Road Test

his road test begins in Bothwell but, as every motorcyclist knows, the T adventure is underway the moment you fire up the bike. In this case, it’s the keyless start of a BMW F 750 GS on a bright Hobart morning. I ride against peak-hour traffic smiling under my helmet at the Motorrad sales exec’s parting words: “I’m jealous.”

Bothwell marks the southern end of Highland Lakes Road (A5). Lakes Highway, as it was once called and is still referred to, is 128km of my preferred route between Hobart and Launceston. In a park littered with blossoms and surrounded by Georgian architecture I brew coffee and admire my ride. It’s obvious why this black and yellow beauty’s nickname is ‘Bumblebee’ but its idling purr, gravelly growl and raw power are giving me big-cat vibes.

The GS turned 40 in 2021. BMW essentially invented the adventure-bike market segment. Before this series, road-trail bikes were designed far more for off-road. GS stands for Gelände/ Strasse (terrain/street) and these have roadtouring features and capabilities but also manoeuvrability, seating position, ground clearance and so on suitable for off-road.

From Bothwell, the A5 gradually rises more than 500m in 35km. I engage cruise control for the straights and sweeping bends leading from cultivated valleys up into the Steppes State Reserve where I stop to see sculptures and follow a short bush track to the old settlement.

The BMW F 750 GS is a celebration-year adventure bike up for the challenge through the Central Highlands, asElspeth Callender discovers.

Photos Chris Crerar TEST

Riding, rather than driving, this road increases my awareness of smells in the air and the magnificence of the enormous roadside eucalypts. As always, I’m conscious this is palawa Country – the traditional homelands of the First Nations peoples of lutruwita/Tasmania – and I pay my respects to the Old People of this area.

The Central Plateau sits mainly at around 900m elevation and is scattered with lakes and shack-heavy fishing settlements. Up here, the well-maintained A5 continues as a sealed single carriageway with speed limits of 80km/h and 100km/h. Pinky-red guide posts indicate the prevalence of snow. Even in November I’m taking advantage of heated grips.

This sleek machine is dripping with stateof-the-art engineering, safety features and technology, for which BMW is renowned. A 6.5inch colour display tells me everything I need to know, and more. The performance-enhancing riding modes are rain, road, enduro and dynamic. Being six-foot-tall, I’m also appreciating the 830mm seat option.

People gravitate whenever I stop. They lead with “nice bike” followed by questions about engine capacity, fuel efficiency – I end up getting 3.9lt/100km – and where I’m headed on this “perfect day for it”.

“Bit small,” says someone in the carpark of Great Lake Hotel, Miena. “Jealousy’s a curse,” I reply with a grin and he laughs, nodding. Though, to his point, for two-up touring with loads of gear I’d consider BMW’s R 1250 GS.

At the northern end of Great Lake, after Breona, the road enters Central Plateau Conservation Area. I wind up the hill and park at Pine Lake Walk. It’s only a few hundred metres of boardwalk, between ancient, gnarled pencil pines, to the water’s edge. Lunch is a fresh-filled bagel from Hobart’s Pigeon Whole Bakers.

From here the rocky landscape gets increasingly dramatic and the riding far more active. After an awe-inspiring 90-degree sweeping corner and more views of the escarpment I’m

THIS PAGE (Top to bottom) Highland Lakes Road living up to its name; cruising the quiet backroads; the bike's stylish design.

on, a road sign announces wiggles for 7km. The bike is agile and balanced round the wellcambered sharp bends. I try out the quickshifter (no clutch required), which is useful for offroad standing and twisty sections like this.

I stop to hike Projection Bluff – a trail that quickly becomes indistinct with minimal indicators. It’s a 30-minute walk and scramble to the ridgetop for an incredible view but takes a bit longer on the return when I lose the track and bush-bash to the road as an afternoon storm threatens to break.

At Meander, after more hairpins through deep-green forest, I’ve exchanged the A5 for backroads through Caveside where lambs scatter, calves stare and the scent of mown grass makes me feel nostalgic. The powerful World Heritage-listed bluffs of kooparoona niara/ Great Western Tiers are ever-present. Unsealed sidetracks confirm the bike handles well on dirt.

At Mole Creek, local people along the hotel porch describe the mills that, back in the day, were just across the road. That evening, at nearby Wandering Trout Taphouse, I eat crispy pork belly and grilled eggplant, sip Tassie pinot noir and climb into bed in a corner room upstairs as rain begins to fall.

On the road? Roadside assistance is there, 24/7, on 13 11 11.

Test ride the BMW F 750 GS (40-year edition) at Hobart BMW. Learn more at hobartbmw.com.au

Safari The 2022 BMW GS Safari is coming to Tasmania in May. The annual trek invites around 200 off-road enthusiasts to join in a multi-day ride. The GS Safari is open to any BMW GS owner. Head to bmwsafari.com for more details.

THIS PAGE (Top to bottom) Hiking in the Steppes State Reserve; the historic Steppes site; taking in the view on Highland Lakes Road. THE SPECS

PRICING • $18,490 BODY STYLE • Adventure SEATING • Comfort FUEL CONSUMPTION • 4.2lt/100km (Combined) ENGINE TYPE • 2-cylinder 4-stroke in-line (unleaded regular 91) ENGINE CAPACITY • 853cc TRANSMISSION • 6-speed DRIVE TYPE • Chain MAX. POWER • 57kW @7500 rpm MAX. TORQUE • 83Nm @ 6000rpm FUEL TANK • 15lt Visit build-my-bike.bmwmotorrad.com.au

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Our Vietnam veterans remain unique heroes in the Anzac legend. No service personnel before or after the conflict have endured as much on and off the battlefield. Like the diggers of previous generations, they are deserving of our respect.

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VIETNAM 55TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE Certificate of Authenticity

Our Vietnam veterans remain unique heroes in the Anzac legend. Perhaps no service personnel before or after the conflict have endured as much on and off the battlefield. And like the diggers before them, are just as deserving of our respect.

The story of our Vietnam diggers can now be told proudly, clearly and with a voice that acknowledges our debt of gratitude to them. 1962: Honouring those who were only 19. They were the forgotten diggers. A generation of young men who fought for Australia like their fathers before them. But they returned as outcasts. 55 years after our first troop deployment, a new crown coin has been struck to honour the men whose bravery will never be forgotten. This limited edition commemorative depicts a digger ‘in-country.’ Ever vigilant, he surveys a terrain in which snipers may lay in wait. A flight of Iroquois “Huey” choppers loom overhead. Gunship, troop carrier, medivac, the Huey was an ever-present symbol of war and of home to the Vietnam digger as he answered the call of duty. The obverse features a commemorative seal depicting the “Huey” chopper, the years of military involvement and the heartfelt message “A Nation’s Gratitude”. Struck to a high specification and layered in pure 24-carat gold, with a limitation of only 9,999 issues worldwide.

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Reverse Portrait of lone digger, his battalion in relief and the iconic “Huey” Obverse Commemorative seal depicting the “Huey”, years of service and the heartfelt message “A Nations Gratitude”

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Shown larger than actual size of 38.6mm ©2022 The Bradford Exchange Ltd. A.B.N. 13 003 159 617 403-COM85.01 This coin is not legal tender and bears no monetary face value

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