Little Musselroe Bay to Beaconsfield

To start this report we would like to say a big hello to the classes who have already introduced themselves on the discussion board.

Hello Huonville Primary, Illawarra Primary, Richmond Primary and Taroona Primary! We LOVE hearing from you in your schools and are looking forward to doing some video calls to say a proper hello in the weeks and months ahead.

This week we have been in north east Tasmania, riding from Little Musselroe Bay to Beaconsfield. Towns and areas we have passed through include Gladstone, South Mount Cameron, Pioneer, Winnaleah, Derby, Branxholm, Scottsdale, Bridport, Piper’s River and Beaconsfield.

The highlight of the week and the whole trip so far was meeting Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder, Aunty Patsy Cameron. We will have a whole video interview with Aunty Patsy later this week to share with you. Hope, Wilfy and Nic were welcomed with ochre painted on their arms and faces. Little Musselroe Bay is the the traditional homeland of the Coastal Plains Nation peoples. Aunty Patsy is a descendant of a revered Coastal Plains clan leader Mannalargenna.

Another highlight this week were fossicking at an abandoned tin mine near South Mount Cameron. The granite, an intrusive igneous rock, brought tin mineralisation to the area. In the old mine tailings (discarded rock from the mine) we found smoky quartz and topaz. There is almost nothing in the entire world more exciting than finding gemstones in old mine sites!

We have ended the week at Beaconsfield and all completely healed after last weeks run of bad luck. The week ahead will see us riding to Devonport to catch the ferry across to Melbourne. We begin our mainland adventure very soon!

Watch the video on Vimeo or YouTube to see how it went. Or see our progress on our Google Map.