The Phoenix Tour

A day of lovely Lakes today.

This morning was COLD. Patchy clouds turned into not so patchy. The roads were damp and the air was freezing.
I had hope that things would improve. And they did, just not for a while…

I hit roadworks between Strahan and Queenstown. Wet, slippery grey slush. A few butt clenching moments.
My bike has never been so disgustingly filthy.

Queenstown was a bizarre place. Built solely around mining, the huge hills that surround it have been stripped bare. It feels otherworldly and barren. The ominous low clouds added to the eerie effect.

Then came the 99 bends. Lyell Highway from Queenstown. Not sure there are actually 99 but there were a lot of bends…. I had to steal a photo from the internet because I don’t have a drone.

Checked out the ‘Iron Blow’. The site of the first ever copper mine on the Mt Lyell field.

The whole area is rich in copper, silver and gold and has been mined for well over a century.
The lookout gives you an idea of just how vast the mining region is.

Riding on through the Lyell region is awe inspiring.  Enormous ranges made from conglomerate push up alongside the highway making you feel completely insignificant in their shadows.

The roads are in great condition and the sun had finally put on its big girl pants and come out to stay. It was still cool but not unbearable.

Pulled in to Lake Burbury, a man made reservoir that feeds the John Butters Hydroelectric Power Station. The reservoir inundated the historic towns of Crutty and Darwin which were in rivalry with what is now Queenstown. Still, a very picturesque ‘lake’ surrounded by the towering conglomerate ranges.

Found another waterfall. Nelson Falls.
But it is 2 from 3. Horsetail Falls, just out of Queenstown looked amazing but they were a bit of a hike around the back of a hill which would have meant leaving my bike right near the highway. So I gave them a miss.

On to the first natural lake of the day, Lake St Clair. The deepest freshwater lake in Australia.
Beautiful, serene and, apparently, the home of platypus. I was there at the wrong time to see any (of course) but it was a glorious walk especially with the sun warming the air.

I need to come back and stay in this area.

There were what seemed to be hundreds of hikers, all carrying monstrous sized packs, teeming in every conceivable direction, following one of the many, many tracks around the lake.
As I was leaving, 2 buses full of walking tours were pulling in to the car park.
Clearly, a hiking Mecca.

Peeled off some layers and headed into Derwent Bridge to see The Wall in the Wilderness.
Wow.
This is the most incredible piece of art I have seen. One guy, Greg Duncan, began sculpting a wall in 2005. A wall of beautiful Tasmanian wood. That wall is now over 100 metres in length and 3 metres tall. It is a constant work in progress.
Carved and sculpted into the wood of this wall is a story. A story of the history of this wilderness.
The detail and craftsmanship of the wall is mind blowing. It is hard to explain. The wood came to life.
No photos were allowed. And I don’t have the words to describe it in a way that would do it justice.

My plan was to ride another 40 minutes to my destination for the day. However, it was only 1:15 and I knew that there is not a huge amount to do where I was staying. So I decided to just wing it and plug a few more towns into the GPS and trust that I would discover something cool along the way.

I’m glad I did. The new route took me through the Central Highlands, passing through some lovely little towns, Tarraleah, Ouse, Hamilton and a very cute little place called Bothwell where all the signs are tartan and apparently it is also the town with the oldest golf course in Australia!

It also took me on what I later learned through some signs as The Heartlands drive. This was very different again to what I have already seen. Huge sprawling paddocks covered in the scribbling of sheep tracks. They continued all the way to the ranges in the distance. The land looks very poor, with very little grazing at all. Every now and then, the landscape changed again to giant folding hills and valleys. It was impressive.

The roads were all excellent and by this time the sun was warm and constant. It made for a really great ride.

Arrived at my stop for the night, Miena, near The Great Lake. The Great Lake is the 3rd largest freshwater lake and is both natural and man made. It was expanded when the Miena dam was created. It is known for amazing fly fishing.

A quirky little place with a Pub, restaurant (very nice), petrol station and convenience store and what is best described as fishing accommodation. Basic but comfortable and, unlike the ‘fancier’ places, comes with complimentary breakfast makings, toast, cereal and tea/coffee.