A worthy consolation prize for a cancelled Tassie road trip
It was with great reluctance that I cancelled the road trip of Tasmania which I’d been planning for most of the year prior. Locked down for five months last year, I dreamed of the eventual relief and freedom at the end.
Then Omicron got in the way.
There’s every chance I could have proceeded without drama. No government rules or restrictions were stopping me – but case numbers and supply chain issues took away any sense of confidence. The worst case scenario could have stranded me and cost a fair chunk of coin too. But it was the best case scenario which caused me to cancel. Even at best, the experience wouldn’t have been the same. So I saved the apple isle for another year, and found myself another isle a little closer to home – Lord Howe Island.
A two-hour flight from Sydney in a Dash-8 was all it took to get there. Plus, it’s under the jurisdiction of NSW so I didn’t even have to worry about crossing state borders. I touched down, checked into my accommodation (they don’t use locks, keys or room numbers), hired a bike and set off cruising around. Cycling is easily the best way to get around. Bikes outnumber cars, and the speed limit for motor vehicles is 25km/h so you share the roads with ease. Bike racks are sprinkled across the entire 12km stretch of the island – and again – no locks are required. Going for a hike and don’t want to carry everything? Leave it in the bike basket. It’ll be right where you left it when you return. Only 400 people are allowed on the island at any one time, so it keeps the place pristine and honest.
Furthermore, there is no mobile coverage on Lord Howe Island, which only added to the charm and makes it the perfect place to disconnect from the world. Old Telstra phone booths are sprinked across the island if you need to make a free local call to book a tour or dinner. I probably hadn’t used a phonebooth in 20 years prior to this trip!
It’s also a bird lovers paradise. With no natural predators, the unique birdlife has no reason to fear people – to the point where you sometimes had to be careful not to step on a nest, or worse, a bird. Banyan trees and Forky trees dominate the landscape.
There were no shortage of bushwalks either, only a shortage of time. So I ended up running around like a madman squeezing in as many of them as I could (which left me aching for three days upon my return home). The biggest of all was the trek up Mt Gower – 875 metres through the clouds and mud at a steep incline, including sections of rope climbing. Unfortunately the cloud cover at the top was too dense to witness the rewarding view, but a lower vantage point offered spectacular sights regardless.
Much like the bird life, the fish were not afraid to say hello, coming right up to the shoreline at Ned’s Beach. The hut by the beach has food if you’re keen to give them a feed. Coral and Turtles were also sights on offer on the other side of the island, but I didn’t have my camera for that day.
Unfortunately the weather further out to sea didn’t sync up to enable me to see Ball’s Pyramid up close – but I suppose that’s just one more reason to return.
