The Tasmanian leg of the inaugural black dog national one day ride saw the bikers, led by Glamorgan Spring Bay Mayor Bertrand Cadart, travel to Bicheno carrying black dog plush toys.

State organiser Betty Parssey said the ride was part of a world record attempt for the most black dogs on motorbikes, with similar rides occurring in every Australian state over the next week.

More importantly, Ms Parssey said the ride aimed to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention and depression - otherwise known as the ``black dog''.

``Depression is very prevalent in the community. I don't think there's any family that hasn't been touched by it, either directly or indirectly, and certainly I've had close encounters with it,'' she said.

``By showing the black dog toy, that creates awareness and hopefully helps to reduce the stigma of admitting you have an illness like depression - and we've already had people approaching us asking what this is all about.''