Touring the Apple Isle

Tasmania, Australia’s wilderness island, the ideal mountain biking road trip destination It has it all! Firstly mountains. It’s rare to be anywhere in Tasmania without seeing them. From Cradle Mountain in the north west, Mt Wellington towering over Hobart in the south, to Ben Lomond, Tasmania’s only ski resort, in the north east and everything in between, so be prepared for a lot of climbing as well as descending.

Another great thing about Tassie is that there is and has been a lot of trail development of both new and existing trails recently There’s a real buzz in the air, and with so many great trails coming on line in the near future, the good news is that the mountain biking is only going to get bigger and better.

With a combination of single track and back country/4WD track, Tassie has something to suit every kind of rider and more. With its compact size, stunning rugged wilderness, amazing produce and craft beers, it ticks all of the boxes, almost. It just needs a gondola. I suggest packing the car for a mountain biking road show of Tasmania, you won’t be disappointed.

Cradle Coast

If you’re sailing over on the Spirit of Tassie, there’s riding as soon as you get off the boat at Kelcey Tier in Devonport and heading in an anti clockwise direction, Stubbs Road in Ulverstone. There are also a couple of downhill tracks at Paloona and Wilmott.

See you later Melbourne

Then there’s Penguin. The ideal spot to base yourself for riding in the north east About half an hour from Devonport, the quaint coastal village is home to the Cranky Penguin marathon. It is extremely rough, steep and technical in places It’s a tough course, no doubt about it. Organised by the Cradle Coast mountain bike club, who have been very busy constructing trails in the area over the past few years.

For such a small sea-side community, Penguin has the most amazing mountain bike park with a huge number of man made features. Currently in its final stages, when completed it will have 15 man made features, making it Australia’s most varied mountain bike park according to Marcelo Cardona, a big contributor to the trail network in Penguin. With wall rides, whale tails, drops, berms, container jumps, you name it, Penguin MTB park has it all. It is also a gateway to the Dial range where work will commence in the next year or so creating new multipurpose trails and linking them to the existing walking and multi purpose trails that will be rebuilt.

Leaving the coast and heading south via Cradle Mountain (a must see if it’s not covered in clouds), you reach the wild of Tasmania’s west coast. Be sure to pack wet weather gear if you’re spending any time here. With recent mine closures in the areas around Zeehan, Rosebery and Queenstown, approval has been given for a network of trails which will hopefully commence sometime this year.

Titus, in the Pengiun MTB park.

Using a bit of the Wild Side trail network and a bunch of new stuff proposed by Dirt Art, the plan is for a mixed bag of trails. With Queenstown being all-mountain focused, a back country loop through picturesque Zeehan, similar to the south island of New Zealand Simon French of Dirt Art tells me, and a proposed upgrade for the descent at Rosebery in the Sterling Valley.

Marcelo riding Penguin. Not literally.

Hobart and Surrounds

Further south towards the pointy end of the Apple Isle, is Hobart. The perfect mountain bike town! It has everything you would want in a mountain biking town, except a gondola. And depending on who you talk to, it’s on the cards. The colourful roofs of houses dot the surrounding hills and the city is dwarfed by picturesque Mt Wellington A half hour drive will take you to the top, definitely worth checking out the stunning views of the pristine beaches, bays and inlets around Hobart from the lookout. There is a shelter if it’s windy which it will more than likely be. About two thirds of the way up Mt Wellington is the trail head for the North South track, a multi direction multi purpose track, but in my view being shuttled is the best way to get to the top, though you will have to arrange your own. The North South track was built by council a few years ago. The brickwork is extensive and very impressive. With several A lines on the track, it’s a fun and flowy ride down the mountain The predominantly down hill track takes about an hour to ride just cruising, ending up at the Glenorchy mountain bike park, a few kilometres from town. Another trail that comes off the North South track is Tip Top, which you can ride to the Cascade Brewery.

On the other side of town, over the Tasman bridge, is Clarence MTB Park, at the base of the Meehan Ranges. It’s a bit of a rabbit warren of trails, you really need to be shown around by a local, but this has to be the most stunning place to watch the sun set over Hobart. Plans are in the pipe works to tie everything together, making a structured trail network It’s such a great place for trails, so close to Hobart and the airport.

A little further out of Hobart, about 45 minutes towards the east coast is Kellevie, home of the Hellfire Cup, where Dave Mason of Mtn. Trails has been building trails.

Killer trails in Kellevie.

The trails are on private property, but as the land owners, Dave and Duncan Giblan want riders to use the single track and experience the trails. They just ask that you let them know if you’re going to be down there. There is about 15km of singletrack on the property, and another 15km in the Wielangta Forest. There is also a lot of disused forestry roads that are more or less singletrack now, so probably a good 50km of riding out there. There is a legacy left from the logging days of the old tramway that the forest has virtually reclaimed, pretty much making it singletrack, and the remnants of the humungous trees that were logged. These trees are metres wide, with steps cut into them so the workers could climb them to cut them down. Currently there’s no signage so you either need to follow your nose or look at Strava.

The Hobart MTB club hold cross country rounds of the local club series and other enduro races are held at Kellevie. Down the track they are also hoping to build some accommodation on the property.

