Pearls On Wheels

Mining history, natural history, rural scenes on the agenda today as we ride from Launceston along the Tamar Valley to Beaconsfield, Beauty Point, La Trobe, Sheffield to Mole Creek. First stop is at the   Mine and Heritage museum  in Beaconsfield. The most poignant and heart-grabbing exhibit is the  mine rescue  of Brant Webb and Todd Russell in 2006. The exhibit conveys the hope, the  ingenuity and the courage of their rescue. The men were trapped 925m (3034feet) deep in the mine. As an symbol of the close knit community a group decided to knit a scarf 925m long after the rescue. Knitters from around the world contributed. The scarf is over 2km long. Next stop a chance to see platypus at Beauty Point. Platypuses A poem from my childhood. Banjo Patterson  Far from the trouble and toil of town, Where the reed beds sweep and shiver, Look at a fragment of velvet brown - Old Man Platypus drifting down, Drifting along the...

A longish day ahead. Around 320km through National parks, back country roads, small towns, a pub in a paddock with a beer drinking pig and other delights. We make an early morning visit to  Freycinet National Park Entry fees ($12Aus) are required for National parks here. Wineglass Bay in the distance. No whales or dolphins at this time of the year.  Cape Tourville Lighthouse has a gently graded walkway and board walk with sweeping views over the coastline. The smell of smoke and charred wood lingers as we ride through the National park. We head north to Friendly Beaches along the coastline of Freycinet National park.  Soon we are off on winding roads over Elephant pass to St Marys and beyond.  Through tin mining country near Derby... and very twisty roads through the rain forests which required my full obedience to the 'no photos now' decree. Our accommodation in Launceston - Alice's Cottages. Great welcome and helpfulne...

A quiet departure from Hobart. Breakfast in Richmond. A walk around Port Arthur convict site. Lunch at a Dunalley bushfire  fundraiser. Evidence of bush fires, the recovery cycle of eucalypts and of the impact on peoples lives is evident in the small towns and farming areas along the Tasman Peninsula. A calm scene along the Tasman highway. Port Arthur convict settlement British motorcycle owners outing at Dunalley. Supporting a bush fires fundraiser.  A 1907 Aerocar. All along the highway are scenes of devastation. People have begun to rebuild homes. New fences are being  installed. Life is continuing. The eucalypts have begun to  regenerate .  Most trees would not survive forest fires. Detour down a country lane. Pastoral scenes dotted with eucalypts.  Looking out to Great Oyster Bay  Coles Bay, home for tonight. We went out to find a meal.  As we walked around...

Friendship is precious. It is one week since our friends Kathy and Eric died in a plane crash.  We are remembering Kathy and Eric as we ride today. They gave us excellent advice on riding through Latin America especially Panama and Ecuador where they had lived.   We remember their adventurous spirits, their love of Ari,  and their love of people, their love of ideas and their wisdom. We remember the fun we had together with a special group of neighbours who mourn with us. We are blessed and enriched by their friendship. I am reposting  this photo of Kathy, me and Ros when we were together in Newport Beach last September.  We rode to visit them at Newport Brach on our motorbike on the first day of the our 80 days Down the world to Ushuaia in Patagonia.  We were heading for the Mexican border the next day. Kathy was anxious about our safety and gave us lots of helpful advice.  Kathy and Ros sent us on our way with loads of f...