Part of the reason I set up this website is because it can be hard to find out about different places to ride in Tasmania, though sites such as Cycling South are starting to bring together more information.

But anyway, for those who may want to find some paths less pedaled, here's some tips about good places I find information from, or maybe I just think are useful.

Mappy Things

I *love* maps, and have a 1:250,000 scale map from Tasmap up on my wall here next to my computer which I frequently find myself standing in front of as I trace tracks and rivers, thinking, I wonder ...

Combine this with Google Earth and ListMap, which is a free Tasmanian Government site where you can access online 1:25,000 maps, property boundaries and ownership (crucial for ensuring you're not heading off onto private property when exploring), and you're well on your way to starting to discover some of your own trails.

PS. To get the most out of ListMap, you need to be aware that it has an awesome option when you're in the Map section (under the "Share" menu) which allows you to "Link to Google Earth".  This function essentially exports the map you're looking at as an overlay into Google Earth allowing you to exactly see the location of roads and property boundaries).  Hey, if it's a rainy day - go play.

Guide Books

Yes, I know how old school, but seriously my daddy used to say to me that if you want to see what's ahead, it's much easier to stand on the shoulders of those that have been before.  So, yes, don't overlook guide books.

To the best of my knowledge, there's only one guidebook that you'll currently find for sale and that's Andrew Bain's "Where to Ride Tasmania"

Now, having just told you that books are a great resource, this one (for me) seemed to be aimed mainly at fairly tame rides, but it is a great start to begin if you just don't know Tassie at all or are thinking of heading off to areas you don't know.  It's more aimed at family rides though.

There are two other great books, both of which are still available from the State Library of Tasmania, namely Sven Klinge's "Cycling the Bush - 100 Rides in Tasmania" (1993) and Ian Terry's "Bicycling Tasmania" (1993).  Yes, they're old and horridly out of date sometimes, but these books got me dreaming.

There's also the official Tasmanian Trail guidebook, and also another guide titled "Cycle the Tasmanian Trail" (1997) by Ken White.  Whilst this is still available in the State Library (and I have a copy), to be honest it is now a bit to out of date to be useful.

Web Resources

There are a heap of web resouces out there for cyclists, but they can be a little hard to find.

If you're thinking of heading off to a park or reserve, then the obvious place to start is the Parks and Wildlife website.  It can take a bit of hunting, but many parks and reserves have management plans in place which specifically outline where you can and can't go cycling, for example the Trevallyn and Kate Reed Reserve page has maps and everything on where to cycle, and sites like the Maria Island page even has cycle specific maps and information.  

Forestry Tasmania is the other major public land owner in the state, but their website doesn't have much information specific to cycling, and it's more a case of asking around to find out where to ride.

Local Council's sometimes have awesome information on their websites about cycling:

• Kingborough Council has a dedicated recreation page listing all of their local walks and specifically identifying whether you can or can't cycle each route;
• Launceston City Council has a similar webpage, with a downloadable cycle guide (11.4mb) which is a great place to get started.

Other cool sites include:

• The Mt Wellington Management Site, which has a great section on where you can and can't cycle, including free downloadable maps.
• The Cycling South site, already mentioned, has links to bike routes and maps and projects and parks around the Greater Hobart area.  They've also recently published a brilliant Hobart Bike Map.
• Meander Valley Council has put together the Great Western Tiers Cycle Trails resource, which provides free maps and ipod interpretative downloads.
• Pedalbite.com has a great overview of bike riding places around the State, but although it lets you know about them and where they are, there's often not much detail behind the rides.
• Discover Tasmania has a bit of an overview page for those looking at Touring Options around the State, with the most useful resource being their Cycling Map. 
• Bicycle Tasmania also has a range of links to rides around the State (very similar to this), with their crowning glory being the Giro Tasmania route description for those looking for an extended road touring route around the State.

That's everything I can think of right now.  Hope it is of some use.  Just remember, that often the best way to find an awesome trail is to get on a bike and go riding.  The only hard and fast rule I ask you to stick to, is if it asks you not to go there, then don't.

Happy trails!