5 - 11 March 2018
Tasmanian Motorcycle Tour
Day 6 ~ Saturday - March 10
Stanley - Launceston - Devonport ~ 350kms
Stanley - Launceston - Devonport ~ 350kms
Geoff & Beck were up early having a FaceTime video conference with family back home when the rest of us arrived for breakfast.
We hadn’t really been given a time for breakfast but had assumed 8.00am.
We hadn’t really been given a time for breakfast but had assumed 8.00am.
Ken was just about to give the order to ‘help yourselves’ when Penelope, our host and breakfast cook arrived. She had been out collecting the necessary food items for our breakfast. Some of us had started ‘continental’ and continued whilst Penny did a hot breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast for those interested.
After breakfast Cliff & Ken had a good chat with Penny, finding out that a Chinese company had invested in the property and it wasn’t being run as effectively as it could be, she was hoping to get a 3 year lease to run it the way it should be run but wasn’t hopefully she would have any luck. We settled the accounts had the bikes at the front, packed and ready to leave by 9.00am. Beck seemed to be feeling better and was happy to ride with Geoff.
We did a quick ride through some of the back streets of Stanley before heading to the Bass Highway and the service station to get petrol. Once refuelled we set off down the coastline towards Devonport. It was a great morning again, clear with the sun just starting to get warm but a gentle sea breeze to take off the heat’s edge. Geoff had spotted on the map that we pass through Somerset (Tasmania of course) and wanted to stop if we could. We stopped and where able to get photos of us in front of the Somerset town sign!
From here it was into Burnie to find morning tea, unfortunately as it was Saturday morning nothing in town was open so we continued down the beautiful coastline through Penguin, Ulverstone and finally into Devonport. No luck in finding a cafe open there either so the next best was something from McDonalds.
The plan from Devonport was to ride directly south towards Sheffield and have a look at the murals the town is famous for. On arrival we found the place packed with visitors, we later found out the Annual SteamFest Carnival was being held over the weekend. We stayed on the motorbikes and just rode around looking at what murals we could see from the road. From here we circled Mount Roland, a majestic range that overlooks Sheffield. We were on our way to Mole Creek and the Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary. Cliff & Ken had organised for Geoff, Beck, Kim & Guy to visit a Tasmanian devil conservation park for an interactive tour and devil feeding session. The tour commenced at 1.00pm, Cliff & Ken’s timing was spot on, arriving at 12.50pm time enough to remove all the warm bike gear and have a quick look around before the tour started.
Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary has been at the forefront of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program for over 30 years.
After breakfast Cliff & Ken had a good chat with Penny, finding out that a Chinese company had invested in the property and it wasn’t being run as effectively as it could be, she was hoping to get a 3 year lease to run it the way it should be run but wasn’t hopefully she would have any luck. We settled the accounts had the bikes at the front, packed and ready to leave by 9.00am. Beck seemed to be feeling better and was happy to ride with Geoff.
We did a quick ride through some of the back streets of Stanley before heading to the Bass Highway and the service station to get petrol. Once refuelled we set off down the coastline towards Devonport. It was a great morning again, clear with the sun just starting to get warm but a gentle sea breeze to take off the heat’s edge. Geoff had spotted on the map that we pass through Somerset (Tasmania of course) and wanted to stop if we could. We stopped and where able to get photos of us in front of the Somerset town sign!
From here it was into Burnie to find morning tea, unfortunately as it was Saturday morning nothing in town was open so we continued down the beautiful coastline through Penguin, Ulverstone and finally into Devonport. No luck in finding a cafe open there either so the next best was something from McDonalds.
The plan from Devonport was to ride directly south towards Sheffield and have a look at the murals the town is famous for. On arrival we found the place packed with visitors, we later found out the Annual SteamFest Carnival was being held over the weekend. We stayed on the motorbikes and just rode around looking at what murals we could see from the road. From here we circled Mount Roland, a majestic range that overlooks Sheffield. We were on our way to Mole Creek and the Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary. Cliff & Ken had organised for Geoff, Beck, Kim & Guy to visit a Tasmanian devil conservation park for an interactive tour and devil feeding session. The tour commenced at 1.00pm, Cliff & Ken’s timing was spot on, arriving at 12.50pm time enough to remove all the warm bike gear and have a quick look around before the tour started.
Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary has been at the forefront of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program for over 30 years.
The plight of the Tasmanian Devil.
Many Tasmanian devils are dying from a disease called Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). Scientists are working hard to find a cure and the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program is working to save them from extinction.
Many Tasmanian devils are dying from a disease called Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). Scientists are working hard to find a cure and the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program is working to save them from extinction.
What to remember when taking a Tasmanian Devil to lunch
Devils are carnivores, which means they will eat other animals. They are also scavengers, and they're not too fussy at dinnertime.
They often eat half-rotten meat and scavenge in the bush and on farms, like natural vacuum cleaners, keeping the bush healthy and reducing maggots, which can lead to fly strike in sheep. Of course they also like fresh meat, and they sometimes go hunting for food. They'll eat lizards, frogs and insects, in fact almost any animal protein they can find.
When devils find a dead animal, such as a wallaby, they will eat it - bones, fur and all.
When devils eat they usually make a lot of noise. This is because some devils want to show the others who is boss. Devils can eat up to 40% of their body weight in a day. An adult devil weighing 10 kg will eat up to 1 kg of food a day.
