25 Do's and Don'ts For Cycle Touring in Tasmania With Kids

Do be aware that many caravan park receptions close at 5 or 6pm, not 8pm like The Mainland.

Don't ride past too many play grounds without stopping. You need to keep your littlest travellers happy.

Do remember to look tired (not difficult) and smile sweetly at the caravan park receptionist. They quite likely will give you a discount price.

Don't miss stopping at the ice cream shop when you've just ridden up a big hill. The $36 will be worth it.

Do take plenty of snacks with you on riding days. Hungry cyclists are unhappy cyclists.

Don't forget to sample every ice cream flavour available before making your final choice. You want to be sure you choose your favourite.

Do leave plenty of time for picking blackberries. Particularly in February. The state is covered in them.

Don't forget to roll up your food panniers properly before storing them in the vestibule of your tent. You don't want the possums to break in during the night and try to steal your food.

Do take plenty of snap lock bags. They will be useful for everything from butter to washing liquid, and mobile phone protection to accidents in undies. And blackberries, for later.

Don't forget to always zip up the screen on your tent. It would be most unfortunate for a white tail spider to creep into your sleeping bag and bite you on your ankle while you sleep.

Do be sure to check your shorts for scorpions if you happen to leave them overnight in the vestibule of your tent. That could turn nasty.

Do buy lunch at bakeries sometimes. Think of it as "petrol" money if you are having trouble getting out of motorist mode.

When visiting Sheffield, don't forget to go to the fudge shop. It might be expensive but it will be just what you need at the top of a long hill.

Do keep your camera handy at all times. You never know just when the scenery will turn from lovely to stunning and you'll want to take a picture as soon as possible.

Don't forget to swim at every opportunity. You never know when the nice warm weather will turn cold.

Don't leave your bike trailer open at night when camping in the bush. There will be possum poo inside in the morning.

Do allow the children to collect feathers. They are lighter and more packable than rocks.

Don't leave the five year old in the trailer with the two year old for too long. He will teach her all his worst words; "Bum head", "Butt head", "Stupidest", and so on.

Do stop by Port Sorell Lions Caravan Park. At $20 a night it's hard to beat. Kids stay free!

Do take notice of what the Asian kids are cooking for their dinners. They may inspire some new recipes.

Do give your left-overs from tea to some foreign fruit picker kids. It will make their day.

Don't listen to car drivers tell you about the hills. They rarely know what they're talking about, or they remember the road is more downhill than it actually is.

Do talk to other cyclists. They are very interesting and will tell you lots of helpful things.

Do keep in mind that all hills (eventually) will have a top. At some stage you will get to roll down the other side.

Do start up conversation with people at the playground. They might just invite you to stay a night at their house. And cook you an awesome tea!

Scenic Railway to Kuranda

Dear Adventurous Reader,

An old railway runs from Cairns up into the mountains beyond. A railway constructed by the labor of many men, facing hardship and death everyday. Today we took the easy path and paid money for the train ride to the small town of Kuranda.

We love trains and railways. All of us like old railways with a story to tell, especially one of hard work, of toil and men of the past shaping a peaceful path through a treacherous mountain. Before the steam engine could make the journey, men went before to forge the path. Pick axes and dynamite used to blast and hack their way through the difficult terrain.

Today engineering is a different feat, we have made it easier for ourselves. In the days of old paths were created on the sweat and shoulders of people who would dare to prove what seemed impassable was not.

There are 15 tunnels hewn from the mountain side, the longest 490 meters. There are many bridges spanning gaps small to large. One bridge is built on one of the two switch backs where you can see the engines pulling up front and the last carriage following behind.

The train slows down on one switchback as it passes a large waterfall. People move from one side of the train to the other, making sure to take a photo or to store an image in their mind. The rain from a few nights ago not going to waste with the magnificent scenery.

The Kuranda Scenic Railway has a video that displays photos at opportune story moments, telling us the tale of the railway's creation. It is neither loud or annoying, often times the children's excited voices drown out the words it speaks to us. It tells tales of wonder and explains magnificent views.

Tourist Town in the Mountains

We pull into Kuranda. The station is surrounded by wonderful green trees and large flowers. There are some steps leading toward the town which we follow.

Kuranda reminds us if Sorento, across the bay from where we live. The prices at the shops also remind is of Sorento. The town seems to run on the tourist dollars that arrive, there are many indigenous, new-age and specialty stores along the street, all catering to the whim of someone looking for a bargain or for a memory.

We walked into the rock candy store, just standing inside that place made your teeth start to decay. There were so many colours and flavours of rock candy to choose from, with a video to demonstrate how it was made. We put that on the list of places to visit on the journey back towards the train.

We ate a cheap lunch of Nutella on bread. We took a brief stroll though the rainforest before rushing back towards the train for the ride home. We spent more time sitting on the train than wandering the streets of Kuranda, although if we had more time we would have walked the rainforest instead of finding shops to take our money.

Down Again

Back down the mountain, making the slow trip with the train again. The same video played but reversed the explanation points. The boys hopped between seats trying to find the best view as the train slowed at important sections, once again. Adeline had the afternoon sleep she had been fighting since lunch.

Kuranda Scenic Railway was a slow ride through some beautiful scenery. We loved the idea of seeing that part of the world by train, in old style carriages, going slowly up the mountain to see the views of Cairns and the forests below.