Tasmania

North Coast - Port Sorell , Penguin, Sisters Beach

Saturday, Jan. 25 and Sunday, Jan. 26: Port Sorell - Ulverstone - Sisters Beach
Rested and again full of energy we drive off. We also booked the flight ticket Launceston to Melbourne for Friday 31.1. 10:15, which we were able to do with Rosemary and David online.
The last days are now settled, first we will ride on to Sisters Beach to visit Lindi and Craig, and then again for 2 days to Jenny and Ian to Moltema.
Today Lindi and Craig, and Jenny and Ian have come to visit us here in Shearwater, what pleased us extremely.
The North Coast from Devonport to Sisters Beach is surprisingly very bicycle friendly, we rarely have to ride on the Bass Highway and there is mostly a wide side lane, often it also has biking trails or side roads (-> Photos) - long distances we ride along the sea , it seems to us like the little Great Ocean Road, just beautiful, and almost no gradients! We camp in Ulverstone near the beach and leave in the morning at 6 am.
In Penguin we have breakfast in the early open bakery and swim. We are so fit and happy, that we ride after Wynyard the steeply tourist route to the lookout point and the lighthouse.
Soon by 3 pm we arrive in Sisters Beach, the village shopkeeper confirmed, yes that's Lindis house (has no house number) - before we make ourselves comfortable, she and Craig will come by 6 pm, we have time for swimming at the beautiful beach. This weekend is Australia Day and long weekend, many families are on the beach.
Sisters Beach is very nice, it has very few tourists. It is a very nice evening. Later we go to swim again with Lindi and Craig - they love to swim, so they live by the sea, Lindi tells us.
Craig makes a very fine BBQ and there runs the tennis match Wawrinka - Nadal in Melbourne from Australia Open. Lindi is a tennis fan, so we eat in front of the TV and Wawrinka wins. This evening will be legendary!

Monday, Jan. 27: Sisters Beach to Penguin
We sleep in the tent, despite invitation into the house, it will be our 2 last nights out and we love it, to sleep in the tent and listen to the very noisy birds in the morning. By the time we are professionals to find nice soft ground, it just sleeps better, women are built differently as everyone knows, so the bones hurt sooner on hard ground, than by any men, when the body runs in a straight line they can even sleep on a stone without complaining .... (Annette from Marion Bay has exactly the same opinion).
Craig invites us on Tuesday evening to his house to Devonport.
If we then will, we can camp in the garden, but also there would be the option to sleep in a room with very new curtains......Craig tells us. Early at 6 am. we leave Sisters Beach and ride up the hill - Craig offers us the night before, to drive us up the hill in the car... - Australians!
On the highway we take a break in the station shop, drink coffee and eat something small, we go to this day comfortably back to Penguin, entertain us in the bakery and sleep in the tent on the beach.

Tuesday, Jan. 28 : Penguin - Devonport
We have breakfast at the bakery ones again, here on the North Coast, there are many cyclists - both times we meet at the bakery cyclists who are riding to Sisters Beach.
We ride over Ulverston to Devonport, where we take a ride on the museum train - the Don River Railway (-> pictures). From here we call Craig and Lindi, whether they come to swim at Coles Beach yet - they're coming!
In the evening, Craig cooks a delicious dinner - which begins with an extremely fine beetroot starter and then we can eat the first time Abalone, they are just delicious (Abolone are mussel, which Craig himself picks in the sea, you need a license for it).
It is a very nice evening and we accept the offer: room with bed and new curtains gratefully - it rains.

Jan. 29: Devonport to Moltema
in the morning we get up early and go again at the Bluff Beach (short walk to the lighthouse bluff is recommended) swim, our last time swimming in the sea in Tasmania. Lindi is already on, she wants to go jogging - and we later meet at the beach for swimming.
It is again a wonderful morning, Lindi calls 'Tasmania is the most beautiful place on the world!' and this morning we go on, not without the promise that they will visit us soon in Switzerland - very soon.
The return way to Moltema is known to us, as we rode on the first day in Tasmania to Latrobe, Flying Platypus - Railton - Kimberly. In Kimberly we go this time not on the steep hills of Weegena, but right after Moltema.
Previously we swim in the Mersey River at Kimberly, we swim just with the clothes on in the refreshing river, we all washed clean again and fit. Quick everything is dry again, on this hot afternoon - we ride on blithely to Jenny and Ian - we are very pleased to see them again, Jenny cooks a delicious dinner and we sit comfortably together.

Jan. 30 : Christmas Hill Raspberry Cafe and Deloraine
in the morning we want to be at 7 am at the Raspberry Cafe. On the one hand Philipp wants to buy the 2 bikes, on the other hand we want to have breakfast here. - We studied the extremely delicious menu already extensively at Lindi in Sisters Beach (-> see website of the Cafe>) and know what we like!
What pleasant surprise, also Lindi is here. Philip tests on our recommendation, the two bikes - although he says - they are certainly ok, otherwise we would not have riden as far with it - and soon the trade is completed. And our bikes, at the Mileage of 2750 we have to left here.
Together with Lindi we drink a coffee and we hope Philip also to see in Switzerland, where he already 2 times visited us. - By 8 am. Philip has to look at his pickers in the raspberries ( one day work on the 100 tons of raspberries, that are produced per year ).
And just Lynn and soon even Ian arrive at the rasperries, nice that we see by chance all again.
We have a very nice breakfast at the cafe. and we can drive bake with Lindi to Jenny.
In the afternoon we drive with Jenny to Deloraine. She has business and we go swimming in the Meander River, where it has the warning pane before obstickles! in the river - the word 'obsticle' we like - it sounds in a way funny to us - we declare it to the Word 2014.
Later, we drink coffee with Jenny in the pub in Deloraine.
In the evening in Jennys beautiful garden, we have a fine BBQ with nice fish from the region. Jenny and Ian's grandson and his partner enjoy also the BBQ.

Jan. 31 : Moltema
At 8 am is departure to Launceston - Jenny brings us to the airport.
We say goodbye to Ian, who is also needed these days again everywhere on the farms.
We have a coffee in the departure hall and arrange a coffee together with Jenny and Jan at the beautiful Lago di Como - close to us, in Italy very soon.