Cycle Tasmania

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Hobart

Arrive in to Hobart at any time. There are no planned activities, so check into to the hotel (check-in time is approx 3pm) and enjoy the city. In the late afternoon (approx 5pm) you will meet your fellow group members to go over the details of your trip and for the leader to collect your local payment. Check the notice board (or ask reception) to see the exact time and location of this group meeting. After the meeting we will be heading out for a meal in a nearby local restaurant (optional). If you arrive late, no worries, the leader will leave you a message at the front desk.Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony, it is Australia's second oldest and eleventh largest city, with a metropolitan population of approximately 202,000. The city is the financial and administrative heart of Tasmania, and also serves as the home port for both Australian and French Antarctic operations.Perhaps Australia's most stress-free and engaging city, Hobart has a thriving festival scene and a real sense of history. For walking, eating and just soaking in the atmosphere it can't be bettered. Visit Salamanca Place on the waterfront of Hobart, lined with 19th century waterfront warehouses this area once bustled with whalers, soldiers, petty bureaucrats and opportunist businessmen. Now they house cafes, restaurants and studios and bustle with shoppers and visitors

Day 2 St Helens

Head out of Hobart for a while before you begin your east coast exploration. Take an adrenalin pumping downhill bike ride to sea level and lunch on the coast before a leisurely cycle into St Helens (35km). This afternoon take a relaxing walk along the beaches at Bay of Fires.The east coast especially the north east, is an untapped wonderland waiting for you to pop by; it's peaceful, it's home to a string of stunning pristine white beaches and very appealing blue bays, and it's the sunniest place in Tasmania.St Helens is the largest town on the north-east coast, with a population of about 2,000. The town is known as the game-fishing capital of Tasmania and there are hundreds of local fishermen tha live in and around the town.The Bay of Fires (named by British Captain Tobias Furneaux, who only saw the smoke from the fires of the local Kunnara Kuna tribe) is a coast of white sandy beaches dotted with giant granite boulders. Extensive kelp forests and underwater caves make the area popular with divers.

Day 3 Bicheno

Cycle south down the distractingly scenic coastline enroute to Bicheno, this coastal road is one of Australia’s greatest journey’s and doing it by bike is the best way to experience it (30-75km). Enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the Douglas Apsley National Park waterhole. The crystal clear waters that run through the park are a welcome sight on a hot summer's day. Try rock hopping along the river bank or read your book on the waters edge.Douglas-Apsley National Park is a place of rugged river gorges, waterfalls, tall stands of eucalypts, tranquil pools and pockets of rainforest. We'll visit the picturesque waterhole - a great place to cool off on one of those warm east-coast days when leaves crackle underfoot and the scent of eucalyptus fills the air.Bicheno, just north of the Freycinet Peninsula on Tasmania’s east coast, is known for its laid-back lifestyle and outdoor activities. More than 700 people live in the town, and water’s its lifeblood. Crayfish, abalone and Australian salmon are often brought ashore with the daily fishing catch.

Day 4 Hobart

Cycle 40km from Bicheno, or take a van transfer and regroup in Coles Bay. Meet in the small township for an optional fun sea kayak exploration of the bay. The Freycinet peninsula consists of knuckles of granite mountains surrounded by azure bays and white sand beaches. The dramatic peaks of the Hazards welcome you as you enter the park on the bike or in the van, either way, have your camera ready! Join the group for a walk over to Freycinet National Park and marvel at the superb beach at Wineglass Bay. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach and return to Hobart this evening.The east coast village of Coles Bay sits beneath pink granite mountains at the entrance to Freycinet National Park. With a small permanent population of less than 200 people, the town caters to local and visitor needs. The Coles Bay area is one of our Island's most popular holiday spots for visitors and locals. It overlooks crystal clear Oyster Bay - ideal for swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, boating and fishing.Freycinet National Park is immediately recognisable by the silhouette of the Hazards, a rare formation of weathered pink granite mountains, dominated by Mt Amos, Mt Dove and Mt Mayson. You can climb the Hazards, walk to the brilliant white sands of Wineglass Bay, voted one of the top ten beaches in the world or take in the seascape from the lighthouse walk at Cape Tourville.

Day 5 Tarraleah

For those that are early raises, there is an optional gentle 2 hour sea kayak tour on the Hobart waterfront. Travel just over an hour out of the city and into the heart of the rainforest at Mt Field National Park. Take a fabulous walk at Tasmania’s oldest national park, and explore the photogenic Russell Falls as well as Lake Dobson and plenty of Tall Trees.Finish the day at Tarraleah in a cool little school house that has been renovated to become a little inn.Tarraleah is aboriginal meaning is “Forrester Kangaroo”, but aside from the enormous range of Tasmanian flora and fauna in the area, this town is best known as the birth place of the hydro scheme in Tasmania. Mt Field has a wide variety of scenic features and wildlife - few other national parks in Australia offer such a diversity in vegetation, ranging from tall swamp gum forests and massive tree ferns at the base of the mountain, through rainforest along the Lake Dobson Road, to alpine vegetation at the higher elevations.

