Northern Tassie Tour – Day 4

Northern Tassie Tour – Day 4

We were supposed to head off to Port Sorell today. You may recall that last night we had worked out just how far it was and how much climbing and how much gravel was involved. The distance was more than we rode 2 days ago which left us both a bit tired. Then a passerby confirmed Colin’s suspicions that the road I was planning to use was mostly gravel. Gravel and steep hills (up to 15%) is a poor mix for old blokes on trikes. 

We decided to stay at Beauty Point an extra night then head home the way we came. Any other route puts us on roads inhabited by large trucks. 

First order of the day was coffee and to gaffer tape the failed pannier seam.

For this trip I had purchased a bag of ground coffee. Now I was running short of AeroPress filters and found the above packet of One Cup Filters secreted in the pannier to be gaffered. I decided to try it. Filled the filter with the ground coffee, suspended the assembly over the cup and added just boiled water. Result: a fairly flat tasting coffee without the complexity an AeroPress gives to the same coffee. The coffee was too coarsely ground for this process and the water passed through very quickly minimising time for extraction. Perhaps I can cut up the filter bags and use them in the AeroPress?

(FYI: After returning home I tried the same coffee in a pressurised basket in the coffee machine. Result: a similar brew lacking in interest. Obviously the best way to brew this coffee is an AeroPress!!)

Back to the job in hand, the problem Vaude pannier seam is glued not sewn. I was thinking “seam failure is not good for 4 year old pannier” then realised they are probably 8-9 years old!  I checked the second of the set. It too is coming apart at the seams so I guess they have passed the use-by date of the glue. I gaffer-taped both without much confidence in the end product but it might help them to hold their shape. I have two inner waterproof bags bought for use with the Vaude panniers but not used this trip so far. Well, it hasn’t rained yet. Tomorrow they will be used – hooked to the top straps so things should be secure.  Or at least the bags won’t fall out !

We decided to look around the  Beaconsfield area today. The ride started with a gentle coast down the shared path running between the towns.

Beaconsfield was named by the British to honour the the Prime Minister of Britain, Benjamin Disraeli, the Earl of Beaconsfield. Prior to British settlement the area was used by members of the Tyerrernotepanner Aboriginal language group for thousands of years.

Today we aimed for a coffee at the Bakery to put some money into the Beaconsfield economy.The Jubilee Bakery initially didn’t impress as it’s the first business we have been in for ages that didn’t have hand sanitiser at the entry point. I asked for some and a bottle was produced – and then returned behind the counter!? There was a Register to sign in at – so we did.

Things improved out of sight when the coffee arrived. My Latte was nicely coated with latte-art and also tasted very good. Colin’s cappuccino was also decorated with an etching and also tasted good.

Colin then decided to return to camp, still feeling a bit tired. A good reason to not head off to Port Sorell today and staying local. Hopefully he will be recovered for our return trip starting tomorrow.

I had two objectives today. The first to explore Bowens Jetty Road – will it end up at a jetty? The other to check out the backroads leading to the Batman Bridge. I am thinking it will be hilly but could be a way to get onto Deviot Road without touching the main highways.

I rode out of town heading down to Bowens Jetty. The ride start was unsolubrious, passing beaten up housing, industrial remains and then the tip.

A couple of Utes towing “tinnies” blasted past. “Crikey, this must be the arse end of Beaconsfield” I thought but then the road changed to gravel and everything improved. The road was lined with gums and wattles. The bush was filled with birds. A lovely ride. 

The return trip back to town was equally enjoyable. 

After that I decided to head up Grubb Street (named after William D Grubb, an early Beaconsfield gold miner) which joined onto the Goaty Hill road. It looks like this route would provide access to Deviot Road without touching the Highway.

There were three significant climbs to reach the top of Goaty Hill and the entry to the Goaty Hill Winery Cellar Door. I resisted the urge to grab a bottle to two, looked around and decided not to go further today. I had remembered I had no tools, inner tubes or other puncture repair stuff with me!

As I rode back to Beaconsfield I realised this route would probably be too much for Colin with the all the hills to deal with both before and after the Batman Bridge. Judging from battery usage by the time I got back to camp I will be using both batteries tomorrow!

I called into the Jubilee Bakery again to check if the first coffee was a “one-off”. It wasn’t, the second as good as the first. While there I checked up on a news item being signalled by a newspaper board outside the newsagent. I subscribe to The Examiner so thought I would try to read it using the phone – which I didn’t know I could do before today! With the close association of laptop and phone it knew my user id and password and we were away.

Yes, it’s true! 1100 signatures to a petition against the development of the rail trail from Scottsdale to Lilydale! This is a case that was taken to the State Government and a decision made that a rail trail would be developed from Scottsdale to Lilydale and the Heritage Rail people could develop the rail between Lilydale and Launceston. Now they still want the whole thing while seemingly taking no action (other than being objectionable) to present a business case to support their demands.

Anyway, time to head back to the Point. As I pulled in at the tents it began to rain so the afternoon was spent slobbing about in the camp kitchen making tea, drinking tea, eating things and reading the paper on the phone – which, as I said before, I didn’t know I could do before today!  See how exciting this new discovery is!

One point of interest. Colin has realised he didn’t drink much on day 2. That day was warm and windy and a dry heat. It’s entirely possible that he dehydrated and by this morning hadn’t drunk enough to rehydrate. The situation is being rectified before our ride home starts tomorrow. More tea Colin?

It was a dry evening so we chuffed about getting things ready for Tuesday while watching even more Swift’s dash about catching bugs.  Here are some images from the evening walk around Red Bill Point before I close today’s entry.