Waratah

Our boots were dryish when we set of this morning after yesterday’s soaking. But I wore my waterproof socks just incase. However, Nadine has lost hers and so was forced to improvise. Not too pretty but they did the job.

The plan was to ride to Strahan on the west coast but to do this, we had to go up and over some mountains. It was bright but cold, and the temperature dropped considerably as we pottered along. 

Its a time like this when perhaps a little more poke would be welcome, but they are postie bikes after all, so we had to get on with it.

The landscape at the top changed into open heathland from quite dense bush on the way up. Various echidnas were doing whatever echidnas do at the side of the road as we passed. I spotted two and only realised that a third was there when the clump of grass that I happened to be looking towards, started to waddle off towards the treeline.

Warata is a town named after a shrub; a pretty bush with red flowers and thick green leaves, and are quite common amongst roadside vegetation.

But the Tasmanian plant is smaller than those that are common on mainland Australia, but have better flowers, according to the Harley rider we met in the cafe there. He’s probably right, but we were diplomatic and agreed with what he told us.

Warata used to be a mining town and was known for its mechanisation, but that is all gone now, save for a few artifacts dotted round the place. The waterfall in the centre of town is now merely a picturesque thing to look at but once had seven waterwheels powering machinery from it.

The man where we had stayed in Wynyard had drawn us a map of the ride to Waratah and suggested we stop at the cafe in town up the hill. We did that, and what a good find it was. We were freezing by the time we got there as we had ridden up and over the ridge, but this place was not only warm and very welcoming, but served excellent food. Owners Yvonne and Russell were great, entertaining us while plying us with coffee while we hogged the heaters to thaw out.  Really nice people, and we spent a great hour in there chatting and listening what to see in the area.

As we were kitting up outside, various bikers came by  and stopped for a chat.  That is always a high point of the day, swapping ride stories with other two wheeled fans.

The town used to produce osmirido an the biggest nugget of it to be found in Australia was found nearby. I’d never heard of it, but a history board nearby revealed that it was an alloy, and used in the making of gold nibs for fountain pens - Osmaroid. Remember those from school?

Yvonne and Russell plus some of the bikers we had chatted to told us that the silicon road was open nearby. This is part of the Western Exlorer gravel road which we had planned to ride down from near Woolnorth to Strahan, but were unable as most of it was closed due to a serious landslide. But they all reckoned the bit from Savage River to Corinna was open, so we decided to give it a go.

Its called the silicon road because its made out of silicon dust, the spoils of stuff mined nearby. That all goes off to Japan to make expensive lenses, but the dust has been used to make a gravel road. Its hard packed and very fine, and also very very white and the glare makes your eyes hurt. But it was an excellent ride, and it took us all the way to Corinna, just like they all said it would.

The local joke is that its probably the most expensive road in the world, given the effort that went into producing the fine grade dust, and they’re probably right. So having done the Silk Road, we’ve now done the Silicon Road!

At Corinna, which comes from the Aboriginal ' Korerrennaa' we had to cross the Arthur River, but there is no bridge, just a barge ferry called ‘The Fatman’ because it goes through the Pieman Reserve. To call it, you stand on one bank and wave and shout until the bloke operating it sees you.Then he might come and get you when he feels like it. Its a five minute ride but it is worth it. 

The road the other side had been partly paved but there was  gravel too - they’d clearly run out of silicon by the time they got here. But never mind, it was good enough and we reached Strahan just as the booking place for the river cruise was about to close. But the ladies booked us three tickets for the morning, and we left for a campground out at The Heads.  Its just out of town, down a long dirt track. A great way to end the day.

We also passed trough Zeehan this afternoon. Once the third largest town in Tasmania with a bustling high street two miles long, it is a now a quiet country town, overlooked now that the mining that created it, has gone. It had a hospital, and electric company and its own newspaper office, the town catered for over 10000 people at its peak. The theatre was the largest concert hall in Australia and some famous names played there - Dame Nellie Melba and Lola Montez.

Its always odd when you pass through these places as there are invariably buildings that were once important and focal points of the community - the Post Office, the theatre, various grand hotels - but they are no longer used. Some have changed purpose but some still retain the purpose for which they were built. It must be very odd to see a local production with the ten other people in the town seated in a place built for hundreds. But the theatre in Zeehan has been restored  and is part of a heritage project.

Just as towns such as Sheffield and Railton have created a bit of an interest point for themselves ( murals and topiary) these former urban gems have at least recognised their heritage an used it as focal points in the town centre.

In every place, there are bits of preserved machinery, history boards noting town facts or people, and little tributes to various things that have gone on in the past. 

It's nice and there is a definite sense of town pride. Things are cared for rather than trashed as they would be elsewhere.