Riding from Flowerdale to Burnie takes around an hour and a half depending on the wind. Generally, this is a pleasant ride to work, Flowerdale is a rural area near the coast in North West Tasmania whilst Burnie is a small industrial city of 20,000 people. The bike route takes you along the Bass Highway – a flat road most of the time, not too much traffic and plenty of cows and horses that stare nonchalantly as I ride past.
I reach the roundabout after half an hour and the highway becomes easier to ride. The bike lanes appear just outside of Burnie and there is around 12kms of bike track. The wind picks up here though as the road meets the coast and exposes you to the full force of the sea winds. Starting at Doctors Rocks, a sheltered rocky area at the crossroads between Wynard and Burnie, the seaside hugs the road, around 50 metres away. The sea is usually calm and the only boats to be seen are the cargo ships. Very rarely a sailboat can be glimpsed in the distance but these are as infrequent as whale sightings.
The sea always gives me a good feeling. There is beauty to the ocean, the waves and the sand and the possibility for adventure. I think about how we are drawn to water, something about the oceans and its depths, the mysteries of the deep, the ships that crash and sink. The danger and the possibilities for escape are bound into novels and movies and continue to inspire the imagination.
Soon enough the shops and car yards emerge along the highway. More traffic comes from side streets, the first set of lights on my journey loom ahead. There are around 4 main traffic lights before you enter the town. The traffic slows down and the school buses appear. I keep going along the highway until I reach the main street of the town. I turn and follow the disused railway. It is only used to move freight these days but the stations are still there, the ticket booths closed down and no more fares to be issued for passing travellers.
It is a shame that the railways are closed, it would be a beautiful journey around the coast on the rail lines. They are still in place but I’ve been told that they can’t be used for passengers anymore because the gauges used in the tracks are too small – they use larger ones these days which means that modern passenger trains won’t work on them. Still, an opportunity awaits for the Government to re-establish the trains so that they can once again take people along the coast.
I often get asked how I can do the ride from Flowerdale to Burnie. I tell them it doesn’t feel that long when you have things to think about and that the ocean helps me on my way. Sometimes it is too windy and I can’t ride but I always feel envious when I pass cyclists who brave the weather on days that I can’t.
In the end though, I ride because I feel better at the end of the journey. I’ve breathed in the fresh air, had time to get my exercise and arrive at work ready for challenges of the day ahead. So I’ll continue my cycling from Flowerdale to Burnie whilst the summer lasts.
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