2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year: Spirit of Tasmania

Is there a better way to bookend a Tassie bike trip than on the Spirit of Tasmania?

There’s no doubt about it: a motorcycle riding trip to Tasmania for mainlanders feels very much like the full holiday experience – and passage on the Spirit of Tasmania plays a huge part in that.

I can’t think of a better way to bookend a trip, from the nervous anticipation on the way over to the feel good factor of ‘a job well done’ on the way home.

The Spirit of Tasmania is actually two ships – Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II – making daily overnight jaunts from Melbourne to Devonport and vice-versa. There are also day sailings, too – mainly in summer – but there's something extra special about the moonlight crossings. Check the sailing timetable here: www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/sailing-fares/sailing-schedule.

And for the 2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year crew – nine riders and bikes, a photographer and two videographers – the buzz was even more palpable when we were leaving Melbourne, as we knew that we’d soon be traversing some of the best roads on the planet.

Simple process

Boarding the Spirit of Tasmania begins a couple of hours before departure, and it’s a simple process – just show the check-in staff your licence to receive appropriate ‘credentials’, which includes swipe cards for cabins.

The two ships are roll-on/roll-off designs – openings at the stern and bow – for seamless entry and exit. Not that it’s really an issue for bikes, but a B-double driver would be happy with the arrangement….

All nine Bikesales Bike of the Year motorcycles were tied down by experienced staff, who obviously know what they are doing: their professionalism is beyond reproach. Just leave your steering unlocked and they’ll do the rest. That’s the last time we saw our bikes until morning, as the vehicle decks were all locked once boarding was complete.

We were allocated six four-berth porthole cabins for both crossings, so only two people per room and plenty of space to be a little more liberal with where we left our bags and riding gear.

However, even if the rooms had to house three people or even the full complement, there is more than enough space to store riding gear, whether it’s under the bed, on the side dressers or in the wardrobe. All the rooms have en-suites too. If your budget doesn’t stretch to rooms, you can book a reclining seat to whittle away the hours.

For all the accommodation options, visit www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/onboard-experience/accommodation.

Once you’re settled in, the time is yours – whether that’s heading straight to the dining precinct, enjoying the live entertainment, relaxing in one of the bars, catching a movie, quiet time in the reading room or riding your luck in the gaming room. There are also entertainment options for the kids.

The self-service dining is via what the Spirit of Tasmania calls the ’Tasmanian Market Kitchen’ – and it’s fabulous, fresh fare. There’s also an outlet where you can purchase lighter food options.

We enjoyed benign sailing conditions on both legs, so the first thing we knew that we were close to arriving was the wake-up call at 5:45am – it was then up and at ‘em before the vehicle decks opened up about 6:30am. On the way over that meant our Tassie adventure began at a tick before 7:00am.

For online bookings on the Spirit of Tasmania, visit www.spiritoftasmania.com.au. For enquiries, tel 13 20 10 or 1800 634 906. Any questions? Visit www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/faqs.

Spirit of Tasmania fast facts

• The average speed of Spirit of Tasmania is 27 knots (nearly 50km/h).
• The two ships were built in 1998 in Finland, and the first commercial crossing was September 1, 2002.
• The distance between Melbourne and Devonport is 429km.
• Spirit of Tasmania weighs 29,338 tonnes – or equivalent to 2.9 million slabs of beer or 5800 hippos.
• Spirit of Tasmania completes an average of 800 crossings a year – or equal to around the earth eight times.
• Spirit of Tasmania has four engines, or 64 pistons per ship. Each piston generates about 650hp -- or the equivalent of three Panigale V4 Ss!
• The overall length of the Spirit of Tasmania is 194.33 metres, 19 longer than the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year: Spirit of Tasmania

Simple process

Spirit of Tasmania fast facts

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