TASMANIA BY MOTORBIKE

There are so many reasons to love Tasmania. The weather is gorgeous, the people are friendly, and it is one of the most beautiful places to tour by motorcycle. In most parts of the world, 10 or 20 miles of the open road is very good for touring with a motorbike. In Tasmania, however, you can go more than 100 miles on twisting mountainous roads and not see anything but rock, forest, sea and sky. It’s why Eric Bana [the actor and car enthusiast] did a rally there and made the documentary The Beast. It’s prime rally territory, on and off the roads. The island’s landscapes are incredibly varied. You get everything you get on the mainland, but more condensed. On the west, it’s open and barren, big skies and moorland. In the east, it’s like Ireland: forested and mountainous and misty and green, with lots of farms. In other parts, it’s a bit like Cornwall, with cliffs and temperate plants but with the bonus of fantastic weather and big white beaches, as well as fishing and boating and sailing in sunshine. There’s a lot to do: river cruises along the Gordon River, which go through the last pristine examples of temperate rainforest in the world; train trips on the ABT Wilderness Railway, which is a restored 1896 rack-and-pinion railway that goes through 18 miles of river and forest and across 40 bridges; and great scenic flights to see the gorgeous scenery below, including Sir John Falls and Franklin River Valley. You can visit the famous Russell Falls, which are pretty spectacular. They’re in the Mount Field National Park, which has unbelievably big trees called swamp gums, as well as moss and ferns and strange indigenous plants. If you enjoy hiking, this is a great place.