Hi Rodd..............living at Blackmans Bay might be another kettle of fish mate. That would be like living in any surburban area anywhere I imagine. We avoid places like that when we ride. We never travel through Hobart and most, if not all, of our riding is through country areas.
We rode 425kls a couple of weeks ago to New Norfolk, Ouse, Hamilton, then up to Bothwell before heading home through Richmond, Tea Tree, Sorell, and hardly saw a vehicle ahead of us. I guess that's one of the benefits of living in a country area ourselves.
Hey Diesel..............there are some wonderful rides around the Sunshine Coast hinterland......Maleny, Kenilworth, Mt Mee, etc and the same for the Gold Coast hinterland, but I remember only too well the busy traffic on the Gold Coast and Brisbane roads, particularly at peak times..............peak times here are like a walk in the park in comparision. I couldn't believe it when I first came down here...........where the hell was everyone, then it dawned on me, we just don't have the population down here! For the forty years I lived in Brisbane I drove through the city and coastal areas every working day, clocking up an average 60,000+kls a year................getting caught on the Gateway for ages in stop start traffic so often, sweltering in the car in summer while caught on the Storey Bridge......................of course Brissie doesn't have this on it's own, it's the same in all mainland cities, particularly Sydney and Melbourne...............................I guess that's why I appreciate it so much down here.
Hey.. I lived at Blackmans Bay and I experienced traffic going through Hobart and onto New Norfolk!
Gotta admit that it is nice to tour around Tassie (bike or fourby).. when it's warmer!