Driving up the east coast, Freycinet and Wineglass Bay are certainly worth a look and you could pop into the Ironhouse Brewery and admire the ocean views from the pool of White Sands Estate. There is plenty of free camping around Tasmania Very basic with only a drop or eco toilet, so you will need everything, including your own water, but the beaches along the north east coast are absolutely stunning, and definitely a good place to have a break from it all if you’ve been on the road for a while. The colours of the Bay of Fires are mind blowing!!

Don’t miss the Bay of Fires.

The North East, Launceston and Derby

Currently the jewel in Tassie’s mountain bike crown is Derby, with world class trails built by World Trail, or ‘adventure trails’ as Glen Jacobs refers to them. The hype surrounding the trails at Derby is getting a lot of attention, and so it should.

Derby – no doubt you have heard of it.

Derby is just under an hour and a half from Launceston via Scottsdale, and an hour from St Helens on the east coast. Having limited options in terms of accommodation, Scottsdale (half an hour from Derby), has more accommodation and dining on offer. There is about 40 km of trail at Derby with the main descents Krushka’s and Devil Wolf. Another trail that will be open is a point to point that you can access from Weldborough, 20 km up the Tasman highway from Derby The one and only attraction at Weldborough which you can’t and shouldn’t miss is the Weldborough Hotel A quaint old pub, serving local brews and ciders on tap, and great food. It also has basic rooms and camping.

Derby even has a bike wash.

The pub is conveniently situated at the bottom of the Blue Tier descent. Located in the Blue Tier Forest Reserve, the existing descent is rough, raw and technical A real back country ride with chunky rocks, roots and river crossings, not for the faint-hearted.

World Trail are commencing work on a new section of trail. Two big descents starting with a 10 km descent from Mt Piomena, followed by a 3km climb and a 7 km descent down to the pub, all on new singletrack. After lunch at the pub you’ll then be able to ride back to Derby. A 6km cruise along the gravel Mount Paris Road before dropping in on an estimated 15 km of undulating and mainly descending trail into Derby.

There may not be a lot in Derby currently in terms of accommodation and restaurants, but it does have some amazing facilities in the way of a high powered bike wash and brand new toilets and showers, ideal for day trippers from Launceston. The Corner Store has also opened in the Tin Centre information centre. Another must is the info video on the history of the region. Build it and they will come.

Back in Launceston, up behind the Cataract Gorge is Trevallyn Reserve, a good little network of fun trails, and Kate Reed out near the dome is also a close spot to ride. But one of my favourite rides of Tasmania, I have to say, is the Juggernaut out at Hollybank. Believe the hype! Around 30 minutes from Launceston towards Scottsdale, the Juggernaut is multi-directional and also shuttleable. Buck of Vertigo Mountain Bike Tours runs shuttles on the weekend. He also does multi-day tours out to Derby. I had so much fun riding this intermediate flow trail. A must if you’re in Launceston.

For some back country riding in the north east, Ben Lomond is the second highest mountain in Tasmania, and home to Tasmania’s only ski resort, rope tows, but still a resort. It’s a pretty wild ride up the gravel road to the resort. Passing through Jacob’s ladder, I wouldn’t want to be driving this road in winter when it’s covered in snow.

Don’t miss the classic photo opportunity on Ben Lomond.

A few warnings while you’re in Tasmania. With a lack of signage, a lot of the singletrack can be difficult to find and follow if you’re not a local. I suggest getting in touch with the local clubs; Penguin in the Cradle Coast, Hobart in the south and Launceston in the north east, and arrange to meet up some locals to show you around.

Also, look out for Jumping Jack bull ants, 10% of the public are allergic to their bite, and someone told me most insects and snakes in Tasmania are deadly, so be prepared, and be careful!

To sum it up, Tassie is a fantastic place for a road trip. In my opinion it has it all and is set to become Australia’s mountain biking mecca. I mostly stuck to the singletrack, but there is also a lot of amazing back coutry/4WD trails to ride.

Check out ridetassie.com for more info on the trails.

Make sure you try the local produce and support the local economy wherever you are in Tassie. In Hobart, MONA is a MUST, even if its for the Moo Brewery, there’s also the Cascade Brewery. South of Hobart is the Huon Valley and the Huon Trail where you can sample some of the regions produce from the farm gates including fruit and vegetables, local wines and cider, hand-made cheese and the freshest seafood you’ll ever eat. Also look out for the Tasmanian Chilli Beer Company’s tasty beverages.

In the Cradle Coast region, try Henry’s Ginger Beer (non alcoholic) available at several places in the north east including the Letter Box, next to the post office in Penguin. Seven Sheds micro brewery in Railton, Spreyton Cider and produce from Mount Gnomon Farm mountgnomonfarm.com

In the north east try Little Rivers Brewing Company and Annabel’s of Scottsdale for cycling friendly accommodation. While you’re in Launceston, make sure you check out St John’s Craft Beer Bar, on St Johns Street. With eight taps of Australian and International Craft Beer and a huge range of bottled beer and cider and local food van Eats with Beats providing delicious burgers cooked to order. Sprung bike shop is also conveniently located out the back lane way. The Cataract grill offers a cook your own stone grill with more meat than you can poke a stick at.