Blue Tier Descent 
I’ve been really looking forward to sharing this latest post about the Blue Tier Descent near Poimena. Riding this on my last day in Tasmania was definitely the best way to end the trip. The Blue Tier Descent is what you would dub one of the classic mountain bike rides in Tasmania, perhaps Australia. It starts in the now abandoned mining town of Poimena, in the hills behind the North East Tasmanian town of Weldborough and ends in what is practically the Weldborough Pub’s back door. Weldborough is about 20 minutes drive or so from the newly minted Blue Derby trails, another mountain biker’s highlight in this region. 
I have to admit, despite doing a certain amount of reading about the trail, I couldn’t get a clear picture of what to expect. And in my case, that was a good thing. Less expectations, no spoilers, maximum fun.
You can ride up the trail and ride back down it, or ride up the road and down the trail. After two days of solid riding, we were keen on doing “only the fun bits” and enlisted the help of my friend K’s partner, G to shuttle us to the top of the trail. G was the perfect gentle”shuttle”man and definitely did better than this guy. After a number of false turns and careful re-reads of the instructions from the Tassie Trails website, we found our way to the shuttle drop off point. I felt a little bit like a character from Lost as we drove down the fireroads cutting through a forest of giant trees. A settlement unexpectedly appeared halfway along and what felt like the middle of nowhere. The signs for Blue Tier Reserve finally appeared not long after; marking the trail drop off point and we all cheered. 
Once you’re at the reserve it’s pretty easy to get started, just follow the signs to Weldborough. If I had more time I would definitely explore the inviting walking trails through the now overgrown abandoned mining settlement of Poimena. The reserve would also make an excellent camping spot or a place to park your campervan. But on that day, we had a mission and it was to have good time bombing down the 10km descent to Weldborough Pub. The Blue Tier descent packs in a lot of variety for a short 10km. From the clearing of the reserve, we rode on boardwalks and entered large forested trail with a lot of mud and fallen trees. If you hate hike-a–biking, don’t be deterred. The hike-a-bike is over quite quickly (although it does pay to expect the unexpected) and we’re thrown into a lush mossy forest straight out of my Magic Faraway Tree / Princess Mononoke childhood dreams. Think root riddled undulating single track through a long green technicolour tunnel. I was giggling like a maniac through this section. 
Throw in a few more (a lot more) creek crossings and we were on rocky single track. Think Sydney’s Northern Beaches but a little more forgiving. The scenery would change again into an open rocky plateau before throwing you back into that fairy tale like green forest.I did feel a shiver down my spine, while stopped taking photos in the midst of all these giant ferns. I was expecting a velociraptor to come right at me while I was taking just one more shot. A few more screaming rock garden descents, a long fire road climb through fern forests and we were home free on sandy fire trail down to Weldborough. 
I don’t know of any other rides that finish up practically in the comforting embrace of a cosy pub, with hot showers, bike wash, fireplace, food and drink awaiting. 10 out of 10 for that alone.
Top tip: Give yourself plenty of time for the hike a bike, muddy terrain and a photo opportunities. It really is a beautiful ride. 
x
doowaroda 