Tasmania

East Coast, St. Mary, Bay of Fires, Mt Willimas NP

Day 11 - 12 : Cape Raoul to Marion Bay, to Little Swanport
We rode after swimming at the Pirates Bay back to Dunally, and ate again a portion of fish and chips, the older woman and owner of the ice cream stand greets us happily, they've sold today already 81 ice cream.
Later we ride along the sea to Marion Bay, but we go on, we have the intention to camp soon. We meet on the way two young people Daniel and Jenna on bikes, a rare sight here, we chat briefly together, the young woman likes the bear bell, we have on the handlebars of the bikes, the tinkling sounds like a goat bell, because she likes the bell we give her one.
Then we ride on, after a few minutes a man in his Ute, stops us and says we should immediately go with him, he had already scolded his children that they did not invite us that we can stay with them.
The two Daniel and Jenna had then, as we suspect from educational measures with us at the Marion Bay go for a swim -but it is fun and we swim in the sea!
Then bake Brett and Annette a mulberry pie, the neighbour has a tree and they can pick the berries there!
They have always fresh milk , there is even a larger centrifuge ready. Brett has built the Dairy for his neighbour-farmer, so they have now free milk for life!
Fish and salad will be served for dinner in their cheerful house with sea view. And for dessert, the mulberry pie is on the menu! Brett has a construction business and Annette helps people after the forest fire in community welfare matters, etc.
We very much hope to be able to host this family in the near future with us in Switzerland. We are grateful to them, the whole extent of their hospitality we are pleased for as the next day , we realise would not have make all the steep forest road without the rest and without the very good food, it would have been very hard., Although it is a very beautiful route and landscapes, to Orford. In Orford we come to the Tasman Highway, take a break, swim in the sea, eat pizza with a view of the river. In the evening we ride on until shortly after Little Swanport and camp there, tucked away on a path.

Day 13 to 15 : Swansea over Bicheno to St Marys
In the morning, early is fog, everything is wet, we will dry our tent later at the beach.
It is a very beautiful route along the sea front to Swansea. Today we meet some cyclists and also a whole Tourist group with bikes, they need almost the whole street, and at the far end a buss comes with a trailer for bikes, for the weary and collect the bikes, it's a fun group and good for us - that slows down the traffic!
At the 9-Mile Beach, we later spend the whole afternoon at the beach, it suddenly becomes so hot that we take the decision only after 4 p.m. to continue, but should we go bake the 4 km to Swansea to replenish our dwindling water supply? Back in this heat is not an option, we ask at the junction to the Highway motorists how far it goes up to get water. 10 km. The friendly people told us and give us a big bottle of water (they were traveling by car and need the water not so much they tell us). How I am grateful to the unknown people, I need so much water as never before in my entire life ever.
When we arrived at a grape farm, we could grateful refill our waterbottles, we need 1 liter per person per 10 km in this heat - and we could also swim in his lake.
Later it cools down a bit and it's a great evening!
We see in the twilight still many Forester kangaroos !
We camp 20 km from Bicheno in a mosquito area! And go in the morning direction Bicheno (we refrain to Coles Bay and Wineglass Bay to ride) because it would be quit a few km in addition for us.
Bicheno is a beautiful town, the beaches are unique and just beautiful, beautiful rocky and sandy beaches and an island, you can do Boot tours.
Around noon, we decide to go further, then its teeming with tourists suddenly, we decide today to go on to climb the Elephant Pass to go to St. Mary, to our warm shower host to Sandi Sandilands Planet. Sandi is on this evening not on his planet, but he tells us via SMS we are going to come and stay at least until Saturday.

Planet Sandi: January 15 - 17, St. Mary
the first time we met our warmshower host Sandi in St. Mary, as we just sit in a cafe. He recognizes us, as our bikes are on the road. Thankful that we were allowed to stay in his house already and rest, we go with him and his friends to his place. Sandi is a gardener, he fulfilled a year ago his dream, when he bought this property in Tasmania, here he has his Place now cleared, many fruit trees, nuts, etc. of all kinds he plants and a firm tight fence drawn around his property, he wants not to gnaw Rabbit his trees, by no means! He well live here autarkic, small livestock is still to come, even berries and vegetables. Previously, the house has someone built as a boarding house for motorcyclists, but they are pulled away in the U.S. and Sandi bought everything. The house is ideal for a lot of guests with the three guest rooms. Sandi has planned a big European bike tour for the summer of 2014, he comes to visit us in the middle of august, we are looking forward.
On Thursday evening he cooks fine kangaroo meat. Before we are together with his english friends Silvia and Graham walked down to the village pub for a beer.
On Friday, he first shows us his interesting place.
Then on Friday afternoon by 3 p.m. Sandi is always to be found in the Mt Elephant Fudge Shop in St. Mary, a coffee with Creamcheesecake, so we all on this Friday.
In the evening, Sandi cooks a delicious BBQ with music and beautiful views from the veranda. It's nice with Sandi and his English friends - and the word 'bloody' we will never forget.
On Saturday morning we leave Planet Sandi with his chickens, not without getting another 6 boiled eggs on the way.
We meet Sandi, Silvia and Graham again by 10 a.m. in St. Helens in the City Hall - here is a market and art market - we buy gifts, self-sewn from the area, for me a clothespin bag with eucalyptus flowers on it. So about 11 am we say goodbye to the three lovely people Sandi Silva and Graham.

From St. Helens, we ride along the coast to the world famous Bay of Fires. Later we ride on a hilly gravel road to Anson's Bay, where we camp in a grove right on the Bay. In the evening there are still two fishermen, and just appear 2 hungry pelicans, which 'give us fish' is written in the face - hardly the fishermen are gone, are the pelicans away again.
In the lagoon we see rays swimming.