Get your minds out of the gutter, I’m talking about the beautiful island of Tasmania! After Team Nails: Australia disbanded at the Holiday Inn Melbourne, I was on my own to head south to Tasmania. It was a 1 hour flight and I land in Launceston (Lawn-sess-ten). Or something like that. It’s really hard to say. It’s a little town of about 100,000 that feels like it’s in Colorado someplace (though the mountains are much smaller).
The best thing about it is that 10 minute walk from downtown there is the GORGE. This totally awesome river gorge where you can hike, swim, rock climb, cross suspension bridges, ride a chair lift and just have a blast in nature. I spent 5 hours + there on my first day, just enjoying the trails and tracks, the views and more. I couldn’t exactly swim since it was rainy and about 55 degrees, but it was still really great.
I also rode a bike around the valley a bit and saw some sites. And naturally had to hit up the University night at the Saloon. Filled with live music and, you guessed it, KARAOKE! I sang a little “Bust a Move” and “Sweet Caroline” for the mates down there. So my last day was a long bike ride down the valley, past Tamer Island wetlands, with its 2km boardwalk, and out to a town called Grindelwald. A scenic swiss town with food and fun (I was told). So I rode 14 km’s on the main road, mostly flat. Then got to the turn off… and one big ass bastard of a hill. 3kms up up and UP! I walked it, it took an hour (ugh). There were plenty of animals to see, Kangaroo, Wombat, somthing else — of course they were all road kill, but at least I saw them in the wild!
When I finally got to the town, sweating, hot, hungry and exhausted I had to look twice because it was so F’ing small!!! it was this tiny little place, like a hotel, a pond and a little kitchy square with a couple shops and bakery’s. I laughed out loud at how f’ing stupid it was. The fact that I worked my butt off to get there is so funny in how rediculous the whole thing is. And on top of that… the restraunt was closed!!!
Fortunately the bakery was open and they had good old Meat Pies. So I got 2 of those, and told the ladies there of my adventure. They say no one comes up that hill on a bike (yeah, cause it’s insane!). Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to 18kms back to town. My ass already hurt and legs to. Then one of the ladies, Pat said “Well I’m going back that way, I can take you.” YAHOOOOO!!!! So I rode my bike down the hill (had to do that). Took about 4 minutes, maybe less. That was GREAT! Then loaded up the bike in the car and drove back to town. Her names Pat, I took a picture. No email, no nothing. Just a super nice person from the super nice country of Australia.
Craig Ouellette is a world traveling, independent filmmaker, and karaoke fiend. He has been to dozens of countries, made dozens of films, and sung more karaoke songs than he can count. He hopes the tales of adventure will entertain.
