'straylia report.

[Big Dave]

Just been home for a quick visit to Tassie.

Air NZ jumbo to melboure. Bugger me! Top notch. Good food, roomy exit aisle seat on a jumbo and a quite dishy hostie talked to me and the friendly cook islander bloke for a good % of the flight.
Only downer, whoever it was that in the Australian 'competition watchdog' that said qantas and Air NZ couldn't share resources never had to queue up for an hour at 6.30 in the morning to check in at AKL.

In flight entertainment was mint. Your own little hi def LCD sceen with (I'm guessing) 30 movies, 50 cd's, playstation, radio, Hundred TV shows and good sound. Flying just got a whole lot more attractive - the boredom used to kill me.

I gave the movies a miss and I listened RHCP 'Stadium Arcadium' on the way over. Played it at at 11 and got off the plane at Hobart and bought it.

Big W at Kingston $A17.95 for the double album. Cheaper than duty free in AKL.

Rural Tassie is dry, like the mainland.
The rainforests and mountains would remind a kiwi of home - just that it's eucalypt forest with snakes, spiders and the odd aggressive mammal.
(There are No NON poisionous snakes in tasmania)

Tons more late model Holdens on the road. Better behaved drivers - red lights etc - motorcycling as good some parts of the NI. (many mountains).

Worth a vist. Carry a stick.

[Jantar]

Stromfrau and I have also just spent a couple of weeks in West Island. We spent most of our time in Noosa, but took a few day trips into the hinterland, and found a motorbike rally at a place called Imbil. Mostly Hogs, but a few interesting other types as well. Before coming home we went a couple of hundred kms inland, as far as the dry rural land just on the edge of the desert country. Found some fantastic motorcycling roads in the Bunya mountains, so next trip we will have to take a bike with us.

[Big Dave]

I've had two favourable experiences with this guy as an option also:
http://www.bikescape.com.au
Sydney and rode north.