AUSTRALIA Page 19 - TASMANIA - March 2007.
Australia, the adopted homeland of both Mal and Lee. The only continent under one government and the country we both love. The picture above is the “skyline” of our city, you can click on the picture to get a larger image. Perth is one of the most isolated regional capital cities in the world. There are so many things to say about our country that I simply do not know where to begin...
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Sunday
March 25th
2007
Kempton
to Oatlands.
Approx.
36.61k's
Average
Speed
9.78kph
Cycling
time
3Hr(s)
44Min. Max
speed.
62kph
Max
temp we recorded
16°C
(Shade)
Terrain:
Very
Hilly. Road
Conditions:
ALL
Poor in Tassie, O/night
Accom.:
$.
Awoke
to some wet gear after a very rainy night... We dried most everything
and was on our way by midday.....
Any budding etymologist knowing
the name of this beetle we would be very interested... about 3/4”
long or approx. 2cm....
Very
big climb today, about 1,600 feet to the highest point on the main
Hobart to Launceston Highway... Called “Spring Hill” We
did it in two stages stopping for sustenance and a fairly long break
after a lot of climbing... Then on to the top. As most who have
visited Tassie know they have the worst roads in Australia... It is
compounded for the “Recumbent Cyclist” in that they all
are terrible, what shoulder there is cannot be used most of the time
due to poor planning, debris, on and on , The two wheeled cyclist
would fair better, at least on Highway One... As usual the abuse
continued today... Pointless me relating all of it here... Conversely
the “waves” today vastly outnumbered the abuse, which is
a first and a very nice first for us. Not much more today.
Monday
March 26th
2007
Oatsland
to Conara.
Approx.
63.02k's
Average
Speed
12.88kph
Cycling
time
4Hr(s)
53Min. Max
speed.
41kph
Max
temp we recorded
14°C
(Shade)
Terrain:
Very
Hilly. Road
Conditions:
ALL
Poor in Tassie, O/night
Accom.:
$.
Awoke
to some frost and our bottled water partly frozen through... A white
coating on our trailers...
A
frustrating night... having an inconsiderate woman next to us leave
the radio blaring until after 1am.... I politely asked her to turn it
down and she turned on the drama to get her own way... seen it dozens
of times in my lifetime... You cannot argue with idiots – they
bring you down to their level and they are experts... She is driving
this van – I will not put a picture of her on the net –
at this stage!
Victorian
number plates SRU-074...
Anyone know what this sign means? Deep water? It probably means BEWARE Tasmanians trying to learn Ballet. There are a few around :-)
Shocking
shoulders to ride on, simply too narrow or with man made obstacles..
In Campbell Town there are these stones embedded in the ground...
Interesting to look at....
Long
day knackered now, catchya later....
Tuesday
March 27th
2007
Conara
to Longford.
Approx.
43.96k's
Average
Speed
11.96kph
Cycling
time
3Hr(s)
40Min. Max
speed.
36kph
Max
temp we recorded
22°C
(Shade)
Terrain:
Very
Hilly. Road
Conditions:
ALL
Poor in Tassie, O/night
Accom.:
$.
Was
woken abruptly, as were the other residents, at 0615 by the shire
lawn mowing contractor. In typical Tasmanian “stuff everybody
else” fashion, he fired up his ancient “sit on”
lawnmower, with no silencer and created an almighty racket in the
shire camping area. It is incomprehensible how these people
survive.... Yes we had “words” and no I am not telling
you the details, except to say he does not think I am a nice person!
During our “little chat” I mentioned lawn clippings
getting stuck to my tent.... It was nice of him not to come anywhere
near my tent.
NOT ONE person abused us ON THE ROAD today... Not a single solitary one! In fact all those we encountered were friendly and waived, including (some..... weeeellll two) truckie's. A local came to the camp site, after the mowing man stopped for the day, and gave me the morning paper. He apologised profusely and said he would “mention it”. It just kept getting better.
One of the trailer tyres on Lee's bike collapsed completely and was replaced...
The
left tyre had copped a flogging from the poor roads/shoulder. One
tyre on bitumen and one in the dirt, for lengthy periods causes
uneven wear.
