TAS Anzac Weekend Cruise 2016 22/04/16-26/04/16

[k31th]

ahhh man, so jealous! have heaps of fun and make sure to get ya boost on!

[Rab]

Finally found LPG and got back the missing 50 killer wasps from running 95.

 

I think 1 got loose, but still wanted to come on the trip.

 

[EvilDaifu]

Yeah I remember when I did a cruise around Tassie fuel was an issue.  I don't remember where we filled up to be honest but I do remember only having 95 RON in many places.  But then again I was in a rental Ford XR6 NA at the time so didn't really worry me that much - the other car was an XR6T so she probably would have preferred 98 RON.  I also remember not seeing any Mobil anywhere (back then) which pissed me off a bit.  Not sure if that's changed now that Mobil is showing it's brand name again at retail pumps.

 

Need more pics mate  

[Rab]

(not proofread - on the boat, dodgy internet, keeps cutting out)

Fantastic trip.

Weather was spot on the whole weekend – dry, cool and crisp – just what the turbos love.

 

Quick run down of the travel:

 

1^st day – off the boat and within the hour we were on some awesome roads through to Scottsdale and then again through to St Helens. Once we hit the coast it was still good driving all the way down to Eaglehawk Neck, but wasn’t as intense.

 

2^nd day – From Eaglehawk through to Hobart was definitely pleasant driving, but pretty sedate til we got to New Norfolk (via Cascade Brewery) Note: Cadbury Chocolate Factory no longer does tours L

 

As soon as we got out of New Norfolk…. OMFG – these are the roads my car is made for. All the way from there til Queenstown I was in heaven. Surprise Valley area was. (a surprise that is – probably the best stretch of road the whole trip) I’ll try to grab some footage from the dashcam (didn’t have the GoPro’s running) once I get home. These were seriously some of the best, strung together km’s I can remember travelling. Couple of hours on end of “speed limit”, down to 90, 80, 70, 60 or even lower then powering out of the corners back up to the “speed limit”. Sweeping turns, esses, switchbacks and the occasional 25km/h dogleg to keep me on my toes.

 

The car stuck to the road like glue – the power range was exactly where it was needed – the roads were awesome (narrow, but actually had camber and decent lines) and the scenery was breathtaking.

 

Day 3 – As soon as we left Queenstown and started up the West Coast I started comparing the trip in the car to the trips I’d done on the bike. From my time on the bike the West Coast was my favourite part of the whole Island and for some reason, in the car I wasn’t “feeling it”.

 

I was doubly confused – on the bike – I jizzed over the West Coast, yet found the stretch between Queenstown and New Norfolk to be the most boring stretch of the whole trip. Somehow, in the car that stretch came alive, while the West Coast was leaving me wanting :S :S :S

 

Eventually it clicked – on the bike the West Coast is 140km/h sweepers and esses and 200km/h straights – in the car it’s cruise control. (don’t fear – it wasn’t “boring” the whole drive – about halfway up it got a hell of a lot better, and after Cradle Mountain it was back to totally awesome). On the bike I found the New Norfolk leg “boring” as it was pretty much limited speed and the awesome corners and esses that I found in the car were pretty much straight lines (corner cutting) on the bike.

 

Damn you Tasmania – you are pretty much oblivious to the fantastic roads you have. We may have a few 20, 30, 40 or 50km stretches of great tarmac. You’ve got them around every bend, for 100’s of km’s.

 

Weather: As mentioned – the weather could not have been better. Dry, crisp/cool weather with the sun out almost the whole trip. Couple of places the road was damp from the morning dew, but it was never slippery and the roads were totally clean (apart from roadkill)

 

Traffic: Heading over there on a public holiday weekend I was a little worried about getting stuck behind tourists, caravans or convoys.

 

It just didn’t happen.

 

And when I did come up behind a slower vehicle – an overtaking opportunity presented itself well before the knuckles started turning white on the steering wheel.

 

I honestly went up to an hour at a time without encountering a roadblock.

 

Donuts: Only saw about a half dozen the whole trip and none of them were roadside. Couple of fixed camera donut shops on the highways, but the GPS let me know early where they were so I could plan the approach.

