Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hello, Im Juanjo, from Spain... (sorry for me written english )

Next october I´ll fly to Australia to start a four years travel around the world. The first plan is start in Perth to Laverton an take the GREAT CENTRAL ROAD to Yulara... once in Yulara I´ll decide a route to Sydney (i have to visit some friends)..

I have seen a lot of travels across that road but all of them in 4x4.. not by bike, for this reason I have contacted with all of you...

So... These are my questions...

Is it possible by bike?

If so... Is october a good month to star in perth?

Is it possible to buy food in the RoadHouses across the Great Central Road?

How difficult is to find water in this road? I have a FilterPump to filter water so I can filter water for a couple of days (20/25 liters)

Do I have to take something into consideration apart from the last questions?




I dont know if this is the correct forum to post these questions... but I have surfed in some forums in Australia and this seems to be one of the best


Thanks in advance


Juanjo

Hello Juanjo, there is a forum here for Touring Australia you can have a read through. I'm pretty sure you will find some relevant threads.
GJ Coop is a regular poster here, and he has travelled the Great Central Road recently. He has journals on crazyguyonabike.com and his own website is cycletrailsaustralia.com. Coops has assembled a huge amount of information that will be invaluable to your preparations. Here's a link to his Great Central Road journey.
A word of advice, Australia can be a very harsh country, prepare well. Good Luck.

As RonK has suggested, read the journals written by G J Coop. He has plenty of information to help plan your trip by bike. So yes, it can be done by push bike but the weather amongst other things can make it extremely difficult. Note that he made this trip earlier than you plan and by the time he got to Alice Springs in early November it was around 40º.
You didn't say when in October you plan to leave Perth however I think an early October start is too late let alone starting towards the end of the month when you will encounter extremely strong sun with very high temperatures. You may need to carry 30 or more litres of water to see you through from one source to the next.
You may want to goto the weather bureau’s site http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ for climate data.
All the best

+1

October may well be a good time to leave Perth and head to Sydney via the Nullarbor.... but not a good time to be heading northwards into the Centre. Advise you revise your plans, especially if travelling solo.

Watch out for Drop Bears. Details are on the Australian Museum site.

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Drop-Bear/

ColinOldnCranky wrote:Watch out for Drop Bears. Details are on the Australian Museum site.

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Drop-Bear/

You forgot to mention the hoop snakes...

At first Thanks to all of you!!!!!!!

RonK wrote:GJ Coop is a regular poster here, and he has travelled the Great Central Road recently. He has journals on crazyguyonabike.com and his own website is cycletrailsaustralia.com. Coops has assembled a huge amount of information that will be invaluable to your preparations. Here's a link to his Great Central Road journey.

Thanks Ronk... the website that you recommended has a lot of useful information but having into consideration my departure and following the advices from some people... I´ll change my route...
Perth to Sydney via The Nullarbor... seems to be easier in October .

il padrone wrote:+1

October may well be a good time to leave Perth and head to Sydney via the Nullarbor.... but not a good time to be heading northwards into the Centre. Advise you revise your plans, especially if travelling solo.

Thanks Il padrone... Definitely I have changed my first route planned.
I have been locking for a route by ADVANCED SEARCH and I have got some information to start....
I going to try make a track trying to avoid the main roads...

I dont know if there is a classic route to follow .... So, if you have any suggestions it will be useful....

I have found this blog ... its a travel Perth to Sydney



Juanjo

As mentioned already, if you are going to travel northwards and inland, October is not a good time to do it as it will be very hot. Very very hot. If you are going to do these inland routes, its only advisable to do it in the cooler winter months.

There is only one road for hte main part of crossing the nullabor. Visit the flinders ranges when you get over that way.

Thanks Mediator...

For this reason I have changed my first plan..... Perth to Nullabore...

Mediator... when you say There is only one road for hte main part of crossing the nullabor .... do you mean the Eyre HWY? In Google Eath seems to be some little roads and paths close to the Eyre HWY... they could be an option if I want to leave the asphalt for a couple of days but I don´t know if they are available/suitable for cycling.....

I know that it´s gonna be very hot... luckily in Spain we are used to cycling under the hard sun... sometimes close to 40º... but with different humidity...

Thanks

Hope you like flies... They start in Sept and you will have never seen anything like this before. Bush flies

Baalzamon wrote:Hope you like flies... They start in Sept and you will have never seen anything like this before. Bush flies

Not to mention that they bite...

"I have fond flies memories" in Australia... specifically in Blue Mountains .... Thousand and thousand of them... horrible....

Mmm.... bush flies!

Your little cycling friends




Get yourself a fashionable fly-net to keep them out of the face





Biters? Not the bush flies I know about. Only the bigger March flies that appear later in summer at the beach and in the high country are notable for their bites.

il padrone wrote:Biters? Not the bush flies I know about.

