Cycle Tasmania's South East Coast

Welcome to your Intrepid Cycling adventure in the beautiful surrounds of Tasmania. Your trip starts today in Hobart. There will be a Welcome Meeting at 6 pm this evening as you meet with your leader and fellow travellers for a brief run-down of the days ahead. If you arrive early, there are a heap of things to do in Tasmania’s biggest city. You could wander the bustling Salamanca Market or the idiosyncratic Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), or perhaps get a taste of Tasmania’s finest at the 200 year old Cascade Brewery. This evening, choose to get to know your new riding team better with an optional group dinner out on the town.

Start your day early and after breakfast take the vehicle inland through the hilly centre of Tasmania, past rolling fields and along tree-lined roads before turning east through the River Wye Conservation Area as you make your way to Bicheno. This is a split personality town – part thriving fishing port, part popular beachside holiday town and the perfect place to start your first bike ride. Cycle past perfect beaches and endless ocean views as you make your way down the coast then head partly inland through green farmland and the gentle wetlands of the Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve – home to over 8000 black swans – and on to Coles Bay, gateway to the iconic Freycinet National Park. Set between the blue waters of Great Oyster Bay and the craggy Hazards mountain range, this small but thriving town is a perfect place to sit back, relax, and recharge your batteries. (B)

Today you’ve got the choice to relax in town or swap your cycling shoes for hiking boots (normal shoes will suffice), head into Freycinet National Park and go by foot on any of the many walking trails that surround the area. If your legs are up for it, it’s definitely recommended getting out to the famous Wineglass Bay lookout, or even the beach itself. Consistently rated as one of the ten best beaches in the world, the views over the green hills, white sand and multi-blue water are what postcards and screensavers are made of.

After starting with a vehicle powered transfer to the hilltop town of Apslawn (approximately 30 minutes), choose your ride length as you leave Freycinet behind. Head further south along the coast south to the scenic port-side town of Triabunna, which sits at the northern tip of Spring Bay. Sheltered by the nearby Maria Island – once a harsh convict colony but now an idyllic National Park – Spring Bay is known for producing some of the best mussels in the world. Like with the oysters, it’s really recommended to give them a try (maybe with a nice wine from the nearby Darlington Vineyard). You can also get a deeper appreciation of the area's rich Aboriginal history at the local information centre.

Tonight's accommodation is a special and unique experience. Leave town behind and head along the shores of Spring Bay and Windlass Bay to a very different type of accommodation. Once home to the world’s largest wood chip mill, this 43-hectare waterfront site has been taken over by people intent on charting a more sustainable path, restoring the natural landscape, growing wholesome, healthy food and celebrating the stark, rugged landscapes that surround this unique environment. Your home for the night is one of the unique ‘glamping’ tents. These aren’t your normal tent though – these permanently-located lotus-bud shaped tents are spacious, standing height, comfortable beds, and electricity – a close-to-nature experience with plenty of creature comforts. (B)

Enjoy a ride with a difference as you take the morning ferry to nearby Maria Island. This offshore National Park with it’s long sandy beaches, crystal clear water, mountaintop panoramas, and abundance of wildlife, such as wombats, wallabies, kangaroos and the recently introduced Tasmanian Devil is a wonderful opportunity to ride in a pristine and vehicle-free environment. Enjoy a picnic lunch then ferry back to the mainland, ending the day with a transfer (approx 1. 5hrs) south to historic Port Arthur. (B/L)

Today is your last day on the bike as you enjoy a final ride of the Port Arthur area. With more than 30 historic buildings and ruins this World Heritage site is Australia’s most intact and haunting convict site. Cycle across the peninsular to one of Tasmania’s finest beaches, White Beach and finish in the small rural town of Nubeena. Pack up the bikes and jump back in the vehicle for the drive into Hobart (approximately 1.5 hours). The trip finishes on arrival so you have the rest of the day free to explore the capital, or maybe choose to enjoy a final night’s dinner with your new cycling friends and reflect on the last week’s cycling experience. (B)