Weldborough and the Blue Tier Descents

The Weldborough pub sits in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dense bushland. The first time I stayed there, I mistook the publican for a Norman Bates type psychopath. He had crazy eyes and was too eager to chat. He waltzed behind the bar as if he had just wandered out of the forests, deprived of human contact for decades. I drank a tasty craft beer and then shunned the barroom conversation for the seclusion of my room. I made some techno beats on the iPhone and drank some homebrew; all the while petrified Bates would soon knock through the door with an axe.

Twin Peaks country: the top of The Blue Tier

Weldborough has a dark eerie gothic feel. They could easily shoot a scene of Twin Peaks in the area. Bob and Bates dancing in the moonlight, around a large bonfire, wielding axes and knifes, slaughtering innocent mountain bikers. ‘She’s dead, wrapped in plastic.’ 

The guy behind the bar

Horror scenes aside, the pub serves up tasty food and a nice selection of Tasmanian craft beer and cider. There is a campsite out back that can cater for up to 80 punters. And the best thing about this gothic masterpiece? The trails. Only a couple hundred metres down the road. Weldborough makes the perfect base for a day on the bike. 

The Blue Tier trails start at Poimena, a ghost town on a sub-alpine plateau, about 750m above sea level. Poimena was once a thriving town of 3000 people, survived by a vast mining operation. There were pubs and general stores, a school and a blacksmith. Nothing much remains of the town after mining operations ceased back in the 1920s. 

The first time I rode Blue Tier there was one option, the Old Blue Tier Descent, a rocky steep fire-trail that drops from Poimena down to the Weldborough pub. It was a punishing, muddy day on the trails which required some walking in sections on the way up. Rolling over the granite on the way down was, however, a memorable bush-bashing adventure.

The Old Blue Tier Descent

Now there is the renowned New Blue Tier Trail, immaculately carved single-trail, which starts at the Poimena carpark, but instead of dropping in a straight line it flows along the hillside, beside streams and through dense rainforest, all ferns and berms. It includes my absolute favourite trail in the whole Blue Derby/Blue Tier network: Big Chook. Mountain bike nirvana. 

The best way to ride the trails is to either carpool from the pub or to shuttle. A shuttle from Derby township to the Blue Tier trail head costs around $50. A shuttle from Weldborough to Blue Tier around $30.

The New Blue Tier Descent Strava Profile

If you shuttle from Derby you can ride from the top of Blue Tier down to the pub, from the pub up Mt Paris Dam Rd to the Atlas trailhead, and from Atlas all the way down to Derby. It’s a big day (44km) but a good day. (After craft beers and lunch, if you’re not feeling up for the 6km road climb from Weldborough pub to the Atlas trailhead this can also be shuttled). However, please ensure you scope out the route beforehand so you don’t get lost in Bob and Bates country with no mobile reception and only your worst nightmares for company.

The Weldborough theme song:

Big Chook promo from Dirt Magic: