Bodø's Taswegian Odyssey

[Wild Rose]

Bodo that loco looks like an x Qld loco
But I have been known to be wrong before

[Bodø]

I wouldn't know, although I do have friends who probably would.  I was just chuffed to see it.  I actually planned to turn right at that intersection which is just before the level crossing but as soon as I saw the lights go on I decided to go straight and be held up.

[ruSTynutz]

Bodø, if you haven't already visited Waratah, I can recommend it!   

Nice old pub and a fantastic waterfall...

https://tinyurl.com/tgxqply

https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/accommodation/bischoffhotel

Cheers 

[Bodø]

Bodø, if you haven't already visited Waratah, I can recommend it!   

Nice old pub and a fantastic waterfall...

Cheers 

I sort of did.  I rode through it but after my bike wouldn't start at Corinna (day 19) I wasn't keen on shutting it down.  I did take a couple of photos but didn't go to the waterfall.

[ruSTynutz]

Not to worry, maybe next time...

You've certainly covered some ground...and I've really enjoyed your reports!
Thankyou! 

Bodo that loco looks like an x Qld loco
But I have been known to be wrong before

My mate who is knowledgeable on these things said:

Your friend is 100% correct. It gets complicated - originally built and operated in Queensland, sold to New Zealand, then came back to Tassie when the private company in NZ took over the Tasmanian operations for a few years.

[Bodø]

Speaking of New Zealand, when I cycled around New Zealand in 1994 I was told to put my bicycle on the floor below all the cars of the ship when sailing from the South Island to the North Island.  It had train tracks in it and the trains also went on the ferry and back out the other side.

[Bodø]

Day 22 Ride Report

Quite possibly my latest wake up since arriving in Tasmania bar the morning I was on the Spirit of Tasmania.  Most mornings I depart before sunrise but the sun was well and truly out by the time I got the bike running.



I got through Exton as they were about to set up the roadworks I encountered before but got caught up approximately fourteen kilometers before Launceston.  I'm not one hundred percent sure but think it's Hadspen.



I think Launceston is my Australian equivalent of Nagoya - the city I always get lost in.  I did on my first two rides through it and today whilst knowing where I ought to have been going but still somehow managed to make a wrong turn.  After some u-turning in Kings Meadows got myself back on track.  First portion of new territory for me today was the B81 from Rocherlea to Scottsdale.  This was at the starting point of that leg.



I spotted this in Lilydale.  I think it's beyond cleaning up and getting on the road again.



In Scottsdale I saw my first ever kookaburra in the wild.



In yesterday's ride report I lamented not walking across the Batman Bridge when I was there.  Today I rectified that.



It sure as hell shook when one of these lorries trucks came racing by.



There were vehicles racing under the bridge as well.





That was my exercise for the day.



I gave Exeter the thumbs up, even if I didn't find any Grecians.



Another look at the River Tamar, this time from Brady's lookout at Rosevears.



I turned off some random street at Legana to get this.  I think Legana is a suburb of Launy.



This was somewhere in Rosevale, a minute ro so after passing Tasmania Zoo.  I didn't go in.



Whilst I have loved riding in Tasmania there are a couple of things that do annoy me.  To a lesser extent the lack of yellow advisory speed signs or even any sign to suggest you are approaching a curve or corner, but by far my biggest hate is the amount of gravel that is on the bends.



I started this ride report with roadworks and I am going to finish it that way.  This was in Cluan.



It's that thing that I do at roadworks in Tassie.



Back at base I realised I forgot to buy coffee as my jar that I brought will run out tomorrow so I went for a walk to Shearwater and got some.  The weather has been good all day.  Yesterday I actually dug out the summer gloves, but today they weren't required.  I think this'll be my last day heading east.

[richo]

 . Another great report

[Bodø]

I forgot to mention I passed the Google Street view vehicle I saw in Bridport yesterday again, today in Nabowla.  It turns out it's not a google vehicle but one for Apple maps.  I've never looked at Apple maps so I don't know much about it or if it's limited to ipads or iphones etc.

