Day 1: Hobart Airport to Triabunna
82 km (51 miles) - Total so far: 82 km (51 miles)

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Yesterday I was busy packing the bike away in preparation for the flight to Hobart. This morning I was up at 4am and I am really looking forward to this trip. The taxi was bang on time. The only problem was that the taxi driver didn't know how to get to the airport. I only live about 7kms from the airport. Once at the airport check-in was nice and quick, so I had time for a coffee before my flight.

The flight to Hobart felt very quick. I arrived at at around 8.30am. Once I got my bike back, I spent the next 45 minutes putting her back together. The weather is certainly cooler than compared to Sydney. I left the airport at around 9.30am.

It is a little overcast with a slight tailwind. So is quite nice for riding. I headed for my first stop of the day, Richmond. The ride was along a reasonably narrow and busy road. But so far the Tassie drivers have gave me plenty of room when passing. Lets hope the courteous driving continues.

I got to Richmond just after 11am and stopped at the bakery for a coffee and something to eat. I then had a look around. Richmond is next to a river and is very picturesque. I then got a bit a food for the rest of my ride for the day.

For the next 40kms the road climbed a couple of nice long hills. I arrived in Orford at about 3pm. Orford is a small town on the east coast. I stopped at the beach for a little while before I commenced my final 5kms into Triabunna.

I continued my ride to the caravan park in Triabunna. I met 2 other touring cyclists from Canada. They are spending 5 weeks touring around the island. All three of us are going across to Maria Island tomorrow on the ferry.

Today the riding was really nice and the rain held off, just. Tomorrow I'm hoping the weather will still be nice, as I'm planning a nice walk on the Maria Island.

Day 2: Maria Island - A walk to the summit of Bishop and Clerk
​2 km (1 miles) - Total so far: 84 km (52 miles)

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Last night I was chatting to this guy from Perth who had spent 4 nights on Maria Island. He was saying there were a number of great walks and the place is teeming with wildlife. So I'm really looking forward to my trip over to the island this morning.
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I had a really good sleep and was up when the chickens started to crow,  at about 6am. Woke up to a mostly blue sky so am hoping it stays like this for the rest of the day. After breakfast I relaxed and slowly packed my stuff away. As the ferry doesn't leave till about 9am and is only 5 minutes away.

The ferry across to the island takes about 40 minutes. The trip across was really scenic and we had some dolphins following along side the boat. Arrived on the island at about 10.30am. I then went to the visitor centre and found a site for my tent.

Maria Island has a number of historic ruins and is now a national park. After lunch I decided I'd go for a walk to the top of Bishop and Clerk. The weather was really nice and sunny and a gentle breeze. The walk followed some sheer drop cliff tops and then began the climb. About two thirds the way up the path turned to rock hopping and then the final section was like a mini rock climbing wall. But the view made it so worth it. I had panoramic views across the island and along the coast. I must had spent a good hour just enjoying the view. I then began the climb back down.

On the way back to the campsite I went through the small settlement, Darlington, which has been preserved. No one lives here anymore. There were some really well preserved buildings. After I went back to the campsite to relax.

I have had a lot of fun walking around the island. If the weather is as good tomorrow I'll go for a ride south on the island, before I head back to the mainland in the afternoon.

Day 3: Maria Island (pt 2)
24 km (15 miles) - Total so far: 108 km (67 miles)

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What a wonderful place Maria Island is. Last night, after dinner I went for a short walk to a beach to enjoy sunset. The beach was a beautiful white sand with great scenery. Plus I had this beach all to myself, except for the geese getting in some low flying practice. After my hour of enjoying the views I walked back to the campsite.

Along the way back there was so much wildlife to see. I lost count of how many wallabies, kangaroos and wombats I saw. One great thing about the island is that there are no motor vehicles, so this means no road kill. Unlike the main part of Tasmania where there is plenty of road kill.

This morning I woke up to a lovely sunrise. The wildlife was still wondering around. I then cooked up breakfast before my ride down the island. I rode for about 11kms before the road became really sandy.

After pushing the bike for about 500m I decided to leave my bike under a tree and walk the remaining 1km or so. I then arrived at this narrow stretch of sand about mid-way down the island. The water was a beautiful blue, against the whitest of white sandy beaches, plus a great blue sky. So I relaxed for a while and had a swim at my own personal beach. Water was cool, but not as cool as I thought it would be.

Following my swim I walked to my bike and headed back to the campsite for some lunch. After lunch I relaxed under a lovely shady tree before I packed away my tent for the afternoon ferry ride.

I arrived back in Triabunna at about 6pm and am camping at the same spot again. Tomorrow I'm heading towards Swansea and across to Freycient National Park for hopefully more walking on Wednesday.

Pictures from Maria Island