It was forecast to reach 36 degrees today, definitely too hot for riding. We had been kept awake till well after midnight by an obnoxious male in one of the cabins who seemed to think that the entire campsite would be interested in his conversation with his truckie mate on speaker at 12:30. Then he also seemed to think that we might like to hear him sing. Fortunately we had earplugs to drown out the worst of the noise.

Then the sun was beaming into the tent by 6:30am, so any sleep in wasn't happening. We were wheels rolling by 9am. Our earliest start yet. Only about 25 kilometres into Hobart, but that included Grasstree hill, a 4 kilometre climb.

As we headed out, there were lots of cyclists heading into Richmond. The climb began gradually, and we knew that it was about a 5% gradient. Based on some of our recent hills, that seemed quite manageable. And so it proved, just a gentle climb to the top, without any sharp pinches. There was still some shade across the road, and a breeze at times. We all agreed that it was almost an enjoyable hill. That must mean we have acquired some hill climbing fitness!

It was a quick descent and we reconvened at the bottom, cycling together over Bowen Bridge and into Glenorchy where we soon picked up the cycle path for the few kilometres into New Town. We had arranged to check into our Airbnb at 12:30, and it was only 11am. Time for a coffee and cold drink at a local cafe. Just before midday I rang the host, and he agreed to meet us in 10 minutes at the apartment.

We were relieved to get out of the heat, as the apartment was well insulated and had an industrial strength fan circulating the air. Time for showers and then lunch. No one was keen to go out in the heat, so we spent the afternoon on the wi-fi, venturing outside just to hang out the washing, and later to investigate the nearby Hill Street Grocer, which was a fabulous little store with lots of fresh, local produce. I just wished it was our local. We had planned on a chicken dish for dinner, but then I spotted some local scallops, so we decided to cook up scallops with roasted tomatoes and prosciutto. Yum.

It was a fitting celebration for the end of our cycle tour. 820 kilometres from Launceston to Hobart, across the north east and down the east coast of Tasmania. Some tough dirt roads, blustery winds and a few punctures, combined with glorious views, good camping, some great Airbnb accommodation, fabulous food and the most awesome time together as a family. A genuine achievement.

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