be some technical bikey support of sorts! And there was! The wonderful Michael fixed Poppy up, and we were ready to tackle more mountains en route to Hobart - this time, with Brian and his bicycle T.J. (another cycling buddie that I had met a couple days before!)

And cycle on we sure did - all the way to Mount Field National Park. After some amazing summing, pleasantly warm weather, challenging bike days, amazing serene free (and not so free) camping spots, new and inspiring friends, I met up with Krista! She flew to Hobart to 'hang for the weekend in the big smoke of Hobart. Over the weekend, we ate amazing food, browsed the famous Salamanca Market, spent time on the magical Hobart harbour, hiked in Mount Field National Park, took in some live jazz, checked out the ever so unique MONA museum and shared fellowship. She's truly one of my favourite people in the whole wide world, and we had a ball of a weekend.

Poppy had a visit to the "bike doctor" where the lovely Cam at Tassie cycles gave her a new cassette and chain. And now, we are all ready to go again. Up the east coast of Tasmania. I can't wait to get back into my tent after a few days of staying indoors. I can't wait to cook over my camp stove again, pitch my lovely tent, and shop at the smallest grocery stores ever. So far, the Tasmanian people and places I have been have been wonderful, and perfect for cycle touring. I can only hope for as safe and amazing adventures for the eastern half of this island state.

Sending you pedal strokes from the seat of my bicycle...

Love, Kayla