Better Together
1 year later: Sophie picks me up at the airport
This was really not planned at all! If you embrace the unknown, life is really surprising. After my mountain bike trip in New Zealand I stayed two weeks between Melbourne, Thredbo and Sydney.
During this time:
I slept in the car of a tunisian guy because I misunderstood my host home address (2 instead of 12)
Spent 2 days at my Couchsurfing host 5 houses away from the car...
Got picked up by Tim to go to Thredbo and Jindabyne for a few days
Got an interview for a job in Thredbo
Got a lift to Canberra and then hitch-hiked with 2 Samoan workers to Sydney
Spent 4 days in Sydney with Kaleigh and went surfing with Daniel and his friends who are living there
Flew back from Sydney to Melbourne
Went for an australian football game with Tim and his friends supporting the Tigers
At some point I posted something on Facebook to let my friends know I was going to Tasmania in several days.
This is when Sophie messaged me back: She's in Tasmania and will be glad to pick me up at the airport with her rented car. We will manage to put my bike somewhere at the back. More importantly it will be her birthday 24hours after my arrival, exactly when I did my roadtrip with her from Perth to Broome a year ago (it was her birthday 1 day after the trip started).
When we meet at Launceston airport she introduces me to her two friends: Leela and Eliane. We spend a couple of days together in Freycinet Peninsula and when the group splits I start dating Eliane.
With Eliane we travell separately half the time and we give eachother meeting points. It was quite challenging as I was mountainbiking while she's taking coasters or renting cars but it worked out pretty well.
Thanks to her and her relatives, my trip in Tasmania was absolutely fantastic and I'm really thankful I met her. Merci pour tout Eliane!
3 delightful days in good company
A lot has been going on for the last two weeks... I deserve a nap! I must say I'm really lucky for being the only man surrounded by three nice and beautiful girls in this car...
Click on the picture to see our adventures in Freycinet National Park between the Bay of Fires and Wineglass Bay.
When dinghy hitch-hiking saves you from a 24km detour
After 3 days spent with the girls it's time for me to start my mountain bike trip in Tasmania. I know Eliane expects to see me in Sorell in 2 days to pick me up with her rented car.
When I look at my offline topographic map on my phone, I see I might be able to go across a small river arm 50m width. I decide to force the chance and I will see how to cross it when I get there. There is only 7km ride to the river arm from the guesthouse where I left Eliane. After 10minutes looking in every directions from the sand bay, I spot a dinghy and wave at it. The old man takes me and my bike across the river. 21 km separate me from Swansea where I'll spend my first night.
Fun fact: when I arrive in Swansea a bunch of people partying is encouraging me clapping in their hands. Happy, I go to meet them thinking I might be able to spent a night here! Actually they thought I was part of the roadbiking race taking place around Tasmania. I told them my story and was welcome to join them for dinner. I'll stay at one of there friend's place.
After a short evening, I tell them I must ride 120km to Sorell tomorrow. I have no choice if I want to reach Eliane on schedule. On my phone I see a big shortcut without too much elevation gain through the bush. It was horrible. I didn't pay enough attention to the elevation lines as it seemed there was less than 100m elevation gain per climb. But there were maybe 10 climbs around 80m elevation gain! I was going so slow... I left at 7am and arrived in Sorell at 4pm really exhausted. I ate a whole birthday cake before stretching in the grass near an anglican church. I'll stay with the Anglican Priest and his family.
One week with Eliane
Riding the North-South track in Mount Wellington
When Eliane meet me the next day she doesn't believe it! She thought I wouldn't make it in such a short time and was even more surprised I was willing to go for a bike ride. I'm feeling tired but I know we don't plan to do something too long. We manage to do a nice day out around Mount Wellington.
The Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur
After a day off chilling in Hobart, Eliane rents a car to go to the Tasman Peninsula: a gorgeous protected area soaring 300 meter high sea cliffs and a number of fascinating coastal rock formations. Tasmania was also a convict island thanks to its insolation regarding the rest of the world. Port Arthur is one of Tasmania's five World Heritage listed convict sites well preserved.
Nelson: an incredible WWOOFing host
Eliane has to go to Launceston to meet her Wwoofing host. When Nelson appears, I ask him if I can stay too in order to help him with his property while staying with Eliane. He accepted straight ahead. Nelson is a true mountain biker enthusiast and what I've been doing for the last 2 and a half months fascinates him. He's curious to know more about me and wants to take me out on his trails he built with his friends! To thank him for his deep kindness and generosity I'll make him a video.
I'll go back to Nelson's place before flying back to Melbourne from Launceston on May 5th. I'll take care of his two daughters while he's working away for a few days.
I'm so thankful I managed to find people willing to help me in this challenging adventure where nothing was organized nor planned in advance.
This new type of travel I experienced in New Zealand, Tasmania and later Peru is really stressful and hard but when I see the result 6 years later and how I feel exploring my memories, I want to pursue this type of travel as much as I can possibly support it.
Not as much success than in New Zealand
For the next 8 days I'm on my own again, riding on Tasmanian roads and tracks. It's autumn now and time has changed an hour earlier. Therefore it's getting dark at 5:30pm and it's a lot harder to knock on people's door when it's dark. It is also Easter holidays and people are either away or receiving family. Each evening I struggle a lot to find somewhere, I am cold and I'm tired.
On my way between Burnie and Waratah it's too much, my body and mental have enough of this. I have stomachaches, it's windy, rainy and freezing. My heart doesn't go higher than 140 bpm. I am in pain and have no pleasure. I decide to reach the main road, put my thumb up and wait...but nobody stops. Perhaps it's because I don't seem in real trouble. Therefore I take off my front wheel, take my reflective red flag from my backpack and wave it at people. 20min later a truck stops and gives me a lift 20km further to Waratah. It's raining, cold and windy. I decide to go under a bus stop to protect myself from the wind, go into my sleeping bag and sleep on the bench for 3 hours before I start looking for somewhere to stay. Luckily I'll meet amazing people this night!
After Hitch-hiking from Strahan to Hobart, I stayed at my couchsurfing place for 2 days before Eliane meets me. We are together again and great adventures are waiting for us!
Hosts in Tasmania
Again, none of this trip would have been possible without these people who opened their door to a complete (good looking) stranger while they were already celebrating Easter with their family.
This experience is a great example that people are mostly good between them and are happy to exchange with others.
Two other incredible treks in Tasmania
I invite you to look at my article (click on the picture) and the video! Thanks Scott for all your gears!
