Currently we found shelter in a horse stall “a la France” – our “secret place”… you can read more about that in our next update which will come soon. But for the beginning we will close the gap between: our last days in Tasmania and our way up to Sydney.
When we left Eggs and Bacon Bay fully packed we were escorted by beautiful rainbows. Mac the owner of the shack we stayed asked if we really want to leave and why we do not stay a bit longer. We asked him to stay for 3 nights and been there for over two month, so the time has come finally…
We knew our next destination would be Longford, next to Launceston, where we had already contacted Fiona and Barry to host us. So we chose a nice detour route. We passed the last time Mt Wellington and Hobart, went up to Bothwell and turned on to gravel roads to pass Lake Sorell via Interlaken. We enjoyed the ride and with the sunset we reached the place of Fiona and Barry. They welcomed us warmly and we spent a pleasant night cooking the fish we brought with us (our last catch from Eggs and Bacon Bay), chatting and drinking wine together with their friend Margaret, who is a passionate motorcycle rider herself. We could have spent much more time with them but unfortunately our time was running; the ferry back to the mainland would leave in two days’ time and there was one region of Tasmania which we would like to explore before we have to leave: The Highland Lakes.
Early the next morning we left and head off. Pretty quick we went up the narrow turns and after that we were driving most of the day on an altitude of 1000m around the lakes. Partially it was cold we have to admit – but we had a sunny and calm day which made the ride a great pleasure with stunning views. Close to Deloraine we had a walk down to the Liffey Falls and by the end of the day we reached the place of Tim who would host us for the last night in Tasmania. When we arrived he was just busy together with a guy from Sweden to make grape juice. Tim is living in a little nice place in the Western Creek. He has some chicken and a few cows, a dog and is growing his own veggies and berries. He is producing his own juices, jams, wines, yoghurt, butter and cheese! During the evening we had the great opportunity to test through his varieties: brie, feta, mozzarella, gouda,… together with a good glass of wine. This was the best cheese we have had since a long long time! Thank you so much and let us know when you start to export! The next morning we even could prepare a new cheese culture together. Outside it was grey and rainy and we spent the morning together until we finally had to leave to catch our night ferry – with a slight melancholy feeling.
When we arrived early morning in Melbourne it was really cold and Sascha was happy once more to have his heated grips. Around noon the sun got stronger and when we took the ferry to Raymond Island we were happy to reach the place of Pete where we could get out of our motorbike gear. Pete was living on this little island nearly all his life and he took us around and showed us all the interesting places. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the next 4-5 days was actually very bad and we decided to leave early morning the next day already… It was the right decision! All the way direction north through the mountains we were just escaping the heavy rain front. Spontaneously we contacted our friends in Marulan which is about 100km south of Sydney if we could stay with them earlier than planned. After a long day riding, we did nearly 680 km through the mountains and mostly on an altitude of 1000m we reached the place of Barbara and Sean. Happy and dry – and when we heard that the south region was nearly drowning because of heavy rain falls we were even more happy (not for them but for us ;)!
To warm up we had a jump into their gorgeous spa-pool under the stars and we spent all in all 10 great days together. For one night we went to Sydney to enjoy the great “VIVID Light SHOW” which gave us the possibility to see Sydney’s attractions in a “different light”. But as well we had days which made us think what is coming next for us…
Have a look soon at our next Blog update to experience how and where we end up…