Apple maps also had me scratching my head because I recall road maps in Japan in the eighties called Apple, or so I thought.  Actually it was Mapple (had to google it).  I didn't like them.  JAF maps were way better.

[Kev Murphy]

In the 80's, they didn't have Mapple apps. 

Day 23 Ride Report

Last night I opened a new jar of coffee and in an instant (no pun intended) realized why my coffee on this trip had been weak.  I bought a different version that I usually do.  I then sat down and plotted a course for today.  I generally prepare mud maps like this and don't usually stick to them.  A wrong turn here, a change of mind there, a new discovery over there and I'm off course.



Well I woke up this morning to get a private message from a friend on instagram telling me of a big lobster in Burnie.  As I already planned to head out in that direction I tacked that on to the front of my ride.  It gave me another chance to ride past the wind turbine blades I'd seen last week so I stopped for a few photos.





Then it was off to Parklands to get a photo of the big freshwater lobster.  It's difficult to get the bike close enough to it for a decent picture.

I could not get the bike in the photo, so I settled for an OzSTOC cap.   

I remember this and applied the same logic.



From there I saw that Toll freight ship I saw the day before yesterday.



Back at Burnie I got a closer look.



I got closer to the port than I did in Bell Bay.



Snapped a train there as well, but it wouldn't be my favorite train shot of the day.



Making my way back to Heybridge to kick off my original plan I passed those blades again.  Being on the opposite side of the road I was far enough away to get the entire blade in the shot.



I think it's fair to say logging is a big industry in Tasmania.



I'm not used to seeing "no through street" signs.  They usually say "no through road".  Also google maps suggests it is not a no through street.  I might have to make another trip to Chasm Creek.



This yard in Upper Stowart had quite a few interesting items in it.  I would come across another in Preston.





This is not the Tardis I posted the other day.  This one is in Penguin.  I spent quite a bit of time in Penguin.





After that the weather didn't know what it wanted to do.  Rain, sunshine, wind etc.  It went in and out of those all day and is blowing a gale in Port Sorell as I type this up.

Riding along the coast to Ulverstone a train came by at West Ulverstone so as soon as I saw it I pulled up and got out the camera.



Here's a reflection of me at the Ulverstone information centre.



Next on the agenda, the B17 loop to take me back to Penguin.  It reminds me of the route 16 road around Tokyo, just a lot smaller.  Maybe it's more akin to the kampachi minus the traffic.  It was a good ride.  Quite a few tents at Bannon Lake in Gunns Plains.  I'm surprise they're still standing given how strong the wind was.



An old petrol pump in Gunns Plains.



It was nice of them to provide a shim for me.



Remember when fuel was 70 cents a litre?  I don't.  It must have been the era I payed in yen.



This lookout, also in Gunns Plains was well worth stopping for.  Despite the weather the view was fantastic.



Back in Penguin it was on the A1 back to Ulverstone to get back on the B17 to pass through the Taswegian Gawler a second time and make my way to Nietta.  A wrong turn had me going through the Taswegian Preston.  I saw this yard which had lots of interesting and weird stuff in it.  The owner came out and said hello, and with regards to taking photos said knock yourself out.



I did get to Nietta.



Another wrong turn saw me end up in South Nietta, none the wiser on what the weather wanted to do.



At the beginning of the day that was where I was planning to turn around but since there were signs for the Leven Canyon I went and checked that out.  This photo on the way to the lookout would be the only one I took there.  Got to the end to take more only for the camera to say the memory card was full.  I have never filled that memory card, and whilst I had more cards, they were in my top box and I wasn't going to walk there a second time.



Back at the parking area I changed the memory card and headed back down the hill.  This was in South Preston on the road I originally intended to traverse.



Why do they do this?
I see them in South Australia as well but I don't need to know what the speed limit was.  Why they can't put a sign saying what the speed limit is from this point on is beyond me.  Stupid spatlese !



