TT Post-Ride Reflection, pt. I: The Camping

Here are some of my favorite campsites along the Tasmanian Trail.

First, the cricket field on the outskirts of Judbury. Cold, but the cows were good neighbors.

Quamby Corner in Golden Valley. Hot showers, well-equipped community kitchen area, and I got to use Pancho the Mad Mexican (his actual name) as my cuddle buddy. We kept each other—well, if not warm then at least warmer.

Right on the TT, somewhere between Arthurs Lake and Bracknell. The stargazing was absolutely stunning.

Sheffield. Okay, so this isn’t camping. This is what a bikepacker’s hotel room looks like after he has been getting rained on for four or five days, he needs to dry his gear out, and he is willing to leave housekeeping a great big tip. I rented a room over a pub— a nice, cozy hobbit-sized room. The doorknob was about knee height.

Liffey. More incredible stargazing and another example of the overflowing generosity of the Tasmanian people. I will say more about Lindsay and Chandrell Jordan in a future post, but for now suffice it to say they saw to it I was well fed.

(That schoolhouse behind my tent dates back to the 1800s.)

Latrobe. My last campsite in Tassie! (At least on this trip.) Platypeese make wonderful neighbors. A special highlight for me was seeing how they enter the water: like a kid on a Slip N Slide! Their entry ends with the most adorable kerplunk.

Dishonorable mention: Glenorchy.

This is where I camped after my first platypus sighting. That was dusk, so I rolled into this place after dark. No lights, no signage, locked gate. GPS thought the hardware store parking lot was the campground. I found the rear entrance only because some kid walking along the street knew where it was. Turns out some of the neighbor kids know this place because they like to steal stuff from campers. No one robbed me, because as you can see, I’m so stealthy and crafty.

I never did find the campground itself. The caretakers found me and assured me there was nothing to fear:

Him: “We haven’t had anybody steal a bicycle in what, ten days?”

Her: “Well, eight, anyway.”