INTO THE BLUE [ 95 KILOMETRES FROM LAUNCESTON ]
Taking on Derby’s network of mountain biking trails taught Mark Daffey why north-east Tasmania has become a hotspot for adventure-seekers.
WHEELS AND THRILLS > Forests scented with hints of myrtle. Peaty mountain steppes affording views of the ocean. Farmhouses scattered among rolling dairy pastures. These are scenes you’d expect to find in Tasmania’s north-east. What you might not expect is to explore them on two wheels. I’m in Derby, a former tin mining town 95 kilometres north-east of Launceston, on one of the area’s exhilarating biking tracks. The 85-kilometre network of trails around the town and in the neighbouring Blue Tier Range is called Blue Derby; it opened in 2015 and has become a go-to mountain biking destination. You can come here to ride for any length of time but my adventure is with Blue Derby Pods Ride (bluederbypodsride.com.au) – a guided experience over three days. Accommodation is in luxe trailside “pods” surrounded by forest and there’s a communal “hub” where guests can relax and be served a decadent three-course meal each night, pre-prepared by Alps & Amici (alpsandamici.com.au) in Launceston.
