Easy along the east coast

Our night in Scamander was very cold, well below 10C; we each put on some extra layers throughout the night. There was a bit of wind still, and this clearly came with a high chill factor. So we took it easy in the morning, waited to get up until the sun was well out, and warmed up over breakfast in the morning sun. Yes, we expected a bit of cold in Tasmania, and it's clearly cold - colder than we expected for sure. Nevertheless, with the weather nice and sunny now, it's really good during the day!

On the road - Ellen

On the (same) road - Wim

Cycling along the east coast has been very nice so far. Our ride from Scamander to Bicheno was truly beautiful, mostly along the coast but also with some hills and forest. We had a constant cold headwind, it certainly increased the work-factor but it was not too bad this time. We continued until early lunch time and combined a coffee break and lunch into 1 long stop, in a stunning picnic/camp spot at Little Beach. We had only done about 25km at that point, otherwise we would definitely have stayed there for the night. What a gorgeous place! And uhm... I even forgot to make some photos...

No traffic, great environment - and a vineyard

Endless vistas

We continued for a while, intending to stay at a bush camp near Douglas River - but couldn't find it. So we went for plan B, and rode on to Bicheno. In Bicheno we had the choice between 3 holiday parks, and seem to have made a good choice. We're in a very nice place, East Coast Holiday Park; so nice, we even decided to stay for an extra day. Not just for the campsite, also because Bicheno is an interesting place for a day, and we had a few things to do.

Entrance to Bicheno beach

On the rocks (without a drink), looking for seals and dolphins. We did not see them, but we did get a wonderful sunset.

Another sunset view

We went for an evening walk along the beach and rocky coast yesterday evening, looking for seals and dolphins - which we didn't find. But: we did find a lovely seafood shack where we had a dozen of delicious oysters, and the one thing you have to have at least once while riding through Australia: fish and chips. We have to admit it: the oysters were wonderful, and even the fish (fresh tasty fish) and chips (good, crispy fries - better than some fries in Belgium...) were really tasty. Probably the day of cycling added to the taste, nevertheless it was really good - with a beer and a glass of wine!

The seafood shack with delicious oysters and fish & chips

Still on the rocks

What a beautiful day this had been, this is really the kind of days that makes this kind of travel so wonderful. And then we took our first real rest day today. We went hiking a bit in the morning, had a long lunch with fried eggs and pie (and coffee, before and after), again a hike in the afternoon. It's a beautiful region, nature is so pure in Tasmania; and we did see the seals today (still no dolphins though). So. Nice.