Day 6 Tullah

Transfer to the West Coast this morning but not before a stop at Lake St Clair to take a walk in this part of the nationalpark. Head further west via Nelson Falls, then continue to Strahan to enjoy some time to explore this popular yet wild west coast fishing town. Try your hand at an optional activity like sandboarding on the massive Henty Dunes, or for an even bigger thrill, try a quad bike tour on the dunes. Alternativley take a walk to Hogarth Falls with your guide and learn about the start of the Green Movement in Tasmania back in the early 80's. Bike ride this afternoon to your finish point of Tullah via some superb prehistoric landscapes around Mt Murchison. Rugged mountains and towering manferns will make you feel as if you’re riding with the dinosaurs. Bike ride today is 40-60km.Strahan...for many this name evokes a place with the true spirit of independence, of 19th-century piners and miners, and 20th-century protesters who stopped the damming of the wild Franklin River. Strahan is the major harbour town on Tasmania's west coast, and the place to go if you want to explore the wild and beautiful World Heritage areas. We'll spend around 3 hours in Strahan before getting on the bikes and heading for Tullah.Tullah is a former mining and 'Hydro' town, overlooked by magnificent Mount Farrell and Mount Murchison. Beautiful Lake Rosebery is on the edge of town and can be viewed from the bar at the chalets you'll be staying at.

Day 7 Cradle Mountain

If you’re a keen biker, you might like to ride to Cradle Mountain from Black Bluff, we’ll transfer you there this morning. Then spend the day exploring Cradle Mountain National park and world heritage listed area and get back to one with nature. There are a huge number of hiking options and trails in this area, and you’ll even get to stay and watch the sunset. All hiking options are optional today, and your guide will join the group on the Marion's Lookout walk: 3-4 hours return for fantastic views over Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake. If you're not too great with heights, the Dove Lake walk is equally stunning through rainforest on clearly boarded trails over 2 hours and you can undertake this unguided and meet again at the end of your walk.The sheer magnificence of Cradle Mountain inspired Austrian-born Gustav Weindorfer to build a chalet of King Billy pine here in 1912 and work tirelessly for a decade to have the area declared a national park "for the people for all time". His dream was realised in 1922, and today a quarter of all visitors to the state travel here to share his vision. Perhaps the most distinctive flora of the area are the pandani and the fagus – the former for its paradoxical palm-like appearance, the latter for its status as Australia's only deciduous tree. Fagus, also know as deciduous beech (Nothofagus gunnii), is endemic to Tasmania and has a magnificent autumn display, ranging through gold to deep red from late April to May.

Day 8 Deloraine/Hobart

Venture to Mole Creek and jump on the bikes to cycle to Deloraine on the back roads through rolling rural landscapes and The Great Western Tiers, a long mountain range running alongside you. Finish the day with a transfer back to Hobart late this afternoon.Mole Creek is a lovely little town - with many sightings of the infamous Tasmanian Tiger around the area. It's a great place to start a bike ride to Deloraine along rural country roads with rolling landscapes and cows to keep you entertained - the scenery is dramatically different from yesterday's mountainous regions. Deloraine is surrounded by classic 'English-style' countryside of rolling green hills, hedgerows, and working farms, and sits at the foothills of the famous Great Western Tiers, which form the northern edge of the World Heritage Central Plateau region. Deloraine is classified by the National Trust, and you'll see why the moment you enter. The bridge, Bonney's Inn and the Baptist Tabernacle are just a few of the historic features that give this riverside village its charm. It's also home to Australia's biggest working craft fair every November. (The 10 day trip commencing 23 October 2009 will be just in time for the first day of the fair!). If you can't make it during fair time, you'll find a wide selection of fine arts and crafts year-round at the many local galleries.

Day 9 Hobart

Enjoy exploring Salamanca Market today. This market is a fabulous experience that occurs every Saturday in Hobart. Also today you’ll take part in Hobart’s ultimate adventure – the Mt Wellington Descent downhill bike ride from 1270m at the summit of Mt Wellington, cycling 21km all the way back to sea level.Hobart is a city of warm sandstone, bright spinnakers on the water, fish punts at the docks, the slap of halyards on masts, and coffee under the sun umbrellas of Salamanca where the famous Salamanca Market is held every Saturday.Salamanca Market takes place in Hobart every Saturday between 8.30am and 3pm – rain, hail or shine. An entire street closes down, cars are removed from the parking area and replaced with brightly coloured market umbrellas lining both sides of the street. At Hobart’s popular outdoor market you’ll join the locals for a shopping experience with a difference. Salamanca Market is one of those special places where you actually meet the people who create, make or grow what they sell.Mt Wellington which towers above the city, is the kaleidoscope for our seasons – sun bathed, snow capped or shrouded in cloud, it sets the scene for adventure. The stunning 1270-metre high natural backdrop to the city, is a walker’s paradise, a climber’s challenge, a family playground or simply one of the most breathtaking ways to view the panoramic splendour of Hobart. Of course the best way to explore the mountain is on bike, so we'll take you to the top and let you ride all the way back down again!Enjoy a final night in Hobart tonight to celebrate the success of the past week or so. There is a thriving pub scene in town, all within walking distance of your accommodation or a few minutes taxi ride.

Day 10 Depart Hobart

You are free to depart at any time on Day 10, though remember check out from the hotel is approx. 10am.