They even copied the name Perth here in Tas... Of
course it's not like Perth Mainland Australia... A very poor copy
Used
a C/van park to shower and clean up today, probably will not shower
again until Devonport... It's lovely being a Pom :-)
On the 18th
we
had met a guy who offered us accommodation in his home, after telling
us the C/van park was closed... He stopped us today to apologise and
said he just did not think when he said the park was closed... In
fact he said his mate stayed there... Seemed genuine... I told him we
were “spooked” and played safe... He said he fully
understood that...
Wednesday
March 28th
2007
Longford
to Deloraine.
Approx.
46.16k's
Average
Speed
11.86kph
Cycling
time
3Hr(s)
53Min. Max
speed.
31kph
Max
temp we recorded
17°C
(Shade)
Terrain:
Very
Hilly. Road
Conditions:
ALL
Poor in Tassie, O/night
Accom.:
$.
Had
news my Mum is quite sick... Did not feel like writing much today
today..... Stayed at an “APEX” C/van park with third
world conditions and first world prices.... The free camp area in
town only permits, wealthy people with motor homes to stay, The
council is semi Govt. and has both money and power, hence can
discriminate with impunity. People without money of course cannot
discriminate in a country where you are innocent until proven broke!
Catchya Later..,,,
Thursday
March 29th
2007
Deloraine
to Latrobe.
Approx.
44.80k's
Average
Speed
11.53kph
Cycling
time
3Hr(s)
52Min. Max
speed.
46kph
Max
temp we recorded
14°C
(Shade)
Terrain:
Very
Hilly. Road
Conditions:
ALL
Poor in Tassie, O/night
Accom.:
$.
Left
the C/van park about 9am after a wet start.
Heavy
rain all night and intermittently through the day, We got soaked and
dry, soaked and dry several times today. During the rain squalls the
temp plummeted. Normally we would rest up in heavy rain, but we need
to be in Devonport for the boat on Saturday. Average sort of day with
minimal abuse.... We ran out of daylight and decided to pull into
Latrobe to the free camp area... Only to find that our book is too
old... The C/van park owner here said they have had it removed and it
is not in the Camps 4 book...
Friday
March 30th
2007
Latrobe
to Devonport .
Approx.
44.80k's
Average
Speed
11.53kph
Cycling
time
3Hr(s)
52Min. Max
speed.
46kph
Max
temp we recorded
14°C
(Shade)
Terrain:
Very
Hilly. Road
Conditions:
ALL
Poor in Tassie, O/night
Accom.:
$.
Heavy
rain all morning... No chance to break camp without everything
getting wet.. The C/van park in Latrobe is only partly finished, we
asked if there was a “Camp Kitchen” and of course he lied
to us... There is an unfinished area without power, light or shelter.
Let alone utensils. Of course he charged a price higher than many
with full kitchen facilities...
As
consumer law is so weak there is nothing you can do, unless of course
you are very rich and willing to purchase justice. If of course you
are in a car/motor-home etc.. you can leave! It is very hard to do on
a bike at approx 10kph...
We went to Devonport via the back roads,
little traffic and no abuse. We are in the same C/van park that we
began our journey from, simply because it is near the boat... The
park itself is basic but has all the facilities needed even though
much is pretty old.
Saturday
March 31st
2007
Devonport
to Melbourne.
Approx.
2k's
Average
Speed
kph
Cycling
time
Hr(s)
10Min. Max
speed.
22kph
Max
temp we recorded
16°C
(Shade)
Terrain:
Very
Hilly. Road
Conditions:
ALL
Poor in Tassie, O/night
Accom.:
$.
Awoke
at 3:30am because Lee's clock lost time and the bloody alarm went
off...
I had a worrying night about my Mum. Her operation carried
significant risk and I was not sure she would pull through. She did
pull through however, I am not fully sure of her condition, nor her
prognosis. It is beyond the scope of my diary to go into too much
detail, however it affects the reporting and the “tone”
of my rhetoric... If you are following our travels please be aware.
Packed up and proceeded to the Camp kitchen and cooked our Breakfast of poached egg on toast, no butter and coffee. After we had finished everything we wondered why it was still dark, so fired up the computer and found it was 5:10am SMS'd my Sister re: Mum, and answered some emails... Still many that are unanswered – sorry they will have to wait.
Yesterday I did post an Epilogue; Lee was not happy with the wording so this morning I removed it – I will find some common ground OR I will add an addendum from Lee's perspective, written in her own words.
