The Hard Way Around Tasmania
Words by Tom Gilroy | Photography by Alexandra Adoncello
Presented by Garage Entertainment
The idea was simple: Six mates on bespoke, custom-built motorcycles exploring the exotic landscapes of Tasmania. No specific plans – just dots on a map connected by the road less traveled. What happened between those dots and how they were connected would be left to chance, and that blank space is where all the unexpected magic would reveal itself. We threw ourselves blindly into a new destination and found excitement in letting the details of the journey become a roll of the dice. And we brought some cameras to capture the experience and share it in a full-length documentary we’re calling Wide of the Mark.
We built and assembled this mix of vintage and custom motorcycles in small workshops and garages on the Gold Coast of Australia. None of them were originally manufactured for this type of adventure, so breakdowns and mechanical issues were inevitable. The challenge of fixing each bike along the way added a completely new element to the adventure, and we learned to embrace that challenge as an enjoyable part of the experience together. We took wrong turns, got lost and found ourselves in unexpected places, never staying in one place for too long. We took advice from the locals and enjoyed whatever random surprises Tasmania had to offer us that day. Adventure can be as simple or complicated as you make it; the question is which do you find more exciting? For us, it was all about getting ourselves into tricky situations and finding a way out. We knew we were getting ourselves into a shitshow, and in the end, we were all profoundly bonded by the experience. The challenging moments became an opportunity for self-evaluation and self-discovery. We learned to love the hard times, because it made us appreciate the more pleasant ones. Somehow, we made it to the finish, but we never really cared about that. As long as we had as much fun as possible trying to get there, the trip would be a success. From the process of building these one-of-a-kind machines to the breathtaking and remote destinations they ride them to, the resulting documentary embodies freedom in its purest form.