TASMANIA
 

I am going to Tasmania early 2003. anyone got any info/advice re off-road routes etc?

Hi Andy,
I just finished 3 weeks in Tassie. You must do the "Western Explorer" road. It's about 140 klm's of hard rocky road down through the Tarkyn Wilderness on the west coast. I have an R1100GS and it was slow going but sensational country. Be prepared for rain, rain and more rain. It rains 257 days out of 365. There are a few realy nice camp sites on any of the rivers you cross over and you have to get a ferry accross the Pieman River at Corrina (about $11) There are other dirt roads worth doing on the east coast but it depends on the bike you have and how much gear you are carrying. Let me know if you need more info.
Cheers,
Johnsy

I agree the Western explorer is great - i also did it on a 11GS - two up. The area south around Smithton (NW) just on the coast is great - tarmac but some really nice bits. Also don't forget S and W of Hobart, down to the south tip -also excellent.

and also saw in a mag this week, NE - 'jacob's ladder' haven't been there myself, but photos looked good.

Hi Guys,

you all seem to have riding knowledge of Tasmania, i hope you dont mind if I pick your brains a bit...

A few of us have planned to go riding in Tasmania for about 10 days from the 18th of December 2010 onwards. We are competent riders, and have done a two month, 18,000kms journey around Australia (The Hard Way Round). We plan to be riding WR 250's and 450's and be completely self sufficient - we are happy to camp. We have heard many comparisons between the East Coast and the West Coast, and we have been told by many to avoid the West Coast due to the rain and mud.

Could you please give us some more information? If we have 10 days, what would be the best route?

Looking forward to hearing from you - Jonny

Hi there. It's years since I went to the west coast of Tassie. I wouldn't say avoid it, but I would say don't be surprised if it rains. It was wet when I went to Strahan but the trip was worth it.

I think the best way to see the place is to keep fairly close to the coast, and it doesn't really matter which way around you go.

The main highway down the centre of the island is rather boring, however there's one town in that area which I would recommend visiting and that's Ross.

You might also enjoy a ride up to Cradle Mountain and I think Port Arthur is a "must see".

Ten days should be enough to get a good overview of Tasmania.

Fantastic - thanks! What time of the year were you there when it was raining?

Also - were you sticking to dirt roads or sealed roads? We will be aiming for relatively technical off road trails, so the rain might be a bit more of a factor in that case (mud etc). Did you do the east coast aswell?

Would you recomend doing a full lap of tassie, or is there enough on the east coast to entertain us on the way down, as well as the way back up?

Appreciate your help!

PS - Andy E - I also saw that article about Jacobs Ladder. We plan to incorporate it into our trip, and I will let you know if it is like the pictures!

When I was on the west coast it was April, and I was travelling on sealed roads.

I guess riding on dirt roads there in heavy rain could be an issue.

Maybe you just need to plan a few different options and see how the weather turns out while you are there.

I think a full lap of Tassie is the way to go but I'm sure you'll find interesting trails to ride wherever you go down there.

I've also ridden to Port Arthur in winter and the road was quite icy in places.