The 2009 BMW GS Safari to Tasmania will definitely be one to remember. Five days of superb, fully-supported riding at an average of around 350 km a day. Those taking part will see everything that Tasmania has to offer. You’ll be travelling along the beaches of the north coast and through the wilds of the west. You’ll ride through incredible scenic tracks to the most southerly bay where the dirt road ends, and from there up through the easterly tracks and eventually to the coast and an opportunity for lunch overlooking the Bay of Fires. The scenery and the sheer variety of riding are going to be truly outstanding. Whatever your level of riding skill this trip will provide everything the off-road GS rider could wish for... fun, excitement, a challenge for those who need it, and the friendship and camaraderie of a group who share the same passion.

Final routes and overnight stops were decided during our planning trip in October 2008. As usual with the best laid plans, things just happen to make changes on the run a necessity... the bridge washed away in floods, the parked truck completely blocking the track with no driver to be found, access denied because of logging activities, and... the list goes on. However, many things were working in our favour. The best of which was the Western Explorer, closed for several months because of massive fires, but which re-opened two days before we went down it!

Just a reminder about accommodation... we only disclose our overnight stops to registered participants, but you don’t normally need to be a rocket scientist to have an educated guess about where they are! So once you have registered and our accommodation logistics are complete you’ll receive an Accommodation Booking Form showing the overnight stops and the different standard and cost of available hotels, motels etc. What we can tell you is that you will be spending one night in the first night’s location, two nights in the second and two nights in the third.

So with the final recce trip completed here’s a summary of what you can expect when you either roll up in Melbourne on Sunday March 29 to take the Spirit of Tasmania, or join us in Devonport at 7.00am on Monday March 30.

Day 1 - Sunday 29 March: Overnight across Bass Strait
This is the day those from the mainland take the Spirit of Tasmania across the Bass Strait. Those of you who have been doing the two-day off-road riding course at Werribee in Victoria will have finished in time to make the port by the afternoon. Today will also be tyre changing day for those who will be taking our recommendation and riding the Safari on knobby tyres. Rob and his crew from Tyres for Bikes will have your pre-ordered tyres on their truck and will do the tyre change before ferry check-in at 7.30pm. Details of tyre ordering procedure etc will be given in later updates. Registration will take place on board the ferry along with a briefing on what you can expect on the first day’s ride.

Day 2 - Monday 30 March: 375 km West, South West and South
The Spirit of Tasmania docks at 7.00am so there will be time for breakfast before you hit the road. A coffee and a bacon roll will set you up for an exciting morning's ride! The luggage truck will be sitting at the terminal to collect the bags of those who have opted to pay the extra $25 to use this service. Then it’s off on an initially relaxing trip along the north coast... time to wake up and settle down before you hit that first bit of loose, down-hill twisty dirt.

These tracks heading over to the west are going to be great fun as long as it is dry! Most of them have a good grippable surface but some sections will be very interesting with some moisture on them. We found a few nice muddy patches and one in particular with water-filled ruts that covered the track... nothing the confident shouldn’t be able to handle. If you would rather leave the challenging bits until later there’s a nice tarmac detour that will bring you in past the mildly difficult sections... so there’s no pressure! Then it’s south on an all-weather dirt road that’s fast and reasonably straight at first, before becoming tight and twisty through the hills. The scenery is absolutely stunning. Before we reach our overnight destination beside the water there’s a great little diversion through some forestry tracks that pops you out just before the 60km/h limit. Once we get onto the first bit of dirt there’s no fuel, and not much else either for 245 km, so those with a limited fuel range will need to make sure they are carrying enough extra to get them to the fuel stop. And bring your lunch from Devonport as it’s along way between civilisations!

Day 3 - Tuesday 31 March: 335 km East
Not too early a start, so time for a relaxing breakfast before you set off. The first kays today are on one of the best tarmac roads Tasmania has to offer... bends and more bends as you start the climb from the coast. Later when you hit the dirt you’ll experience the kaleidoscope of off-road riding that this spectacular island state has to offer. And all the time you’re accompanied by the most breath-taking scenery. About halfway you rejoin the main road east for a lunch and a well-earned rest before heading back off-road into the hills and the final descent to one of Tasmania’s major cities where you’ll be spending two nights. Fast, technical, rough, smooth, dirt, gravel... today you’ll get it all.