We arrived for boarding this morning about 7:15am... (For a 9am Departure) and was asked to wait until all cars, trucks, other motorised vehicles and caravans were loaded. This of course was unnecessary as we do not park in vehicle spaces nor do we obstruct the flow.... It is done simply out of prejudice. What it does mean is that there is absolutely no hope of a seat. Some passengers “reserve” several seats to preserve a “space” around themselves. The selfishness is astounding and sickening.. I have fought prejudice and abuse, almost every day since arriving here. I do not want to fight today.
I attempted to book a caravan park close to our arrival point, however, they do not accept bookings for a tent site – he did say that we will be OK. Sure hope so as it will have been a long day. We expect to be in the “Westgate Park caravan park. Based on what we hear over the next few days, will determine our next step.. Several options exist, one we are considering is to halt our Australian leg here in Melbourne and fly to the United Kingdom to cycle Britain and Ireland... This will allow us to be close to my Mother, in her time of need. We can re-commence our Australian circumnavigation at any time.... As I have often stated we are not “purists”, our RTW trip can be done any which way we choose... We are doing it for personal growth, not to break any records.
If I were ever able to make it a fund raising event, money raised would go to Australia's unsung hero's. Australia's finest, Our Prison Officers. Few will ever realise how incredibly tough their life is. Every single one of them has my deepest admiration and respect.
I am writing on board ship at the moment and there is a significant swell.. some passengers are suffering, sadly so is Lee. She has not fed the fish – yet!!!
TOTAL KILOMETRES CYCLED IN TASMANIA 860
EPILOGUE: From MAL by Mal.
My observations ONLY – Lee may feel differently
Tasmania, for Me Mal, is not somewhere I enjoyed being... From my observations, it is the most polluted state... The rubbish on the side of the road has to be seen (at ground level) to be believed.
The way it looks from my perspective, whatever “natural” bush remains, will certainly not be there for your and my Grand-children's children. Visual pollution from introduced tree species is very unpleasant to see. Watching a state labour Govt. grovelling, before large logging corporations is equally unpleasant. The roads are crawling with logging trucks, carting both native and introduced species of tree.
I am a dog lover, our dog Suzie is part of our family.. has been for about 12yrs. If she were to live in Hobart city she could not visit a park before 6pm or after 8am, she could not walk on the pavements or walkways... She would be under virtual house arrest... Such is the apparent hatred for dogs there.
In Hobart city no cycle paths exist that are safe for our children, better they go to school in the car and get obese like the rest of us. Navigating the intersections on the “Intercity Cycleway” was and is a nightmare, could be deadly for kids
The hatred and abuse I received on the road(s) was without precedent FOR ME. On reflection I suspect it is because of the poor road design and lack of federal funding. I wish I could put a perspective on the dynamics. Narrow winding roads can create frustrated drivers....?
The state is so heavily fortified, that getting off the road into the bush, was near impossible FOR ME. All types of fencing, including, electric fencing kept me out! Most access to the bush is via “designated areas”... little or no freedom to explore unless you are a logging contractor
The “Rip Off's” were plenty-full and the kindness little... Most acts of kindness were from “ex-pat” mainland Aussies... only two exceptions come to mind without checking my diary.
I have learned a lot here about people and priorities. I hope I have grown and will become a better person for the experience.
Do I have anything nice to say about Tasmania? At the moment No, but maybe in the future.... Life is like that.
One example of the “why” could be like one “Tasmanian” said in Hobart, “I am a Tasmanian first and Australian second”.
It will be great to be back on mainland Australia. Generally I never say never, however, I have no plans to visit Tasmania again, not any time soon that is.
Its “the wide brown land” that I love. I hope Tasmanians feel part of it and become Australians first and Tasmanians second.
The
saddest part for me of the “Tasmanian Experience” is the
TOTAL genocide of a race of people...
I am well aware it is still “contentious” as to whether indeed she was/is the last “pure blood” Aboriginal Tasmanian. I cannot debate this as there are too many contradicting variables..
I leave it to Science, and the Aboriginals themselves, to give a/the final answer.
The “answer” in itself is not important, the reality of what took place is so horrifying it is difficult to comprehend.
This lady, “Truganini”, (Trucaninni) epitomises (for us) the loss of these unique people.... I have no words to describe this terrible tragedy, for ALL humankind. She lives on in our hearts as a national treasure.
Thank you for reading
2006 - 2009. All rights reserved. Design:(c) Mal & Lee ALL images on ALL pages are the property of Mal & Lee and may NOT be used without permission.