The road to Bruny
There was a message on the phone, John had arrived in Hobart and we arranged to have a drink in an Irish pub in Salamanca, where I had already sampled the Kilkenny. I have known John for getting on forty years and we have run into each other in many places. I remember finding him in Jakarta airport one day, he on his way to Singapore me to Bombay and both booked on the same Air India flight. As we were taking off there was a bit of a bang, John turned to me and jokingly said, bloody Air India, sounds like the doors fallen off. After about half an hour in the air I noticed the sun had moved from the right side of the plane to the left, after a little while the captain’s voice came over the tannoy to inform us we were heading back to Jakarta as there was a problem with one of the doors!
We discovered we were staying around the corner from each other and after a couple of beers and something to eat, arranged a night out later in the week. John had mentioned Jeff Lange to me before but I’d never had the pleasure, I bought a couple of tickets for him and Geordie Smith at the Republic bar in North Hobart and we were all set for a boozy night. The following day I did a trip to Bruny Island and on the way to the ferry I passed the Antarctic Centre and called in for a squiz and a bit of breakfast. As I was eating breakfast, in walked John with a couple of colleagues for morning tea, they were doing some training there, before heading off to colder climes. We had our boozy night out and Jeff and Geordie didn’t disappoint. I was beginning to think about heading back up to Devenport via the East Coast, the cold wet weather was getting to me and I was dreaming of a warm ride along the Great Ocean Road. My chest was getting worse and I began to wonder if it would ever repair itself, or if I was going to have to pay a visit to the medicine man. The sun was shining so I loaded up and took off up the coast, a fantastic ride on some of Tasmania’s best bike riding roads.
I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!