Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

polishbiker
Posts: 371
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:18 am

Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby polishbiker » Sun Apr 22, 2012 6:35 pm

Hey all,

Thinking doing Europe in July could be a bit late as i want to spend a few good months there and cannot think of a suitable place to be during winter months so considering doing the second half of Aus instead.

Would like some input from people that have done a similar route. Idea in short: Perth to Sydney, up north this time, following the coast etc. Time proposed, End of July, beginning of August. Proposed time 4-6 months.

Main concerns:
winds
general weather conditions

Any input?

User avatar
il padrone
Posts: 22931
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: Heading for home.

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby il padrone » Sun Apr 22, 2012 7:16 pm

The general opinion on this sort of tour around Australia is that it is better done anti-clockwise (ie. Sydney northwards to Perth) to take advantage of the favourable winds. I'd hate to be doing 4-6 months of cycling pushing an eternal headwind.

Timing is a bit askew as well - I'd suggest it'd be best to be heading north from Sydney around May, to make the most of the northern dry season (May-Nov) and to get down to Perth before the west coast desert region becomes a furnace.
Mandatory helmet law?
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."

polishbiker
Posts: 371
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:18 am

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby polishbiker » Sun Apr 22, 2012 9:13 pm

May would unfortunately be too soon to organize everything here in Perth before i go.

If Sydney to Perth is a better option then that can be organized easily as well, could possibly try for end of June the earliest i think.

J Quinton
Posts: 237
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:52 pm

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby J Quinton » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:05 pm

Have you done a tour this long before?

User avatar
il padrone
Posts: 22931
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: Heading for home.

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby il padrone » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:19 pm

J Quinton wrote:Have you done a tour this long before?
I must say, previous expedition journeying is not a pre-requisite for such travels. There are many tales of just such a journey being undertaken and completed by absolute neophytes - people who could simply ride a bike and had a desire to ride further. Most recently Andrew Bain's 'wrong way' journey was completed by someone with no cycle touring experience. There are many others.
Mandatory helmet law?
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."

User avatar
clackers
Posts: 2065
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 10:48 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby clackers » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:37 pm

Polishbiker rode from Perth to Sydney last year ... I know this because my wife and I actually ran into him at Bruthen. A great guy!

polishbiker
Posts: 371
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:18 am

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby polishbiker » Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:02 pm

Yes, agree with il padrone, all you need is time, motivation and a reliable bicycle : )

clackers, really?? just trying to go back in time, where exactly etc?? small world!

J Quinton
Posts: 237
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:52 pm

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby J Quinton » Tue Apr 24, 2012 1:07 pm

Cool. I'm wondering, how do you stay mentally motivated to tour for 4-6 months? My limit seems to be about 2 months and then I start to lose enthusiasm and energy. Even with lengthy breaks. Keep reminding yourself it's better than stuck in an office?

You might want to check this out for the east coast. Be good to stay off hwy's.

http://www.nationaltrail.com.au/

User avatar
clackers
Posts: 2065
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 10:48 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby clackers » Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:57 pm

polishbiker wrote: clackers, really?? just trying to go back in time, where exactly etc?? small world!
We were a middle-aged couple at the bakery making our way to Orbost along the East Gippsland Rail Trail, you were riding that day to camp at Buchan Caves.

I was keen you ate up big because you said you'd lost 8kg of gym-builtup muscle - it was clear to me you hadn't had enough carbs on your epic trip and your body was turning to your own protein for calories!

Only weeks later when I saw the photos you posted did I realize who you were! As I pointed out to my wife, another sign of the sort of quality person you are is when you later gave away some of your equipment on this forum.

User avatar
Aushiker
Posts: 22387
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2007 1:55 pm
Location: Walyalup land
Contact:

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby Aushiker » Tue Apr 24, 2012 3:18 pm

I have just finished reading Rolf Smith's 2000 publication, Cold beer & crocodiles: A bicycle journey into Australia. It is published by Adventure Press, Washington D.C., United States. Not a guide book nor a resource in that sense but a book well worth reading just to get a feel of riding the outback; to get one into the mood so to speak. Highly recommended. The ISBN is 0-7922-792-2.

Oh he rode counter-clockwise and during summer over the top and lived to write about it :).

Basically from Darwin to Perth, following the coast, you really don't have much choice. I guess you could do the Gibb River Road for a change in scenery, i.e., if highways are getting boring for you.

Also for planning a route from Darwin to Perth and for good advice for cyclists I have made a lot of use of Chris Bagnall and Nikki Brown book, Cycling Outback Australia: Ecotouring Travel Guide – Cairns-Darwin-Perth This is a great resource in my view and well worth the few dollars. You can purchase it directly from Nikki Brown online.

Andrew
Andrew

polishbiker
Posts: 371
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:18 am

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby polishbiker » Wed Apr 25, 2012 3:33 pm

Mentally motivated? Personally i love riding and living an adventures life so not much needed to motivate myself. Doing what you love and not something you need (work etc) is enough to give me a positive energy.

There are days when you are low on energy and positive spirit but usually something good happens at the end of the day, but on the days when things go wrong i generally think about my family and friends, that tends to lift me up a bit :)

For this trip i am going to try and setup some charity fund to do perhaps raise a few $.

Clackers - do remember you guys! was a good bakery there for sure, visited so many of them on that trip but definitely need to improve the eating habits, when i got to sydney i was about 10kg lighter and all my clothes were falling off haha. Where abouts are you guys??

Considered gibbs road at some point but not sure if i want to be on such a long stretch off-road on my own, maybe with a bit more research, need to have a look at your thread darwin-perth :)

User avatar
clackers
Posts: 2065
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 10:48 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Proposed Perth-Sydney going North - suggestions?

Postby clackers » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:19 pm

polishbiker wrote: Clackers - do remember you guys! was a good bakery there for sure, visited so many of them on that trip but definitely need to improve the eating habits, when i got to sydney i was about 10kg lighter and all my clothes were falling off haha. Where abouts are you guys??
In Melbourne, but we bob up randomly in places. If you're in Broome and see two idiots being pursued by angry camels, it may be us! :-)

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users