Spazzy Tassie '14...aka...The Lake Leake Chronicles

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Green Point near Waratah….what a spectacular piece of coast…and with 296 days of annual rain we certainly hit the jackpot!
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Tacking south, the road’s next coastal contact is Arthur River.



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What a place!!
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Along the way to Couta Rocks, further south again…

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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Bummer!!! That’s the one on the routing sheet!! And there’s NO other road/ track/ whatever....but to backpaddle about 100k’s, arghhh!


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A stroke of luck presents itself as Crusty does his usual thing and walks up to anything-that-moves for a chat
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….in this case, a guy on a Quad checking out the coast.
“Got a charity run going west and they’ll open the gates for us at 12… I’ll see what I can do to slot you guys in as well”.

Crusty, you’re a CHAMP!
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Come 12 and the first of the 41 Quads rock up…
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These guys are on a week-long Tassie-crossing coast-to-coast….and as always, some barely make it to the starting line. Quality repair time before the man with the key for the gate shows up!
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Some straining at the leash


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Some could use a leash
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Others couldn’t give a fat ratz amongst all the hubbab


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Hooray, the man with the key!!

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Yes…the Heemskirk Rd. is now all sealed all the way through to and past the “entry” of the Western Explorer and on to the Kanunnah Bridge….with plans afoot to also seal the extension (Sumac Rd.) to the Tayatea Bridge, which then completes the Smithton-.Westcoast-Couta Rocks-Tarkine Scenic Drive loop back to Smithton/Stanley with 2 sealed options via either of the 2 bridges across the Arthur River.

While deeply sad to see it go (anticipating the trampling hordes of shit-brained tourists in their Corollas and “Wilderness-Tour cages”) it will certainly be a MAJOR boost to the as-yet fairly untouched (and therefore “under-developed”
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) North-West.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
There isn’t too much to see up here…


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Branching off at Kannunah Bridge, it’s time to make up a little for the lost time at the gate, picking some bumpy, little backroads into Nabageena , South Forest and back to the coastal hwy, before ducking back into the twisties and little single-lane timber bridges around Oldina and Yolla.

Since nobody comes along to play, it’s pegs-to-the-tarmac for a solo-dance through Hellyer Gorge, enjoying myself immensely. No traffic… just the occasional backfire… redlining that sweet 650 mill and getting the most out of the last oil change…this is bloody heaven, YEEHA! What a corker…
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Not to be nosy or asking why, intruding on anyone’s privacy here….but.... for whatever reason (gotta keep a closer eye on those 2) Crusty has offered to stick his tongue in Doug’s ear.
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Needless to say, the rest of us has endless ingenious ways as to the how, when, how deep, straight or twist, slow withdraw or with a crackle ‘n pop, yeah, you get the idea
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….anyway, laughing-tears are streaming by the time we hit Warratah.
Stumble into the Bischoff Hotel and nail the couple of small houses on the hill above the pub.
In the meantime, some of the locals had cottoned onto the tongue-in-ear-bit and gave it a practice run themselves, in the main street. Stunned tourists and mine-cockies slow their 4WD’s in wonder…


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As the publican wasn’t quite sure about the possibility of a feed, the now wildly ear-licking and tongue-slopping owners of the little Café next door happily invite the AT-mob for dinner and brecky, opening the shop just for us. (most likely in the hope of learning more than just earlickin’ stuff).

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Sitting in the grass under the shade of the tree on the hill above the pub, guzzling some coldies with Da Fuzz.
Waratah, as the blackbellies start their afternoon game of light ‘n shadows again…


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With the Western Explorer blocked solid by concreted Armco, it’ll be a run to the Pieman River in the morning, then we’ll see what creeps up for the rest of the day.

Holy Mackerel, what a pearler of a day.
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platypus121

Tour Pro
Ahh, the memories.

I'm enjoying checking off the places you went to against those Birtles and I saw last year. So far we are scoring well,
but sadly we missed Couta Rocks. Even on a CT, I agree with you that Hellyer Gorge is a "pegs to the tarmac" experience.

As each new place name appears, the memories flood back and trigger off that little yearning that lives somewhere in the
back of the head - the one that, once awoken, never sleeps until it gets another big trip.

As always, it's a real treat to read your report with its witty observations and superlative photographs.
Eagerly anticipating the next episode, but can I request more pictures of Goodie, and less of the ear-licking?

.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Ahh, the memories.

I'm enjoying checking off the places you went to against those Birtles and I saw last year. So far we are scoring well,
but sadly we missed Couta Rocks. Even on a CT, I agree with you that Hellyer Gorge is a "pegs to the tarmac" experience.

As each new place name appears, the memories flood back and trigger off that little yearning that lives somewhere in the
back of the head - the one that, once awoken, never sleeps until it gets another big trip.


Eagerly anticipating the next episode, but can I request more pictures of Goodie, and less of the ear-licking?

.

Less ear-lickin' it is :killingme, but boy, you'll have to spent a day amongst that Crusty-Doug Duo to make ear+tongue of it :killingme:killingme :bt

Good to see you getting into it, tick the names and places, jerk the memories and get that awfully heavy pressure in the chest that just screams:
I GOTTA GO!!!LET ME OUT!!

You name the dates...I fix the rest, DEAL!:D:chug:



Thanks for coming along on this one !!
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
KTM could use this in their promotional material.

........ and those Arthur River photos are beautiful :clap: .


Thank you, sir! :bow:

You gonna love the next day then :glu:glu:glu


Yo, that KTM shot was just too good (and easy) to miss out on....the light for the whole fortnight was just incredible. The most memorable single part of the whole fortnight for me.
Everything had that golden, soft, intense sheen...just awesome. Should've shot 200 frames a day...if the road would've been open, the Western Xplorer would've been something very, very special.:clap:
 

robbieb

Tassie Daddy
Holy Mackerel, what a pearler of a day.
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I think Doug looks a bit annoyed that he's not the only one getting tome ear licking action in Waratah.

"Damn imitators, I was into ear licking before it was popular and everyone jumped on the band wagon :mad:"
 
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