To Smithton

We called early time on our riding today because the weather was crap from the time we got onto the bikes, cold and raining. As a consequence , we only tripped along the north west coast, about 90kms from Burnie to Smithton and found a nice dry pub/motel to hole up in.

There wasn't much to see along the Bass Highway through the fug, but Port Latte offered a brief glimpse of a really long jetty, complete with a ship at the end of it. I think bricks are produced nearby and that these are shipped from there. But there were not many port buildings but just a dusty track leading down to a few sheds.

However, we did stop off at Table Cape, just past Wynyard, called Toke -Be -Noke by the Tommeginer people, one of the eight aboriginal tribes of north west Tasmania. They used it as a signalling station and midden , and were very protective of it until relatively recently; two non aboriginal men working for the Van Diemen Company nearby were speared there in 1842.

But now there is a lighthouse there. The foundation, brick tower and were built locally, whilst the light housing and landing were built of steel in England, dismantled and shipped to Tas, where it was put back together again. The light stands 180m above sea level and can be seen for 32 geographical miles.

The lookout up there wasn't much use today because of the bad weather, but it looks back eastwards along the coast to the Asbestos Ranges ( where we have already been) and various points in between. However, today it was difficult to separate the cloud from the landscape.

And rather bizarrely, on the way to Table Cape, there was a whole gang of deer in a field that they didn't look like they should be in. Deer aren't indigenous to Australia so this was a deer farm. Initially I thought they were a new brand of 'roo because their heads are a similar shape but this lot had four even length legs, silly little tails, and were walking and running, not hopping, so I worked it out pretty quickly.

And there is some interesting geology up there ( we can be nerdy when we feel like it). It stands on a volcanic filler plug, a mere 13.3 million years old, which has eroded over time, getting compressed and recovered and finally turning into tillite. Its very dark and rich because of numerous iron oxides and so fertile that when early settlers arrived, they had problems clearing the thick vegetation. But they sorted it eventually, and now there is a tulip farm up there - which exports tulip bulbs to the home of tulips, The Netherlands.

So in Smithton, Gordon saw a GP for some sinus medicine, then we met a welder next to the nut and bolt shop who is going to do a few jobs for us tomorrow. Sweet, especially as it is due to rain again.