 

Roads: For the most part (99%) they were absolutely fantastic. A little bit narrower than we’re probably used to, but, like when I was on the bike over here – they are designed for driving on. Camber, interesting and fun corners, sensible overtaking and pull off lanes etc. Instead of the nanny state 80km/h zones “because they have curves” Tassy has 100km/h “drive as the conditions require” zones. The yellow 65km/h warning signs – yeah you turn off cruise control for them :D A 40km or so stretch between Scottsdale and St Helens had me wondering where I was headed when I first hit it but it was friggin brilliant. Had to be on my toes (even more narrow than normal) but was a brilliant run.

 

One thing I would point out though to those who haven’t driven the Isle yet – there is no shying away from “reducing radius” corners over here. Quite often you can go into a corner with the steering wheel pointed at 1 o’clock and halfway around the bend, instead of seeing the straight the corner tightens up a bit more and you’ve now got the wheel at 2 o’clock…..  then at 3 o’clock. You definitely have to respect the corners over here – if you enter them all at 10/10^th’s you’ll run a good chance of coming unstuck.

 

Fuel: Probably the main concern I’d have for a group run (am actually relieved I got to do this trip solo for this reason alone). It wasn’t just LPG that was rare – 98PULP is very, very scarce too. I topped up when I got off the boat and was out of LPG just after St Helens. Was out of my 98 by day 2 and hadn’t seen either at any servo since back in Devonport when I topped up. In fact – I was running 95 from the East Coast until New Norfolk where I spotted 98. LPG in Strahan. I was so thankful I had a 95 tune I could fall back on and would definitely recommend one for peace of mind if you want to do the East Coast. There are a few sites that I found that show where fuel is available but fark me – Bicheno servo (the only one on the east coast that had it) was closed for renovations: S

 

What would I do different? :

 

Probably only 2 things –

 

1)      I’d do the trip anti clockwise (for fuel reasons) – can do the whole West Coast and end up in Hobart with zero issues (if you go via Strahan). Can do Port Arthur from Hobart and return there for refuelling, then do the east coast from there to Launceston with probably the one tank

 

2)      Not stay overnight in Queenstown. I forgot to pack my banjo and almost had to squeal like a pig. (not really, but the town was pretty much shut when we rolled in at 6pm – were lucky to find a takeaway to get a burger and chicken). I’d make the 1^st night stop in Hobart instead for the reason above – maybe even both nights in Hobart – Port Arthur/Mures (or is it Doyles :P) the second day then the East Coast and back to the boat on the last day

 

Other memories/thoughts while I’m hot:

 

The people are fantastic – ask a question about local things and they’re likely to pull out a map, spend 20 minutes giving you the run down, calling ahead for you and suggesting real alternatives.

 

The food is fantastic (except for the burgers and chicken in Queenstown). If you come over here and goto Maccas then you should be shot. Reasonable prices at decent outlets – expensive where the one restaurant has a monopoly.

 

Scenery – I didn’t take photo’s this trip (sorry Evil) – If I’d stopped for even a fraction of the photo ops I’d still be there, but damn – breathtaking only goes a little way to describe it.

 

Windscreen: I’ll make sure I take something to clean the windscreen next trip. Some stages the bugs/grime, setting/rising sun, bright road/shadows all combine to equal zero visibility. Not much fun when you’re headed into a blind, narrow corner doing “the speed limit”. A quick rinse and wipe of the screen at one of the many scenic lookouts would have negated that.

 

Itinerary: Head over with a totally open mind – tick off a few “must do” or “want to do” things, then let the road take you where it does. If it’s a group trip and you’re the car in front – don’t be scared or shy of pulling over to see a random attraction or following a random “Tourist Trail”. There are so many nooks and crannies off the main road that it pays for itself tenfold. Our cars just eat up the K’s over here and there’s no hurry J

 

Speed Limits: I’m leaving here just shaking my head at the idea of sensible speed limits. 2 mins out of town and you’ve got a 110 freeway/highway. 90% of the other driving I did over here was on 100km/h roads. Those roads would be 80km/h in Vic because they go up and down and turn and twist or because it could be wet or foggy. It’s so much nicer to be treated as an adult instead of as a worst case scenario

Edited 25/04/16 12:55 PM by Rab

[k31th]

Awesome write up, Rab!

 

Still jealous

[Rab]

Not the slowest bit of the weekend

 

Doing 45km/h 

[EvilDaifu]

Thanks Rab - yeah the roads there are soooo good.  I think it's because they have a nice budget but fewer roads to spend it on?  Anyway - certainly say the scenery is spectacular.  One of my favourite sections was the bit from Mole Creek through to Liena.


 

[k31th]

The bit from Liena to Cethana looks pretty epic, too!