Having tacked on Burnie and Leven Canyon on to the trip by the time I got back to Turners Bay I aborted what plans I had after that and head back to Devonport Coles to buy some lime milk.  I know they have it and cheap as well.  At the rally someone mentioned not seeing police about, but I know they hide behind this sign in Wesley Vale just after the speed limit drops to 60km/h in the early morning.



I haven't worked on a course for tomorrow, but I have seen everything I wanted to see on this trip, except one, which I plan to do on the last day.

[Bodø]

I took a photo of this crane at Burnie port this morning.
Sven news Tasmania has just said it was demolished today.

[Brookester]

There are 2 of those Toll ships that run virtually the same as The Spirit..friends posted videos of the crane coming down in a controlled demolision was pretty cool to watch here on youtube... https://youtu.be/8Y65cdt0p_8

[Kev Murphy]

I can remember when fuel was 18 cents per litre, and we were horrified when it jumped overnight to 23 cents!
Mid 1977, from memory?
Now the Grubbermint creams about 44 cents per litre in fuel tax.

There are 2 of those Toll ships that run virtually the same as The Spirit..friends posted videos of the crane coming down in a controlled demolision was pretty cool to watch here on youtube... https://youtu.be/8Y65cdt0p_8

Thanks for that.  That's a better view and angle than the news got.  I've saved it to my photo album and put it with the photo I took.  He's written the 22nd but it was definitely the 23rd.

[Williamson]

Been enjoing the read and pics BG, thanks for sharing.

This lookout, also in Gunns Plains was well worth stopping for.  Despite the weather the view was fantastic.

And when the weather is better, the view is even mor more fantastic.


Pic taken on the 2014 ride, I'll post 2019 pics when I can download 'em (having probs ATM).  In this pic is Phil with his GSX1400 outfit, he was on his Harely outfit 2019 - some of you would have met Phil at Port Sorell and / or other Tassie locales, if you didn't see him, you would have heard the Harley.

[Bodø]

I need to learn how to make panorama photos.

[Williamson]

I need to learn how to make panorama photos.

That one was a series (three or four) "stitched" together using an MS (or similar) program.  Much easier these days using the "PANO" function on the iPhone.

Been using panoramic photos since the late 70's.  Would need them for technical reports for work (this was RoSTA - Road Safety and Traffic Authority, and we would prepare reports on speed limit changes).  In those days we would take two or three shots on 35mm film, pics developed & printed and then manually cut, spliced and pasted in to a report. 

A mate at work had set-up three 35mm camers on a frame to take three pics (left, centre & right) simultaneously has he would drive down the road.  This was 40 years ahead of Google Streetview.

[Bodø]

Day 24 Ride Report

Bodø is already cruising again (always an early rider) ...
Bodø found another untraveled road

I think today was a later start by my standards.  It is getting harder finding untraveled roads.  Although I did travel some of the roads I did last weekend and stopped for a photo here and there.  I also went into Devonport for fear of not having a look with it being on my doorstep.

This dog in Lillico isn't the first one to go beserk when I stopped for photos but was the first one not to be stuck behind a fence/gate.



Sunshine On Leith (album by the Proclaimers).



After checking out Leith on the coast side of the A1 I rode up towards Sprent in the reverse direction I rode yesterday along the B15.  These sheep did the bolt when I got off to take photos at Abbottsham.



I didn't notice this yesterday but it did make me laugh.  It was the same property.



I would go on to photograph a lot of letter boxes today.  I decided enough was enough but they kept getting better.  They made this one in Kindred look rather lame.



I didn't know sheep were into dreadlocks.  I don't know why anyone is.  They always look unhygienic to me.



Apparently people buy sticks.



Kev Murphy mentioned I rode Forth Road for the eight time.  I'm not sure about that but I have crossed the Forth river a lot.  Today I rode in and out of Forth a couple of times today.  Actually you can see a bit of the river in this photo, but I was more interested in the color of the trees.



