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I gotta say it!

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Couch:
I was looking at the pics taken of Barry & Marissa's wedding, and of the ride you guys took to arrive at the Gold Coast, and in particular the traffic on the highway. And I gotta say it...........I do feel for you!!  :'(

Since living in Tassie I've forgotten what it's like to ride in heavy traffic.  Apart from the wonderful, twisty, scenic, M/C riding roads we have here in Tassie, we have something here that we treasure just so much...................a lack of traffic!  I rode last Sunday with a couple of mates up the East Coast to Swansea (390kls return). The day was a beautiful sunny, still & warm day, and there was hardly a car on the road all the way there and back. This is not an isolated occurance..................we never have problems with traffic on ride days. It's not at all unusual not to have to pass a vehicle or to have a vehicle pass us, it makes riding just so much more enjoyable. Most Sundays we ride anywhere between 300 - 450+kls in all directions, and it's never really any different.

I hope the day will come when you can all sample a little of Tassie roads.  ;D

Couch

Rodd:
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!   :nahnah

Diesel:
Yeah Couch - I hear ya talkin. You'd remember alot of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and Mary Valley roads around Kenilworth and Eudlo - you get a great run around there until Sunday arvo when a lot of folks pile back into Brizvegas for the working week.

Stay tuned too Rodd, if the National Meet at Katoomba is a great success, there are plans being made for an OzSTOC Taz Tour.

Have to work out heaps yet with hosts and ride masters down that way for the itinerary, but stay tuned ol mate. I think you'd enjoy the 2 day ride down there, and 4-5 days doing the Apple Isle.

Early days yet - us mainlanders are gunna let global warming do its trick on Tassie first so it's not so much of a shock!    :nahnah     :P      :eek      :crackup

Couch:
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.



--- Quote from: Rodd on September 29, 2011, 06:44:06 PM ---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!   :nahnah

--- End quote ---

Rodd:
A few years ago I drove to Brisbane to see about a job there. The guys at the company showed me around and asked a lot of questions. The interview went well and they offered me the job. I said that I never made my mind up on the spot and needed to discuss with my wife and that I would get back to them. The trouble was that the drive in.. through the 'late' morning traffic was a real turn off. After a few days I hadn't called them, so they rang me and asked what my decision was. I said that the pay wasn't enough to cover the extra cost of living there. They then asked how much I wanted to be paid.. and I said "I don't think that you could pay me enough"!! They were nice people and I hated saying it to them, but it was the truth. I'm glad I didn't take the job because now I work only a 5-6 minute ride from home.. no traffic lights or roundabouts, and no stop signs on the way there.

There are a lot of nice rides in QLD, NSW, Vic, etc and most of the ones I have been on while touring SE QLD and northern NSW haven't been busy... but I've found it'd better to avoid areas like Tweed Heads/Coolangatta, Gold Coast , Brisbane and the like. I really liked Tassie (touring and range of fresh foods, etc), but I preferred the year round camping here. If someone invents one of those instant transport machines (beam me up Scotty) then life would be great(er).

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