TWRN

Tasmanian Women Riders Network

I became a member of this group back in 2020, when living in Tasmania for a while, having been introduced by mutual friends. I didn’t get the opportunity to ride with them as a group last year, so was rather honoured to be invited along to one of their celebrations of International Female Ride Day, IFRD. About 50 of us met at Richardson’s Harley Davidson in Prospect Vale.

Now, I’m really a super-shy person and prefer to stay way… way back, in the background, which hey, is a bit of a problem as Editor in Chief of a women’s magazine, especially when trying to promote it… but whilst feeling massively out of my comfort zone, my fears quickly disappeared, as I was instantly welcomed into the fold, by a cheerful lady by the name of Cindy, who was so friendly and genuine with the introductions to all the women who had arrived. What impressed me was the group’s camaraderie overall and the considerable variety of bikes… with some super-duper cool ones at that!

The ride was to Ross, a very small town about halfway between Hobart and Launceston, where the most magnificent autumn colours were out on display; the entire main street was awash with reds, oranges, browns, yellows and then all the different colours of the motorbikes. The idea was for the riders from all over Tasmania, if they could, to meet up for IFRD.

Seeing the aroha, watching the women meet and greet each other was an empowering sight; it was clear there were some solid friendship bonds established, amongst this group of riders.

We all spent about an hour or so, chatting and having some morning tea… some then rode home south, while the others rode to Prospect Vale, where we all enjoyed a great feed and merriment at the Iron Horse Bar and Grill.

A bit about this group… established over Facebook on 16th January 2016, Tasmanian Women Riders Network supports and encourages female riders and pillions with all levels of experience, for those who simply want to have fun, share experiences and promote motorcycling within the ever-beautiful State of Tasmania.

With almost 900 members made up primarily of women and a few of their supportive men, they ride with the boys, at times… when they’re just after rides with the girls they’ll take off to enjoy women only get togethers, with like-minded wind sisters.

There are women within the group who offer to ride with the inexperienced riders, for support and encouragement… so if you’re one of those who feel more self-assured riding with another, to gain confidence, skills and experience, this is a great group to become part of. Having that support while meeting others in the motorcycle community, is a great start to some terrific friendships.