After a great day's sightseeing it was time to get going again, but not because I had run out of sights to see! My itinerary is quite tight.
So I was ready to go as soon as the sun was up, keen to get the section to Queenstown done before much traffic was on the road. As predicted by my host at Stahan, it was indeed hilly and winding, but only a few cars and 2 coaches went past me. Nearer Queenstown however, the mist got a bit thick and at that point it was probably too dangerous to cycle as there was almost no visibility. I was close to the town then and mostly downhill so just kept going. Down in the town the mist was all clear.
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| Between Strahan and Queenstown |
I stopped for second breakfast and I was also very cold, so I decided not to leave until the fog was off the hills. In the end that did not take long at all. After breaki, I had a short look around town, mostly mining stuff on display. This was also the time to make sure my supplies were all good, as there is nothing east of here till Derwent Bridge. I topped up with as much water as I could carry, then started the big climb out of town.
It was fun! Lots of switchbacks but a few not so steep places to recover. On pulling into the view point an old lady took my photo and realising she'd been caught taking my picture, called out 'you are crazy you know?'. I wish I had had called back 'I'm not crazy, I'm a fire engine' but I didn't think of it at the time.😂
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| Heaven |
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| Casper...ain't she pretty? |
After the descent down this hill things levelled out a little for a short while at least, and looking back to the mountains there was a breathtaking view:
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| Yes, more stunning Tassie! |
Soon I was back in the trees and climbing again, I called in for a rest at Nelson Falls. Seemingly a good spot to 'feel the serenity' which was a tiny bit tainted by a large group of 3 wheel motor bikers. They were perfectly friendly of course.
It's a short 10 min walk up a beautiful fern laden path to the Falls...well worth a stop.
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| The Great Divide |
The divide was awesome, shades of greens and browns with the late day sun soaking a few small but pointy nearby peaks. I was heaving for breath and had consumed at least 4 litres of water since Queenstown. I didn't have much left either, meaning I now had to get to Derwent Bridge.
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| Map |
The good news was that Derwent Bridge was only 20km from here so I kept going and there were a few nice downhill bits to help me along. On hitting Derwent I turned left and did another 5km to Lake St Clair after seeing there was a national park campsite here. There is, but it's kinda hidden. Take the track behind the visitor centre and its 10 mins from there. Unfortunately there was a "no bicycles" sign at the start, but I had little choice being right on the end of my energy. I wheeled the bike up the path feeling okay because I had pre paid a park pass for camping. [On reflection, perhaps the sign applies to the Overland trail]
It's a beautiful spot, but there are no facilities at all and no water save for the lake..I boiled some for my dinner and had a little left for breakfast.
There is rain forecast for early morning and snow to 1200m. I mentioned earlier that I am not really decked out for such cold weather, so I booked a place indoors only a short 60-70km away for my penultimate night tomorrow.
Wow what a day.. an epic ride, I think my PB meters climbed, and some spectacular scenery. Tassie sure is special.. and I suspect I will be asleep by 8pm after today...
Day 4 Summary:
- Distance: 134.15
- Meters Gained: 2034m, a new PB again! 😅
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