We have said our last goodbyes to our trusty bikes. Just abandoned them really, under the verandah at Gill’s place. They served us well, no saddle sores, no break downs or punctures and only tipped me off once. They were slow and heavy but got us there in the end, like reliable mules rather than flighty thoroughbreds. I reckon we averaged about 15km/hr whereas at home it was a slow ride if we averaged under 20, even including Paekak or Akatarawara Hill.

Gill said normally she would drive us into Launceston but she  is on the St Andrews parish committee and they were serving pancakes in the village square, it being Shrove (Pancake) Tuesday. The bus stop was only 300m away and we got the TassLink bus into downturn Launceston. A 40 minute ride via the airport for A$6.20. The bus driver was young and friendly and drove in a very enthusiastic manner, like he was behind schedule, which he wasn’t. It was just an ordinary suburban bus so there was no space in the aisle or between the seats for our big bag.  He told us to put it in the rear exit door well where it bounced around as we sped along. I felt like saying hang on a bit mate there is a well earned bottle of wine in that bag!

We were in town by 10.30 and way too early for our 2pm hotel check-in but thought we would give it a go anyway. The hotel people were happy to see us and we lounged on their cafe balcony for 10 minutes while they made up our room. They have super fast NBN internet which is great after nothing the last three days at Evandale, Scottsdale and Pyrengana.

We are tired. Psychologically down because the cycling is finished but worn out physically. We have cycled the last 10 days including on the two days that were supposed to be rest days. I think the heavy bikes and carrying everything we had in the panniers was harder than we expected.

So we rested in the hotel room for a couple of hours before going out for a four walk in the 28 degree heat. Are we stupid or what? Walked around the River Tamar wharf front and up to the suspension bridge in Cataract Gorge. It was nice and cool under the trees in the gorge. At the first basin the early settlers created a Victorian garden, tea house, band rotunda, play ground and planted many European trees. This is quite nice but is in stark contrast to the natural rugged landscape of the gorge. I don’t think today we would do what they have done.

After shopping at a Coles Supermarket chilled out for a while before going and finding the Avis Rental Car depot where we will pick up our car tomorrow morning. Turns out it is just a desk in the lobby of the Grand Chancellor Hotel. Also checked out how to get from there onto a road out of town. Launceston has a typical one way street system.

We actually felt a bit better after walking around a bit today. The legs seemed to come right. Tomorrow we become your typical seniors tourists tooling around in our little car.

We knew there would be very few opportunities to get food or drink on today’s 78km ride. Just a kiosk at Myrtle Recreation Ground and the Nuamara Roadhouse.  So went back to the Woolworth Supermarket to buy some lunch: cheese, egg and bacon rolls, muffins, bananas and Powerade.

About 14km out of Scottsdale we hit the big climb of the day, the Sideling. It is 8km long and rises 400m. The steepest part is the first 2km and then it becomes long lazy switch backs with hairpin bends. Although you are climbing among trees it is almost always out in the sun and we arrived at the lookout hot, very red faced and with the engine about to boil.

Another 1km to the crest and then a lovely 10km of downhill and some flat to the Myrtle Recreation Ground. The kiosk sold us a not too bad coffee from a vending machine you put tokens into. Had our lunch there, refilled our water bottles and had a longish break. Mainly downhill and flat from here but with a few short, sharp killer uphills. Passed through some areas that had bush fires not too long ago. And boy was it hot, we were really suffering, out in the open farmland with no protection from the sun.

About 20km from Launceston we turned off the main road and wound our way through quiet, narrow country lanes. Lots of changes in direction at intersections so Barb was kept busy consulting the route notes. The last hill into Evandale was a bit nasty. Only about 200m long but steep enough to only plod up it in the lowest granny gear. We noticed the hedges at the side of the road had blueberry plants growing in them and they were loaded with berries.

I stopped and filled a couple of pockets with berries thinking we would eat them at the top of the hill, as a reward. But when we bit into them they were hard and very bitter and spit the lot out. They were not yet ripe and left a very strong taste in the mouth for the rest of the ride. We were long out of water and so could not wash the taste out.

Evandale is situated on a ridge overlooking fertile agricultural and grazing land.  It’s irregular streets, authentic hostelries, and quaint colonial architecture make you think of how villages were long ago. The earliest houses go back to the 1820s. We are staying in one of two self contained units on a seven acre property that has one of the oldest houses in Evandale. It has lovely gardens and many mature trees.