Another day, another defunct petrol station.  They're everywhere.  This one was in Turners Beach.



There was a girl medicating in the corner of this lookout on the beach.  She made me jump as I thought no one was there.  I probably disturbed her finding her inner piece, so I guess we're even.



Early morning fishing for some.



This guy preferred to do his fishing from a canoe.



Back into Leith to check out Braddons lookout.  Whilst taking photos there a car pulled out and as they got closer I heard the conversation was Japanese.  One of them said you could possibly see the Aurora from here so I interjected to say you'd need to go further south than that.  I don't know if that's true but it seemed like a good way to jump into the conversation.  After a bit more converstional exchange I was asked if I was Japanese.  That's when it dawned on me that I still had my helmet on and promptly took it off.  We talked for about fifteen minutes.  They're working holiday makers doing a farm stay not far from their.



Back on the bike and it was down the hill back into Forth again.  This looks like an old train carriage, but even as shed it looks like it had deteriorated beyond being used for that.



I saw a sign for Paloona dam so I thought I'd check it out.  Like Cethana dam it's a hydro plant and you can't get close enough to see it properly.



Ooh ahh, I was standing.



Throwing stones hadn't occurred to me until I saw this sign.



With the dam done it was back to my planned course.  There were lots of creative letterboxes in Lower Wilmot and Wilmot.  Hear's one.  Others I'll post in the letter box thread.



I stopped at the lookout at Wilmot too.  I should have checked out Lake Barrington but didn't.



I've now seen a Tasmanian tiger on this trip.



And Shaun the sheep.



From there is was slow going to Sheffield as I got stuck behind a tractor.  Once around him I took off.  I didn't expect him to come all the way into the town.



Could I think of anywhere else I wanted to go before getting on that boat?  Nowhere Else.  It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.  I so wanted to see a sign with "welcome to Nowhere Else" or even a locality sign, but as there wasn't one you get a photo of me.



I bagged the big platypus in Latrobe before going to Devonport.



I took some photos of the Spirit Of Tasmania (which wasn't there yesterday) and some at Mersey Bluff before stumbling across this.  I have never seen a level crossing go through a roundabout before.



I went to East Devonport to suss out where I board before going past Camp Banksia to check out the end of the road in Port Sorell.

Over the course of just under three weeks I did 8671km, more than 8000 of those interstate.

That was from my Halls Gap RTE trip of 2017.  I have surpassed that on this trip.



Going by google maps saying it's 720km from Port Melbourne to Adelaide I need to do 218km in the next two days if I am going to take that over the 10000km mark.  I didn't plan on doing a big ride on either day so I could fall short, but I am intrigued if the trip meter will go to five figures.  Tomorrow is forecast rain and I intend to do some washing so I'm not sure what I'll do riding wise.  Might have to check out Launy.

[richo]

 . Thanks for the good read.   I have been to tassie but have not seen anywhere as much as you in this trip

[Wild Rose]

Another great write up Bodo 
Always looking forward to the next one 

[Bodø]

. Thanks for the good read.   I have been to tassie but have not seen anywhere as much as you in this trip

My theory was that it could be a once in a lifetime trip so I had better see as much as I can so decided to take a full allotment of A/L to do it.  Being in Camp Banksia for a couple of weeks also meant I got a weekly rate.

[Kev Murphy]

Another great writeup Bodø, and great pics as well. Thanks mate. 

[Williamson]

We travelled the same roads a number of times, passed a turn-off or three to Leven Canyon many times, eventually decided it was time for a visit, so we did.  Not sure if we passed the same site eight times though.

...... before stumbling across this.  I have never seen a level crossing go through a roundabout before.

Roundbouts with trains, trams .......pfft!!!





Approx. six trains and four buses pass through here per hour.   In order of priority we have trains, buses and cars; it's fair to say car drivers put up with congestion and delays in peak hours.