Adventures of Delvy : MTB in Tasmania

It’s one year since we arrived in Tasmania for a MTB holiday in Delvy, and we haven’t left. Have you ever gone to a place for a holiday and ended up staying there? Not just for an extended stay, but permanently? That’s exactly what we’ve done. After living the nomadic lifestyle (living the dream some like to call it) for six years on boats and in our motorhome, being in the one spot for more than a couple of weeks felt a bit strange for a while. But, having survived a southern winter, we have bought a house and have settled into regular jobs. Who would have thought!

Our two month MTB holiday in Tasmania saw us exploring new trails and revisiting familiar places.
Here we are on the shore of Macquarie Harbour, Strahan, same campsite as 2008.
Somethings just don't change.

We decided to return to Tasmania for a two-month MTB holiday last summer – the best time of year to visit. We lived here previously for 5 years up until 2012, departing in Delvy for our first big adventure. Since Delvy left 12 years ago Tasmania has become the Australian mecca of MTB trails, and having ridden extensively all along the east coast it was time to pay homage.

The Tassie trails live up to the hype - awesome trails, so much to explore.

So, in December 2023, we departed Brisbane, our home base if you like as our boat lives there, and made our way to Newcastle for a family Christmas, then on through inland NSW to Geelong to catch the New Years Day ferry to Devonport. It was a perfect crossing on the Spirit of Tasmania, the blue velvet sea as flat as a shitcarter’s hat. Even though we have crossed Bass Strait many times in small yachts, this was still exciting. Delvy was returning home. The sky was void of cloud, there wasn’t a breath of wind. It was a precursor to the best summer weather one could’ve hoped for. Only second best to the summer of 2022 when we sailed Jobey Doh down from Brisbane for a three-month tour of Tasmania. This time it was Delvy’s turn for an adventure.

Waiting to board the Spirit of Tasmania at Geelong.

Perfect Bass Strait crossing weather conditions.

We docked at 1830 hours and rolled off the ship and onto the MTB trails at La Trobe by 2030 hours. Hello daylight saving! Our aim was to ride every MTB park we could find, especially those listed in the Australian Geographic 100 Best Bike Rides, kindly gifted to us in appreciation for hosting a Whitsunday sailing adventure last Spring.

Straight off the boat and on to the trails at La Trobe.

No wonder we fell in love with Tasmania all over again.

The three towns of Sheffield, Railton and La Trobe make up the Wild Mersey network, and not only have their own MTB trails, but they are also linked together by riding a 10km forestry trail to each. Coin operated showers at the trail head and free camping close by, we were impressed. While we didn’t ride every trail in every park, we got a sense of each park. We rode all the green trails and some blue, depending on the terrain. Black trails are too hard core for me, but Gary inadvertently found himself rolling down one – once you’re on you can’t get off until the end. He survived but probably best to get the protective gear on next time, just in case. We rode a few trails over and over because they were so much fun but we basically rode as much as our bike and body batteries allowed. The Merida E160s that we bought 5 years ago to celebrate our 50^th birthdays have served us well – they go over anything. The bike is better than me - Gary’s BMX bandit teenage years makes him much more skilful.

Always a picturesque view from the top of the park - this one at Sheffield.

Great trail newwork maps

A lot of work has been put in to make the trails so good.

And so we Delvyed around the state in an anti-clockwise direction, ticking off the trails as we went. Penguin (great set of old and new trails), Zeehan (amazing views), Queenstown (hard!), Maydena (you know it’s serious when there is a permanently manned First Aid station), Meehan Range (busy being close to Hobart), St Helens (the best), Derby (awesome), and George Town (where Gary tasted the dirt).

The joy of Tasmania is not only the amazing number of professionally built trails, but the amount of wilderness, forestry and coastal paths to explore like the Adamsfield Conservation Area, The Domain, Pipeline Track, Mortimer Bay, Triabunna, The North East Rail Trail, Derby-Branxholme Link. An MTB is a great way to explore – it’s bushwalking on wheels, and also ideal for general sightseeing around towns and the two Tasmanian cities, Hobart and Launceston.

The Silver City trails at Zeehan. Remote, exposed and breathtaking.

Ocean Beach riding at Hells Gates, Strahan.

Riding the Montezuma Falls track.

Exploring Hobart town on wheels

Bush riding to remote and abanonded mine sites

Atop the St Helens trails - our favourite overall.

Setting off on the North East Rail Trail, 26kms from Tulendeena to Scottsdale.

When we first left Tasmania in 2012 in Delvy, we didn’t really have a purpose to our travelling – we were just going travelling. But that summer we managed SkiLib lodge on Mt Buller, one of the handful of places open all year round for members and guests to enjoy mountain activities. Of course, we had to join in on the MTB action and so purchased a couple of Polygons online, a bit of bike gear, and off we went. At 1800 metre elevation, Mt Buller is probably not the best place to learn to mountain bike but after a few tips from some locals, we were hooked. We lost count the number of times we rode the Delatite River gravity trail, a cracking 14km descent with numerous log river crossings to the bottom. From that time on we had a purpose to our travelling, and we’ve now been to most of the MTB parks in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the ACT; some several times and others 10 years apart. It’s amazing what a difference several years and government funding does. Some trails have doubled in size, some have been upgraded by professional trail builders and new ones keep popping up – we’ve certainly enjoyed the benefits of this fun pastime.

The final log bridge crossing on the infamous Delatite River Trail from Mt Buller to Mirimbah

We've enjoyed so many sunset campsites around the country in Delvy - this one at Stanley.

Room with a view at Tungatinah Lagoon

Tasmania is a great destination for freedom camping.

That’s why we have ended up back in Tasmania as it is just one big MTB park really. Although that is not the only reason to stay, it is a great incentive. Great food, good jobs, and the lower cost of real estate are also valid reasons. Plus, it’s nice to stay put for a while. Delvy is happy to be back too.