You haven't been to WA then.

Thanks IP.. I have one of them...


Nice.. I wont be alone...

RonK wrote:

il padrone wrote:Biters? Not the bush flies I know about.

You haven't been to WA then.

Well actually, I have. It was almost 30 years ago, and I do well remember some appalling flies down near Northcliffe that massed in the eyes and ears while I fixed a puncture. But there were no concerns with biters.

March flies are found in Western Australia and trust me they bite ...



For the WA Health Department take on March flies read this PDF.

March flies are not known to transmit disease to humans or livestock in Australia. However, their bites can cause adverse allergic reactions in some people, sometimes requiring hospitalisation. Livestock can suffer severe blood loss from repeated biting.

One small, brown species occurring in the north-west (Pilbara and Kimberley) of Western Australia, appears to produce serious symptoms in some people, including hives, fever, wheezing and in severe cases, anaphylaxis

The Department also notes

March flies are known to be attracted to dark blue, so it is advisable to avoid wearing blue and other dark colours. Light-coloured loose-fitting clothing and insect repellents will provide protection when March flies are present.

which is interesting. I had significant issues with them on the Esperance - Perth tour biting me on through my black bib shorts (on the leg particularly).

Andrew

Aushiker wrote:

Within Australia, the biting flies of greatest significance are the horse flies or March flies (Family Tabanidae), the stable flies (Family Muscidae) and the black flies (Family Simuliidae), as well as the biting midges or sand flies (Family Ceratopogonidae) and the mosquitoes (Family Culicidae), which are dealt with elsewhere (see Biting Midges fact sheet and Mosquito fact sheet). Compared with some other countries, black flies are usually not a concern in Australia although occasional problems occur following floods in northwestern NSW and Queensland.

March flies and stable flies are widespread throughout the warmer parts of Australia and will attack humans, livestock and domestic pets to acquire blood. The flies are stoutly built and are strong swift fliers that tend to be more active throughout the summer months especially in still, open sunny areas. The Tabanids, especially, are influenced by weather and will respond to changes in barometric pressure, wind, cloud cover and temperature.

Source: http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact/biting%20flies.htm

March flies are found in Western Australia and trust me they bite ...



For the WA Health Department take on March flies read this PDF.

Andrew

And yes they fly fast! Normal riding speeds and no way could I drop them, would have to exceed 35kph to outrun them so needed a hill to do that. Had to suffer them circling until I crested a hill and put the power down.

Aushiker wrote:The Department also notes

March flies are known to be attracted to dark blue, so it is advisable to avoid wearing blue and other dark colours. Light-coloured loose-fitting clothing and insect repellents will provide protection when March flies are present.

Yes, know this well. One tour many years ago me and a couple of mates were having significant troubles with the Mt Skene March flies biting us, only on our ankles. By some strange coincidence this day we were all wearing blue socks

One day at Lake Mountain in January they also were enraptured with my grey shoes - guess they may be blue-gray ?? No biting luckily that I was aware of, but that night and the next day I had a whole heap of itchy spots - bites, or hives? I don't know.

It´s getting better flies everywhere... very hot places....

JJBLOOD wrote:It´s getting better Flys everywhere... very hot places....

And the drop bears and hoop snakes - don't forget about them

Aushiker wrote:March flies are found in Western Australia and trust me they bite ...

Yeah, but when I lived at Kingsley my dog was troubled terribly by the ordinary flies, which bit her ear tips until they were raw and bloody, and I can remember them biting me as well.

You may have biting flies in WA (they may even be here in Victoria - March flies are one type) but they are not bush flies. Bush flies are just after sweat and proteins from your skin, eyes and other parts - not your blood.

From Shire of Gin Gin

The biting fly or "stable fly" is very similar in size and appearance to the common house fly and bush fly – the major difference between these flies is that the biting fly has, as their name suggests, a prominent biting mouthpart. Stable flies are persistent biters, feeding on animals several times a day, preferring to bite cattle and horses, but will also attack humans, dogs, pigs, newborn lambs, pet kangaroos and emus. Their bite causes a sharp pain as it quickly draws blood – the fly often punctures the skin several times before drawing blood and they can increase their body weight by up to 3 times when fully fed.

Hi all,
As a newcomer I can tell you I'm a 52 yr old guy from the Netherlands, in October I will be about 3 weeks in Australia (Victoria). On thursday the 25th of October I'm travelling from Melbourne to Phillip Island for the Grand Prix and staying on the Island until mondaymorning.
I'd like to ask you a little question. Is there any place/shop on Phillip Island where I can rent a (mouontain) bike for having a chance to discover the Island when I'm not at the track?
Thanks in advance!