Devils are carnivores, which means they will eat other animals. They are also scavengers, and they're not too fussy at dinnertime.
They often eat half-rotten meat and scavenge in the bush and on farms, like natural vacuum cleaners, keeping the bush healthy and reducing maggots, which can lead to fly strike in sheep. Of course they also like fresh meat, and they sometimes go hunting for food. They'll eat lizards, frogs and insects, in fact almost any animal protein they can find.
When devils find a dead animal, such as a wallaby, they will eat it - bones, fur and all.
When devils eat they usually make a lot of noise. This is because some devils want to show the others who is boss. Devils can eat up to 40% of their body weight in a day. An adult devil weighing 10 kg will eat up to 1 kg of food a day.
Geoff, Beck and Kim were in awe of the native Australian fauna they got to watch, touch and feed.
Pictures tell a thousand words.
Pictures tell a thousand words.
After watching the feeding of the Tasmanian devils, it was time to get organised to leave - the hire bikes needed to be returned to Launceston between 3.30pm - 4.00pm and we still had a few kilometres to cover.
We managed the feat, travelling the 72kms fairly quickly.
We managed the feat, travelling the 72kms fairly quickly.
Once in Launceston Geoff, Beck, Kim & Guy repacked their own luggage bags, returned the borrowed gear (they were delighted not to be charged for their use) and received a tick of approval returning the motorbikes in the same condition as they were when initially borrowed.
As we hadn’t yet had lunch we asked directions to suitable eating establishments and were pointed in the direction of a number of cafes near the Mall. As it was fairly late in the afternoon most were closing but we found a sandwich shop, Banjo’s Bakery Cafe still open and had a good afternoon sandwich snack before helping Geoff, Beck, Kim & Guy carry their gear to the Cornwall Square Transit Centre to wait for the bus for the trip back to Devonport and the return trip on the Spirit of Tasmania across Bass Strait.
As we hadn’t yet had lunch we asked directions to suitable eating establishments and were pointed in the direction of a number of cafes near the Mall. As it was fairly late in the afternoon most were closing but we found a sandwich shop, Banjo’s Bakery Cafe still open and had a good afternoon sandwich snack before helping Geoff, Beck, Kim & Guy carry their gear to the Cornwall Square Transit Centre to wait for the bus for the trip back to Devonport and the return trip on the Spirit of Tasmania across Bass Strait.
Once they were organised Cliff & Ken left on the motorbikes to return to Devonport and load them back on the ferry. They found a different way to return to Devonport and enjoyed a few more corners and great roads up past Exeter on the River Tamar.
A 'different' type of bike travelling across the Bass Strait.
The FJR's getting 'tied down' on the 'Spirit of Tasmania'.
They arrived in Devonport to find that the Spirit of Tasmania had not yet arrived and they would be delayed in loading as the ferry was substantially full and would take a while to unload. Cliff & Ken spent at least 3 hours in the holding area for cars and bikes and witnessed some interesting things being loaded onto the ferry, 8 Lamborghinis, a truck load of deer antler horns, an SUV carrying a penny farthing and other bikes, camper vans, cars, trailers and caravans, freight containers and other motorbikes, including a number of Ural sidecar models as well as a guy on a pushbike. Thankfully it was a beautiful sunset, wasn’t cold and more importantly wasn’t raining. Can’t imagine having to wait in the rain to load then spend a night on the RECLINERS in wet gear! Shudder to even think of doing it.
Geoff, Beck, Kim & Guy didn’t have an uneventful pedestrian entry either. Apparently their tickets had been put under a computer keyboard, ‘by a new girl’, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that Geoff had kept a copy of the initial e-ticket used in Port Melbourne that they were actually able to get on board!
Geoff, Beck, Kim & Guy didn’t have an uneventful pedestrian entry either. Apparently their tickets had been put under a computer keyboard, ‘by a new girl’, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that Geoff had kept a copy of the initial e-ticket used in Port Melbourne that they were actually able to get on board!
Necessary gear that had been kept or carried from the motorbikes was stored near the recliners, as a coincidence the same ones we came over using, and we headed for the lounge and settled in with a few beers to start the crossing back to the main land.
We were well into the Bass Strait crossing when we went for dinner. Expensive in relation to what you got but the alternative, starving, wasn’t worth contemplating. The teacher in Ken came out over dinner when he asked everyone to think of three of the best experiences they had over the duration of the trip with a good reason why for one of their choices. We all chose different aspects for very different reasons, but all felt the trip was highlighted by the beautiful weather, the great roads, the diverse scenery and places we had visited and the company we shared it with. It was an interesting exercise and gave Cliff & Ken some good reflections points when talking during their stops on the way back to Wagga the next day.
We were well into the Bass Strait crossing when we went for dinner. Expensive in relation to what you got but the alternative, starving, wasn’t worth contemplating. The teacher in Ken came out over dinner when he asked everyone to think of three of the best experiences they had over the duration of the trip with a good reason why for one of their choices. We all chose different aspects for very different reasons, but all felt the trip was highlighted by the beautiful weather, the great roads, the diverse scenery and places we had visited and the company we shared it with. It was an interesting exercise and gave Cliff & Ken some good reflections points when talking during their stops on the way back to Wagga the next day.