I knew nothing about touring before I started, I didn’t even know anybody who had done a cycle tour before. I was very much making it up as I went along. I do not claim to now be an expert, but as a beginner just winging it, here are some things I learned.

1. Eat – I cannot emphasize this enough. I started Christmas eve, the first 3 days of my trip it was hard to find an open shop (see public holidays below). I had limited food with me and not a huge amount of snacking food. You are using a lot of energy riding but I got into the habit of not eating. I was skipping breakfast and lunch. Make sure you have snacks at easy reach. You don’t want to have to unpack your panniers for a muesli bar, because you just wont do it. Get in the habit of eating small amounts regularly.
2. Be seen – I had a black bike which wasn’t ideal but otherwise I used colour. Wear bright clothing. Bright panniers. Mix and match your colours. Crack out that 70’s style. Put lights and reflectors on your bike. Pretty much anything  increasing your visibility to other traffic. This sounds obvious, but there is a lot of black bike gear, with only small reflectors attached, out there. Don’t give drivers a reason to not see you.
3. Belong on the road – Similarly to being seen, don’t hide away on the edge of the road. I was a slow rider and would pull in to let cars pass when it was safe to do so. This isn’t a requirement, but I preferred it. However, car would often speed up and if there was almost enough space, they would try to over take. You need to make sure you sit in the middle of the road only pulling over when you feel it is safe to pass. Sadly, people can still try to over take dangerously, but at least you have more space to swerve. Don’t be intimidated.
4. Don’t use narrow shoulders – Again similar to the above. If a shoulder is narrow or uncleared, don’t use it. The law in Tasmania is vehicles must have 1.5m to overtake. If you are inside the shoulder line this seem to mentally negate this rule for many drivers. If you ride just on the outside of the shoulder, in the lane of the traffic, you are taken more seriously and cars are far more likely to overtake sensibly.
5. Self contained – A Tasmanian quirk, many free camping spots out the back of pubs etc need you to provide your own shower and toilet. This is even the case if there are public toilets close by and you do need a shower. I was turned away for multiple camping locations because of this rule. On your bike it’s a long way to go to find the next camp. I did this trip without a smart phone or any apps. I have heard there are some good ones out there, alternatively just do some detailed and – CURRENT – planning before you go.
6. Public Holidays/ Sundays – This is specific to traveling at Christmas where you get many public holidays in a row, but Sundays can be an issue as well. Along the west, where you only go through small towns with one shop. On these occasions plan ahead, know where your next resupply point will be and will it be open, pack accordingly. I was rationing my water on Christmas day when I discovered nowhere was open and there where no taps.
7. Vegetarian? – Get used to eating hot chips. Unlike most cities, small town pubs and restaurants don’t have “the vegetarian option”. I’d recommend bringing a working stove and your own protein if you’re not a big meat-eater.