Not A Mid Life Crisis, Just An Extended Tour (Part XIII)

I flew back into Launceston late on the 24th of March, too late to get on the bike and go anywhere, so I stayed in the Kings Meadows Hotel again. Nothing flash but good value at $50 a night.

DAY 18

I was up early for the short walk to the storage shed to retrieve my bike. This was going to be the last time it was in the shed as I would be taking it back to the mainland at the end of this stint. This “stint” was going to be a solid one though as I had today on my lonesome but from tomorrow my brother and his mates were arriving on the Spirit of Tasmania for 8 days of Tassie fun.

It was a glorious clear day so I thought I would take the opportunity to climb Mt Barrow after I had missed out on doing it last week. It is only a short ride east of Launny to the turnoff.

The road up started out wide and fast.

It soon tightened up and once near the top "degraded" into a bunch of tight, narrow switchbacks. Much more of a challenge than the more popular Ben Lomond climb. But it wasn’t anything a bit of judicious clutch slipping and inside-leg-out-just-in-case couldn’t overcome!

And wasn’t it worth the climb!!😳 It was a crystal clear morning without a breath of wind! I could try this ride 1000 times and not get better weather!

I climbed to the highest point that “Joe public” can climb to and just soaked in that view.

That blue off in the distance is Bass Straight!

My bike looked pretty tiny from up here. The best bit was I had the mountain top all to myself, the whole time.😎

I really didn’t want to leave and I really didn’t have to as I only needed to get to Deloraine or Mole Creek tonight, so I loitered for a while longer. 

When I eventually did head back down the view was still spectacular.

At the bottom I took Camden Hill road which took me around the base of Mt Barrow and would lead me to the base of Ben Lomond via some awesome forestry roads.

I was just up there!

No photos now for a while as I skirted around to the south of Launny via Evandale to Deloraine. This cool old water tower in Evandale required a stop though.

I grabbed some lunch in Deloraine at the Town Cafe Bakery….again! Yep, it is a great spot to eat. While here I tried a few accommodation options in town but they were all booked out. Mole Creek hotel came to the rescue again though, having a room free so I booked that then decided to head up the A5 to the Great Lake again. That was sort of in the direction of Mole Creek….

The road up onto the plateau was superb- again and the view over the lakes on this fine, clear day was amazing.

The ride down was a highlight - again! This is just a cracking bit of road!

At the bottom I took a right, then immediately left into Long Ridge Road. This fine display of driving greeted me as I went to turn into the road. 🤦

The road followed the Meander River for a bit and was a cracker. 

I weaved through some back roads taking in the amazing scenery.

Tellytubby pic.

Caveside Road....😍

I rolled into Mole creek quite early in the afternoon.

Too early really, so I rode out west along Union bridge road. The climb up the hill was fun and I soon came to a large dirt road leading off to the right, into the forest. Time for some dirt! I followed Gog rd along to the intersection of Gregory's rd. This was fun but it was leading me deeper into I-didn't-know-what and it was starting to get a bit late.

This road was actually a part of the Tassie Trail. I was kicking myself for not doing some more research and camping out here somewhere, as it was stunning country. 

Exploring some overgrown forest roads was bloody awesome!

But it was time to head for the Mole Creek Hotel again. I dumped my gear in the room and took a wander around the beer garden and then along the main street. 

There was once a railway that serviced Mole Creek and there is a bit of a historical blurb about it. The old corridor would make for an awesome rail trail. People would come from around the world to ride it. I wonder if they have considered it yet?

There is also an old fur trapper's hut that has been relocated and faithfully restored. It included a heap of info about the fur trade in Tassie from the 1800s up until it's end in about the 1950s.

Back to the pub where I watched the sun set over the great Western Tier from the front porch....

 then blew the froth off a cold one in the beer garden.

 How fcukin' good is Tassie?!!

It felt like a short day but it was still 330km under the wheels.

To be continued..........