The owner Gill (69) was waiting for us and fussed around getting us settled in. She provided bacon and eggs, a fresh loaf of bread from here bread maker, oranges off her trees, home made jams, a jar of her preserved Greengage plums and delicious muesli. She wanted to know what milk we wanted and cycled off to the local store for some “skinny”  milk.

We just collapsed. The last two days we had found very hot and tough. Dragging those panniers up all those hills.

Evandale fancies itself as the penny farthing capital of Australia and in two weeks time there is a big festival here with penny farthing races around the streets.

Breakfast was the usual continental but the filter coffee was better than the usual instant and the apple juice was the best we have had.

After only 3km warm up we hit the first big climb of 500m in 10km over Weldborough Pass. Last time before Darren Hooks worked his magic with his cardiac ablation I suffered up this hill, gasping for air, jelly legs and a heart about to explode. Today it was fine, not exactly a pleasure, but comfortable. Just get in the right gear, get your cadence constant and keep on chugging.

The road was narrow and in forest until it broke out into broad meadows at the summit. We went to the lookout platform where last time Owen somehow managed to turn his front wheel inside out. A fast downhill through a forest of myrtle trees to the tiny settlement of Weldborough which apart from a handful of broken down houses is just a pub. The Pub didn’t open till 11.30, it being Sunday, but someone from the Blue Tier Group had left a note for Michael to make 9 steak sandwiches and 2 hamburgers for lunch!

Then a 7km downhill (Manfred says an absolute mega-ezperience) through dense rainforest to Moorina which was once a flourishing tin mining town of 1000 inhabitants, pubs and schools. Today there is a golf course, one occupied and one unoccupied house. Today was the annual golf competition between all the pubs of the district and the owner of Pub in the Paddock told us he would be there.

Slightly off the road, next to a rather large cemetery, was an interesting memorial to the Chinese who came to work in the mines. It was mainly about several unsuccessful attempts to convert the Chinese to Christianity. There are several memorials and museums called The Tin Dragon Trail.

Some ups and downs and into the town of Derby where all the buildings are made of wood – unusual for Australia. It has a lovely atmosphere of old houses, several art/coffee shops and a new tin mine museum. This weekend there were two days of mountain bike racing called Slaughter the Dragon (or Slay the Dragon?). There were hundreds of guys all strutting their stuff, and their groupies – all long tanned legs, skimpy shorts and way too much make up. Wish we could have stayed longer but after refreshments hit the road again. It took ages for the legs to stop complaining and start delivering some power.

Manfred’s notes said that after the town of Branxholm we could do a small detour of 8km to Legerwood to see some WW1 memorial woodcarvings.  Then 2km back onto the main road. He didn’t make it clear this was all as well, as not instead of, staying on the main road. After a nice cool morning it was now sunny and very hot. You could feel the heat radiating up off the bitumen road.

I’m not sure about the carvings. They are large trees that have cut down to their major limbs and then the ends carved to represent people and scenes from WW1. This was probably a good thought and idea over a few pints in the pub but in reality I’m not sure if it is brilliant, kitsch or just plain weird. The chain saw carver was good but no Michelangelo. Have a look at the photos.

At the carvings we had an ice cold lemonade and a Leppin and felt reinvigorated. With only 25km to go it is often tempting to just persevere on to get it over and done as soon as possible. But this time after a rest and refuel we felt good. Raced over Billycock Hill whereas last time I walked the last kilometre and sad in the shade of the trees for half an hour recovering.

Scottsdale is one of those towns that follow the ancient defensive strategy of locating itself on the top of a hill. So as you approach you see a long ascending road which always seems steep due to the fore-shortening perspective. The climb into Scottsdale had all the tricks: false flats, successive crests, hidden dips where you lose all your hard earned altitude.

But eventually you get there and the lady at Anabel’s must have thought we looked awfully hot and bothered as she took one look at us and went straight to the bar to get us each a large, cold, freshly squeezed orange juice. These disappeared in about one gulp.

90km today including our 10km side excursion. A total of 1666m of climbing, a bit more than we do on the Lake Taupe Cycle Challenge.