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| Burnie, TAS |
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| lighthouse |
My friend Ranjan was nice enough to drive me to the airport on the morning of my flight from Auckland to Melbourne, thanks again for the hospitality Ranjan! I was able to check my bike and luggage in with no extra baggage fee, thank you Virgin Airlines! Virgin seems to be one of the few remaining airlines to be bicycle friendly by allowing passengers to check in bikes with no extra charge. the flight went smooth and upon arrival moved through immigration and customs without much trouble. once in the city i spent the day exploring the central business district in between the occasional strong bursts of rain. was hoping to camp in a park somewhere or some such, however due to the rain i found a room in a hotel nearby the port. so the following morning i boarded the 'Spirit of Tasmania' ferry which would take me from Melbourne to Devonport across the Bass Straight. Tasmania is 240 kilometers (150 mi) south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. From the port at Devenport i rode to a medium sized town called Burnie on the north-western coast to visit a Couch Surfing friend. spent a night with her and then went back to Devenport and towards Lauceston for Christmas with the lovely Palmer family.
Launceston is one of the oldest cities in Australia and home to many historic buildings.
It has also been home to several firsts such as the first use of anesthetic in the Southern Hemisphere, the first Australian city to have underground sewers and the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity.
i met Alex Palmer through my old friend Judah and he invited me to spend Christmas in Launceston with his family. i had a great time visiting with Alex and his parents and relatives, it was a very nice Christmas indeed and an honor to spend the holiday season with a lovely family celebrating life in a simple and relaxed manner.
i am now making my way down the east coast towards Hobart (the capital of Tasmania)for New Years. from there we will see where the wind blows...
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| Christmas day with the Palmer family |
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| Palmer family |
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| on the road |
