2000 km tour of Tasmania in the G87 M2 – Photo Journal

For as long as I’ve loved cars, I’ve always wanted to drive to Tasmania and experience Australia’s driving nirvana. It is home to the thrilling and treacherous Targa Tasmania, a tarmac rally composed of some of the country’s best mountain roads. Tasmania is also home to some of the world’s most beautiful natural landscapes and exotic wildlife. I’ve always loved the outdoors, so the idea of ​​connecting Tasmania’s most beautiful places via the best highways was always on my bucket list. The plan was simple: hit great roads during the day, admire the natural beauty, and relax with a beer (or two) and good food in the evening. Rather than ramble on, I’ll give you some quick thoughts about the car and location before I get into the photos.For more information about the car, see my topic here:
https://g87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh….php?t=2204686

Thoughts on the G87:
– I can’t believe how capable this car is. It can really do anything. I had the trunk (trunk) at full capacity the entire time. I fell in love with the ability to do so many things so well.
– This car has SO much grip on both dry and wet surfaces that I have no real desire for the x-drive version that is coming.
– Ohlins R&T coilovers are probably my favorite mod for this car. The roads are well maintained, but still have undulations, dips, roadkill and the occasional pothole. I wouldn’t come here with hardcore track suspension, you really need the road compliance.
– Very grateful for Active Cruise Control on the long highway rides, you shouldn’t underestimate how anti-fatigue feature like this can be.
– I really don’t think I could have done this trip in something like a Cayman or 911, there just isn’t enough storage space. It’s hard to think of a better car to take on these types of trips.
– Best fuel consumption was 7.9 liters per 100 km (29.8 MPG)
– Total mileage was 3966 km (2464 miles) for the full journey from Sydney and back.

Thoughts on Tasmania:
– The roads combined with the landscape are absolutely breathtaking. I was in awe as some of these roads came into view. I know this is a familiar feeling to other motorists, but it happens several times an hour in Tassie.
– The people in Tas are very friendly. Locals give you tips about roads, sights and attractions. I really recommend having a chat, even if you’ve already planned your trip, you’ll get some great tips.
– Generally great road etiquette from other drivers, they will stop for faster cars (always thank them with a flashing light). The worst driving behavior I saw was from other tourists, no surprises there.
– Australia is a huge continent, but only 26 million people live there. For this reason, when you leave the city centers you may find yourself without access to the conveniences you would normally enjoy, but rarely was I in the absence of necessary amenities. This will be a theme for the next few points.
– 98RON was hard to find in some remote areas and I had to fill up half a tank of 95RON at one point to get through the ride. Ethanol? Unless you bring a support car with your own fuel, forget it.
– I got a flat tire at one point and had it repaired in Launceston. There is little to no chance of getting a band like a PS4S in the sizes we use within Tas, they have to come from the mainland. Since these cars have staggered setup, I’m not even sure it’s worth carrying a spare tire unless you can carry two. They will sell you a cheap alternative so that you are not stranded, but you have a strange tire on a corner.
– It’s a great place, even without a fast car, you won’t regret it.

Route overview

I live in Sydney, so a trip to Tasmania involves:
– 10-hour trip from Sydney to Geelong (southwest of Melbourne)
– A 10 hour overnight ferry (Spirit of Tasmania) to take the car from Geelong to Devonport in northern Tasmania
– And the same process in reverse to get home to Sydney
– I did a few extra days of riding on either side of Tas.
– Places I missed, but I
– All roads south of Hobart
– Port Arthur
-Strathgordon
– Sticker sheet
– Queenstown to Tullah

Day 1:
Sydney to Lorne
New South Wales to Victoria
No photos. It is a largely monotonous, but necessary part of the journey.

Day 2:
Lorne to Apollo Bay
The Great Ocean Road, one of Victoria’s most famous roads.
Lorne to Geelong
Board the ferry for an overnight journey to Devonport

Tasmania trip starts:

Day 3:
From Devonport to Cradle Mountain
Arrival in Devonport from the ferry
Quite a drive, but the highlight is the natural beauty of the mountain.

Day 4:
Cradle Mountain to Strahan
Via Tullah, Rosebery, Zeehan
Probably the best driving route of the entire trip. I chased a chain of other drivers for about 30km: 296 GTB, McLaren Arturia, 992 GT3, M3CS and a few others.

Day 5:
Strahan to Launceston
Via Queenstown, Lake St. Clair, Great Lake
Experienced 30 km of dirt road here, no problems!

Day 6:
Launceston to Low Head and back
Sightseeing and taking photos

Day 7:
Launceston to St Helens
Via Scottsdale, Derby
More fantastic roads and landscapes

Day 8:
St Helens to Freycinet
Amazing views along the east coast, fast non-technical roads.

Day 9:
Freycinet to Hobart
Slow driving, trucks coming into Hobart from the regions and nothing out of the ordinary.

Day 11, 12, 13:
Stay in Hobart
I spent most of my time here with friends, exploring the art galleries and enjoying the holidays. But I did drive up Mount Wellington and managed to catch falling snow. Hard to be Alpine White in the snow.

Day 14:
Hobart to Devonport
Via Bothwell, Poatina, Cressy, Deloraine
Board the ferry for an overnight journey back to Geelong.
I spotted some extremely rare metal and spoke to a few of the owners, they were also from Sydney and on their way home from a similar road trip around Tas. Legends.

Day 15:
Melbourne to Lake Mountain
Jumped out of the G87 and into this extremely neat AE86 from a good friend. What an amazing experience to jump from a big, heavy luxury car like the M2 into something purely analog like the cars of my youth.

Day 16:
Melbourne to Sydney
Fin!

A special thanks to the shops and people who helped me put this car together:
Roadblock
Maximum Euro
Chicane Australia
BSPK forged
Heasmans

Thanks for reading! Feel free to ask any questions you may have about the trip!