The photo is a stock image - uncredited and unnamed. However, it is clearly a picture of what most people in Australia know as Mt Wellington, standing at 1270 metres proudly above Hobart. It is now officially kunanyi/Mt Wellington, incorporating the local Aboriginal name for this stunning landmark. (Personally, I prefer to simply call it "kunanyi" and look forward to the day when this will be the official name.) The question is, why did Rupert Guinness choose this particular photo to sell his book to the world?
There are a number of possible answers
Is it because it is the only "hors catégorie" climb on the doorstep of any of Australia's capital cities?Or is it because of the beauty of the climb itself, where you start at sea level on the edge of downtown, wend your way up through forested suburbs before hitting the mountain road and suddenly have a sense of being immersed in a separate, quiet world above the hurly burly below? On the way, there are plenty of early views of the summit, none more seductive than this one from just before Cascade Brewery, the oldest continuously operating brewery in Australia ...
Is it because of the incredibly rich panoramas from the top once you've arrived? The views down to the city are stunning enough in their own right but, with sight lines down towards Cape Pillar (where the Sydney to Hobart yachts turn for home); into World Heritage southwest Tasmania and the magnificent Federation Peak; over the convoluted coastline of D'Entrecasteaux Channel and Bruny island and across seemingly endless forest to the northwest and the peaks of Mt Field National Park this is one very special place.
Here are a couple of mainlanders enjoying the view out the back of kunanyi after finishing a grand tour circumnavigating Tasmania ...
... and views to the north, with mist creeping into the Derwent Estuary ...
Maybe he chose to feature Mt Wellington because a young Cadel Evans, Australia's only winner of the Tour de France, announced himself to the world of road racing when he won the decisive, penultimate stage of the Tour of Tasmania - when it was actually a proper Tour of Tasmania, rather than the few days of racing in the north of the state that it is now - beating the likes of seasoned professionals, including Neil Stephens and Stephen Hodge. On that day in 1998 Phil Liggett, until recently the Anglophile voice of cycling, riding in a support vehicle proclaimed, "This kid could win the Tour de France one day". The rest is history.
There are a number of possible approaches to riding up kunanyi/Mt Wellington, but only way to the top. For what it's worth, in its list of the top 30 HC climbs in Australia, the Climbing Cyclist rates kunanyi/Mt Wellington fourth. The route they chose to feature is the way that Cadel Evans rode on that significant day in Australia's cycling history, which goes up the old Huon Highway. Incidentally, of all the hotshots who've ridden this Strava segment over the years, the hotshot who holds the record (on Strava, at least) is one Cameron Wurf, a local lad who, after representing Australia in rowing at the 2004 Olympic Games and riding in the pro peloton, has evolved into one of the world's top ironman athletes.
By far the most popular way to the top of the hill is via Strickland Avenue, past the Cascade Brewery as seen in the earlier photo. Hey, it's such a great view, why not another look ...
The Strava segment starting from the Cascade Brewery to the top is 18.1 kilometres long at an average gradient of 6%. The current record holder is one Nathan Earle, another local lad, who was a team-mate of Richie Porte's at Sky, and is currently riding for what was until recently the Israel Cycling Academy, now know as Israel Cycling Nation.
However, if you're a visiting cyclist and really want to challenge yourself, you might think of riding from the sea to the summit. It's 21.7 kms from Constitution Dock - where the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race finishes - to the top of Mt Wellington at an average gradient of 6%. You will climb 1260 metres and traverse a range of vegetation zones. It's by no means the hardest climb in Australia, but might just be the most magnificent. Here's an example of the view from down on the docks ...
It's probably pretty clear by now that our mountain has a special place in my heart - but then most people in southern Tasmania have a soft spot for the kunanyi/Mt Wellington, which can be seen from so many places and serves as a touchstone for us. I love riding up the mountain, even though I'm a very poor climber at best. Getting up there means that I get to ride back down ...
... and that's what I love most about that ride: more than the views, more than the sense of accomplishment ... it's the fantastic buzz of descending at speed that really ticks the box and makes the struggle to the top all the more worthwhile.
Whatever turns your crank, if you're a cyclist and want a good challenge with fantastic rewards, come to Hobart and ride up our classic kunanyi/Mt Wellington.
Oh, and the actual reason Rupert Guinness chose to feature kunanyi/Mt Wellington on the front cover of his book? Well, I thought I might as well contact him and ask the question straight up. I thought an email might be the go but then discovered a phone number and gave him a call. He was happy to have a chat, which was really nice. It turns out that he didn't actually have a specific image in mind for the cover, but when presented with that photo of the cyclist closing in on the summit of kunanyi - amongst a range, he couldn't go past it. He mentioned factors like the wonderful atmospherics and the part the mountain has played in the history of Australian cycling resonated quite strongly. (Speaking of history, the winner of the original Tour of Tasmania in 1930 was the one and only Sir Hubert Opperman, and many other great riders have graced the podium over the years.) In the end it was an easy decision, and there you have it.
