Adventures in the Wild West

I've been following the Tassie Gift bikepacking race since it started in 2019, so after finally getting a suitable bike and all the gear it made sense to try the route, or at least some of it. Then again, it might have been a case of 'all the gear and no idea' as it quickly became apparent that the west coast loop I had in mind was going to be a real adventure. With only a line on the GPS to follow it was impossible to know how far I could go in a day, where to camp, where to get water and even whether I could carry enough food. So I made plans and backup plans before driving to Derwent Bridge, loading the bike and setting off.

I crossed the central plateau pursued by bad weather which I hoped to beat to my intended campsite. Turns out rain moves faster than I do - who would have thought?

First though I had to reach Warners track, and I knew that wouldn't be easy, because despite this being a bikepacking route, the reality is that for a kilometre there is no track.

And even when there is a track, its not very bike friendly.

Eventually though I did reach the old convict built track and find a place to stop for the night.

The next day started with the descent of Warners track which wasn't rideable at first but then became a fun roll through the forest.

Then it was easy riding on quiet country roads through the alternative community of Jackeys Marsh, great coffee in Meander, and apples and snackberries (blackberries) beside the road on the way to Mole Creek. This was to be my last town for a couple of days so I stocked up at the IGA before heading off towards the west coast. First though I had to make the big climb up to Moina which wasn't helped by the extra weight. I found a great campsite that night in the Vale of Belvoir near Cradle Mt and awoke to ice on the tent the next day. By the time I got going the sun was up, and there's always a hill to warm up on too. In fact the one thing you need to know about this route is that it has hills; lots of hills. The other thing it has is missing bridges, so much so that I began to wonder if the route's creator didn't have a map of all the missing bridges in Tasmania which they linked up.

And roads with big holes in them

There are also some pretty strange things out there in the forest

Eventually though the forestry roads changed to farm tracks and then I was on the windy west coast at Arthur River. I hadn't seen anyone for a couple of days and I certainly hadn't seen any shops so I was keen to visit the store in Arthur River as I had another long stretch ahead of me. So I was a bit put out when the store was closed - permanently. Luckily the lady at the caravan park decided I probably wasn't a serial killer and gave me a lift to Marrawah where there was a store which sold essentials like pasta, bananas and ice-cream. Eating dinner that night at the caravan park a guy asked me if I wanted some crayfish as he had too much so I thought I'd better help him out. Leaving town the next day I detoured via the Edge of the World before tackling the Western Explorer.

The Edge of the World near Arthur River. The poem on the plaque says:

Edge of World by Brian Inder

I cast my pebbble onto the shore of Eternity.

To be washed by the Ocean of TIme.

It has shape, form and substance.

It is me.

One day I will be no more,

But my pebble will remain here.

On the shore of Eternity.

Mute witness for the aeons.

That today I came and stood.

At the edge of world.

The 'road to nowhere' was pretty good when I wasn't being overtaken by vehicles.

Arriving at Corrina at 5pm I had high hopes of something unhealthy to eat. Unfortunately while it was in fact possible to order food, the food wouldn't arrive until 8pm on account of all the other hungry people. And since I couldn't camp here (no room) and the ferry stopped at 7pm, I had no choice but to keep going.

So I hopped on the Fatman barge for the quick trip over the Pieman River then pushed on for Granville Harbour. That was the starting point for Climies track, something I'd ridden a long time ago as part of the Wildside MTB race. The sun was setting over the ocean by the time I'd collected water and found a place to camp beside the track with the sound of waves crashing on nearby shore.

Climies track hadn't improved since I was last there but at least it wasn't too wet. I passed a sign commemorating 3 quad bike riders who had been swept away on one of the creek crossings in 2006. Today it was just a tough but scenic ride which delivered me to Trial Harbour, from where it was short ride to Zeehan via the Spray Tunnel. At last I was able to get some serious calories.

After leaving town I turned onto road which featured a missing bridge, something I had come to expect by now. From there I followed an overgrown and nearly forgotten trail which climbed gradually through the forest, eventually emerging onto a Hydro canal road. This smooth flowing descent provided a brief reprieve before it back to an undulating transmission line track which brought me a high point about the Lake Margaret Power Station.

The descent was steep and loose and I resorted to walking until I was confident of getting down in one piece. Then it was a race to find somewhere to stop before dark but that didn't happen so I ended up in Queenstown at the Empire Hotel. The just left 85km of bitumen back to Derwent Bridge on the last day via Mt Owen, because on the Tassie Gift, there's always another hill.

Trip Stats - 7 days, 725km, 10,600 vertical metres, 1 snake. Bike - Kona Unit X

This is the western loop of the Tassie Gift, with the whole route totalling 1800km and 36,000 vertical metres. Clearly I need to ride the rest of it now.