Day 4 - Wednesday 1 April: 320 km South West, South and then North
If you have the stamina and the inclination then today will see you travel the furthest navigable dirt road south in Tasmania. It’s a tarmac start with incredible views down to the coast. Then you disappear up a dirt side road and into a labyrinth of logging tracks... so make sure you follow those orange arrows that we use to mark the route. The ride will be enormous fun and after a relatively quick and rewarding section you’ll find yourself at a scenic site by the majestic Huon River. Time for a coffee and to stretch those legs. Then it’s back into those logging trails with a wide variety of surfaces, twists and turns and ups and downs. A left down a little used, steep and twisty, descending track heralds yet another relatively civilized coffee stop and an opportunity to soak that aching body in some thermal springs... so make sure you take your swimmers! If the last few days have exhausted you, then from here you can start heading back, otherwise it’s down to a bay with the purest white sand, in Tasmania’s far south before you start the return journey. On the way back you’ll be riding along the coast with its many beautiful beaches. Then you’re across the Huon and up into the hills for your final off-road section. It all looks too easy but that last track just keeps getting narrower and rougher... amazing fun and a nice surprise.

Day 5 - Thursday 2 April: 380 km East, North East and North West
Time to pack up and head out for our final two night stop. Today is a big ride on a combination of fast flowing dirt roads and some little used tracks. Not much in the way of major centres of habitation on today’s ride but a fuel and lunch stop will bring a welcome break. It’s also the day when the really good riders amongst the group can choose to do something a little more challenging (see below). If it’s been dry the morning tracks could be dusty so be sure to stay well out of it. The good riders who choose the hard option will split from the group after about 40 km and rejoin the main route about 50 km later. The sensible (those who prefer to throw rocks rather than ride on them!) will be having a ball belting through the early section of twisty forested track. Then there’s a tarmac link to the next off-road section where you’ll head north and then north-east on roads that become quite narrow tracks. Then it’s a left up a twisty, climbing 20 km section to the main road for lunch and fuel. After that it’s even more fun on a rewarding track that spits you out at an acclaimed alpine area before you head through sparsely populated areas for a well-earned drink and a nice hot shower at your final Safari hotel.

Day 5 - Thursday 2 April: Very good riders optional detour
Only do this option if you really know what you are doing, because once you are committed there is only one way out. The really excellent GS Safari riders will be meeting at a pre-arranged spot to fuel up and pack away a sandwich before they head up into the hills along some great but not too demanding tracks on the way to their 10 km of hard yakka. There will be a lead rider and a sweep to make sure everyone makes it out to the road to rejoin the rest of the group. The track is too narrow and rough to get the support vehicle and trailer through so there will be no time for second thoughts! You’ll know you’re nearly at the start of the rough stuff as the track starts deteriorating as you leave the last cattle station on your left. Then it’s through a gate and the fun really starts. This track hasn’t been graded for years and is rutted and rocky. It starts off easy enough... but don’t they all... then you start to descend and it’s a sharp right down through the, hopefully, dry creek bottom... as the bridge is down. Then the steep climb out and up the other side of the mountain begins. The track is narrow, very rough and covered in loose rocks but only in places... most places! Commitment and looking ahead to pick your route is key to a very bumpy but relatively smooth passage out of here. And then the end of that long 10 km is signalled by an improving road and signs of civilisation. Well done... you have made it!

Day 6 - Friday 3 April: 295 km East and then West
Another day that has everything including some very interesting surprises! After riding small roads, big roads, twisty roads and straight roads 3 or 4 hours should see you sitting at a table overlooking a sparkling ocean having lunch on the east coast. Make sure you don’t have too much to eat as you’ll need all your concentration to stay on track on the way back. It’s lefts, rights, fork here, turn there before an exhilarating section that has you disappearing down an overgrown track with just enough room through the bushes to see where you are going. Take a compass if you can’t read maps or don’t recognize the colour orange, because if you miss a directional arrow it could be some time before you emerge from the wilderness. Then it’s a very steep descent down a narrow track back into the valley and home for the GS Safari farewell Party.

Day 7 - Saturday 4 April: Eventually North
Today’s the day that you choose to do what you want to do before the mainlanders head for the evening sailing out of Devonport. One of our suggestions is that you head over to Ben Lomond and climb Jacob’s Ladder. It’s an incredible ascent with some spectacular views from the top. But it’s one way up and the same way down so maximum care is needed to stay safely out of the path of other riders and drivers.

So there we are, that’s what the 2009 GS Safari to Tasmania has in store for you, although it will be far more exciting than reading about it! If you are already registered then congratulations, and you will be receiving your Accommodation Booking Form in the not too distant future. If you haven’t registered, then there is no time like the present, as the booking allocation is filling very fast. Yes, as at mid-November 2008 we had close to 100 registrations!

More pics and more monthly updates will follow to keep you in touch with the 2009 GS Safari progress. If you have any questions or any inquiries then you can contact the BMW Safari management team at info@bmwsafari.com or during NSW business hours on 02 9552 3600.
We look forward to seeing you in Tasmania next March... yes you!