We did not really think about what we could see of Tasmania in three weeks until we arrived in quiet Devonport. There would have been plenty of time to plan on the calm 12-hour ferry crossing, but somehow the spirit of discovery only took hold of us when we set foot “Under Down Under”.

Thus, we spent the first day in Tasmania in the lobby of the Novotel (where there was WiFi and electricity) or at the Bluff Beach picnic area (where there were free hot showers!). We spread out the map and took inspiration from the hiking guide that Heinz had given us in South Australia. Quickly we realized that we had more ideas than time and had to limit ourselves to a feasible route through the center and east of the island… especially as large areas in the west were closed due to forest fires. By the evening, the rough plan was finalized and we were ready to set off.

As the weather forecast was promising, we decided to tackle the island’s main attraction right at the start of our tour. A steep climb in places took us into Cradle Mountain National Park. The crowds at the park’s main attraction, Cradle Mountain, are so big that only the paid shuttle buses are allowed on the last 15 km of the narrow access road. Driving up in your own vehicle is only permitted from 6 to 8 a.m., which in our opinion is the best time to start a hike anyway. So we pedaled to the end of the access road in the dark in the morning, locked our bikes at the visitor center and enjoyed the magnificent morning atmosphere at Dove Lake and on the hiking trail all by ourselves. The final ascent to the summit of Cradle Mountain turned out to be an unexpectedly challenging scramble. We only really felt at ease again when we had overcome the boulders on the descent and were amazed at the crowds of people making their way to the summit.

As we were about to set off on our return journey after a fulfilling day’s hiking, there was trouble at the start. A bus driver warned us about the narrow road and pointed out that bicycles were not allowed on the route. We thanked her for the information and started to ride carefully along the left-hand side of the road. We had previously found Australia to be very relaxed when it came to rules. Here it was different for the first time: every oncoming bus driver gave us a long sermon to make it clear that we didn’t belong on this road, there was a huge ban on bicycles posted on the road below! For safety reasons, we were told to immediately follow a bus, which we would have gladly done if we could have kept up with the speed. When a car with two rangers came towards us, we not only expected a hefty fine, but also that we would have to load our bikes onto the pickup and ride them out of the park. Neither happened, we were just told that cycling was not allowed and that we had to push the bikes. Although we thought this was pretty ridiculous and neither safer nor faster, we immediately started pushing our bikes. Suddenly a bus driver stopped, opened the door of her vehicle and asked us to get in. Under the eyes and applause of her passengers, we heaved the bikes onto the bus. Which was pretty embarrassing.

At the first stop we got off and looked for the bike ban that we had overlooked in the morning. But again, we almost missed the ban. We finally found it as a small symbol on an unlit sign… A nice ranger, who we asked about the weather forecast, said later: “Did you get a fine? No. Ah, that’s good then! Put the incident in the chapter of unpleasant experiences and forget about it straight away.”
Well, we had no problem with that at all and our image of the relaxed Aussies was restored 😊.

The next morning, we continued our journey to our next hiking destination, the Walls of Jerusalem. Partly because of the thieving possums that inspected our bags almost every night, we didn’t want to leave our bikes in the bush for too long. We therefore limited ourselves to a rewarding day’s hike to the striking rock faces and lakes of the Walls of Jerusalem National Park.

We reached the southern part of Tasmania via Deloraine and the Great Lake on the barren Central Plateau. A short detour took us to Mount Field National Park with the much-visited Russell Falls and the less frequented path to the summit of Mount Field West, which we had planned to take. Just driving up the pass on a beautifully situated forest road to the starting point of the hike was a pleasure. We also enjoyed hiking until we had to cross a huge boulder field and were hardly able to make any progress. However, the many small water holes on the high plateau made up for the effort. On the boulders immediately below the summit, we had to use our balance again, which I lost and hit my lower leg hard. Thanks to David’s excellent medical treatment, I was fortunately able to manage the way back without any problems with a bandage on my lower leg. Later in the valley, as we thoroughly washed out the bruise and removed any dirt with tweezers, a passer-by aptly commented: “running maintenance?” 😊.

From here it was not far to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. Here we were able to stay with our Warmshower hosts John and Sue and explore the town from their beautiful house. After the shocking deserts of detached houses in the suburbs of many of Australia’s major cities, the beautifully laid out Hobart was a blessing. However, with no particular sights to see, the tour was soon over and we were soon on our way to the Tasman Peninsula.

Despite many hills and a long ride, the hike to the imposing basalt columns of Cape Raoul was a highlight of our trip to Tasmania. Wow, what magnificent views we were able to experience here in the perfect evening atmosphere! The weather could hardly stay this glorious. And it didn’t. In Freycinet National Park, we took advantage of a dry but cloudy morning for a short excursion to the lookout point at Wineglass Bay before we were rained on the way out. A bridge not only offered us shelter for the night, but also a strange camper van. The driver of the completely darkened car said a tight “hello”, then the door gap closed again, no sign of life until the car sped off at 1am. Hmmm, strange! We didn’t sleep too well and were glad that three adorable (abandoned?) kittens took our minds off things in the morning. Cats have been introduced to Australia and cause huge problems here as they are very successful at hunting native animals.
Nevertheless, we couldn’t leave the little tigers to their fate under the bridge and reported them to the next village. To our great delight, the postal worker wanted to catch them after work and take them to the cat shelter in Hobart😅.

After visiting Apsley Gorge under a cloudy sky, we spontaneously decided not to cycle inland but along the coast to the Bay of Fires near St Helens. Following the stunning white beaches to the east and later winding through picturesque pastureland, we reached the town of Launceston with its pretty Cateract Gorge in just a few days. We didn’t have much time to linger, however, as the ferry crossing from Devonport back to the mainland was approaching.

We spent our last evening in Tasmania with Kathy and Adam enjoying a delicious meal in a Vietnamese restaurant. Half a year ago, we had met them in the Kimberley and were delighted that they took the time to see us again. The convivial evening went by so quickly that we missed taking a souvenir photo. Thank you for a wonderful finale to our stay in Tassie, Kathy & Adam!
Now we are back on the ferry that will take us safely and calmly back to the Australian mainland…