Betten On Bike: DAY 6 - 24 FEBRUARY 2015 RICHMOND TO BICHENO

Day 6 – 24 February 2015 Richmond to Bicheno

Cycling Stats: 160 kms

Average Speed: 28.5 kms per hour

It was a very cold night after the thunderstorm yesterday afternoon. The temperature dropped significantly and when the guys left at 7am it was around 6 degrees. So they were all decked out in the winter gear – arm warmers, leg warmers and they were excited to get going and today was one of the longer rides of the trip.

Gill and I left around 9am, slightly later than our anticipated start. Even at 9am I heard on the local radio station is was still only 9 degrees. It was however a clear blue sky and lovely sunshine. Our plan was to meet the guys in Orford which was for them, about 3 hours cycling. When we arrived there however Gill checked her phone and she has an ap which shows where Steve is (handy) and they had gone further to Triabunna (another 7kms). After crossing the bridge we had stopped and decided to walk back over the bridge for coffee. Gill noticed that one of the back tyres on my car was flat so we decided to adjust the air pressure at the service station at Triabunna. When we arrived there we saw that it was very flat indeed so thought it best to go to the recommended mechanic. Big Barry was a very friendly mechanic and very thorough. There was a large nail in the tyre so the hole was plugged and the rim was checked too. Then we were on our way to Swansea about 45 kms away. Walter & Steve however had already left so we thought it best to push on straight away as it was cold and they would need a change of clothes once they got to Bicheno. We finally caught them about 12 kms from Bicheno.

As far as the scenery goes this is another beautiful part of Tasmania. The first half was mainly heavily forested terrain and very hilly and windy. Then the landscape became open farmland. We saw walnut farms, wineries and lots of sheep. The view to Maria Island was stunning and the drive followed the coastline so we also had views to Coles Bay.

Walter & Steve really enjoyed today’s ride. Walter said there were many hills. He especially enjoyed the section before Orford where the narrow road runs adjacent to a river – high rock walls run along the other side and on the river side a low dark rock wall provides a barrier from road to river. They also loved the wide open views over the stark aqua blue waters of the many bays we passed.

After settling in we decided to walk the short distance from Bicheno East Caravan Park to the Bicheno beach and enjoyed the beach walking path over the rocks to The Gulch where Steve was keen to try abalone – it is reknown as being rare and a delicacy. At $60 for 250gram it is also an expensive delicacy. So there was a special - 4 pieces for $12. We decided to try it and full of anticipation we waited while it was cooked. There was a hand written sign ‘penguin’ pointing to a small drain and yes there was a penguin down there under the grate standing very quietly. The abalone was a bit disappointing – it looks like a scallop but very dense and very chewy. We decided that it might be best savoured at a fine dining restaurant as opposed to the fishery by the beach where we were.

We looked across the very short distance to Governor’s Island, a rocky haven for hundreds and hundreds of vocal sea birds, well located for them as many fishing boats come in here. The red lichen rocks were beautiful and no doubt we will see more as we explore the region tomorrow.