For those not familiar with the Lakes Highway in Tasmania is that it is a highway in name only, it is definitely not the preferred route for most traffic between major centres. The majority of traffic here is trout fishermen that have shacks scattered amongst the many lakes in the central highlands.
Overnight it was damn cold, I had gone to bed fairly early as most of the other campers had already gone to bed to keep warm.
Being in a valley the sun wouldn't be up for quite some time. My tent was wet from the frost, but I packed it up anyway and I was on the road by 7:30.
By the time I had climbed the steep grade from the caravan park to the highway I was already hot.
The next stage of the journey was a hard uphill slog. Adding to this was the large amount of roadkill on the side of the road at one stage there was a dead animal every 3m for a 100m. Mostly wallabies and possums but quite a few young tassie devils and couple of quolls. Being on a trike close to the ground, pedalling uphill at 2km/h, you just can't get away from the stench.
I was passed by a few upright cyclists going down the hill. When I was stopped for lunch one stopped, with his bike now on his car roof racks, and had a chat. He lived in the area but rode up the hill.
The trees gave way to low alpine scrub. Even though the sun was out, the temperature was cool. After thinking that it would take all day I finally reached the highest point on the highway. At 1210m it's probably not that high by world standards but reaching it was an achievement on this trip.
From here there was plenty of fast downhill with runs up to 70km/h. That is until the highway becomes a dirt road. The downhill was then somewhat slower as I tried to avoid being shaken up too much.
At the bottom of the hill the road is still dirt, but the surface is much smoother. They seem to have recently laid a new strip in the middle of the road and I found that the trike fitted in the channel between this and the mound of soft fine dust on the outside. The gentle grades made the dirt road almost pleasant to ride on.
I took up the offer when a couple of locals offered me a beer at Brandum Bay on the edge of the Great lake. After this rest and refreshment I continued along the edge of the lake. As I passed through Liaweenee, a place that often records the lowest temperatures in Tasmania, the sun was beginning to set.
By the time I reached the Great Lakes Hotel it was dark. I must have been a strange sight as I rode in front of the drinkers as I use monkeylights which flash LEDs in different colours on my wheels, to enhance my visibility.
A night in the hotel only cost $45. It wasn't until I tried to write my name on the guest card that I realised how cold my hands really were.
A few beers in front of the open fire soon fixed that. I had arrived at happy hour so a 10oz was only $2. Chicken Parma for dinner, a good night.
Distance travelled today 52km
Trip distance 131km
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