Margate to Ouse

The nerves and anticipation from the first day have been pedalled out of us at the end of week one. As we sit under the shade of a magnificent willow tree on the banks of the Ouse River it is about 150 kilometers to get back home. But we’re not going that way. The way ahead is into the mountainous country of western Tasmania. The hills will get longer and steeper. Our legs will get sorer!

Hobart is the capital city of Tasmania and we rode through most of it on a bike track. Our biggest risk on this adventure is being hit by a vehicle on the road. So every chance we get to not be on the road is welcome. But of course most of the time we can’t avoid it so the next best thing is to ride as safely as possible and choose quiet roads. Leaving Hobart we have come up the Derwent Valley through small towns including New Norfolk, Glenora, Westerway, Ellendale and Ouse. The weather has been hot at times and windy at others, but we aren’t complaining as Tasmania is well known as having all sorts of weather… sometimes on the same day.

We have seen first hand what the weather can do with a large bushfire burning in the World Heritage Area not far from where we are now. Helicopters have been buzzing overhead with buckets for dropping water on it. The fires started from lightning strikes near the Gell River. The hottest day so far has been over 30 degrees Celsius. We have been drinking lots of water from bottles we carry on the bikes. Getting dehydrated is an extra risk we have while riding in hot weather. So far, the kids are doing well and have adjusted to the bike life without any problems.

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