Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

THOMAS_KAERGELL
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Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 6:29 am

Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby THOMAS_KAERGELL » Sat May 19, 2012 7:02 am

Hello,
i'm Thomas from Germany. I'm 20 years old and i'm searching for a participant for my tour along the east coast of Australia. The tour will take place between October 2012 and March 2013.
The participant can ride along a part or the entire route. He or she should be 18 to 30 years years old. The stages would be between 50 and 80 kilometers (30-50 miles) long, but i want to be in the bigger city for some days.
I want to do coachsurfing or i want to sleep in small hotels, hostels or in a tent.

Yours sincerely Thomas

Meditator
Posts: 292
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:57 pm
Location: North of Cairns

Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby Meditator » Sat May 19, 2012 2:35 pm

Hello Thomas, i am from a place jsut north of cairns. Although it will be quite hot at this time of year, i think you should at least take a few days to explore a bit north and the cairns hinterland too. This is one of hte nicest parts of Australia and if all you do on arriving is a day on the reef then jump on your bike to head south you are making a mistake.

You should visit POrt Douglas, the atherton tablelands, Cape Tribulation. I would advise at least a week if touring by conventional means. If you want to explore it by bike, i'd suggest maybe 1 week to 10 days to go up to bloomfield via cape tribulation and back to cairns via the tablelands before heading south again. There is nothing to be gained from rushing around this area.

Also when travelling south from Cairns try to get out to Hinchinbrook island for a couple of days camping. You can go from Cardwell.

In townsville do a tour of Magnetic Island.

Further south, visist the Whitsunday island near Proserpine and down Maryborough way definitiely take some time out for Fraser Island.

I personally dont find most of New South wales very interesting along the coastal areas once you get south of Byron Bay.

I don't really know the coast area from south of Wollongong to Melbourne but what i have seen of hte coastal areas, its all pretty tame.

You should try to head inland for some sections of your trip for much more cultural distinction ie from european lifestyles and to see more interesting natural areas. Going up through the snowy mountain areas would be one good possibiliy and heading down over the Omeo Road is a beautiful ride.

So in summary, i would suggest at least after Sydney, head inland. You won't get to the outback this way but you should still find plenty that interesting and different from your experience.

if you don't find anyone to join you on your journey. Don't despair. Cycling alone is quite fun and easy.

GregLR
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Location: Shellharbour

Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby GregLR » Sat May 19, 2012 6:23 pm

Meditator wrote:I don't really know the coast area from south of Wollongong to Melbourne but what i have seen of the coastal areas, its all pretty tame.
Since I've extensively toured the FNQ region you live in I agree that it has great scenery, etc, but you really need to get out more - you've written off 700km of sandy beaches, headlands, coastal towns & mountain backdrops that combine to yield scenery that is often spectacular ! Even allowing for the bias of the tourism agency that prepared it, this site provides a good sample of images: http://www.sydneymelbournetouring.com/r ... stal-drive

If you had said the cycletouring through there on sealed roads is tame (or dangerous) because there are few such roads other than highways through this mostly narrow coastal area between the Great Dividing Range and the sea and many are heavily trafficked (at least the section in NSW but also into East Gippsland in Victoria), then that might be rather more accurate.

Greg

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Location: North of Cairns

Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby Meditator » Sun May 20, 2012 3:02 pm

Quan
I have to say i did find what i saw tame. The coastal villages are nowhere near as interesting as outback towns. They are not quaint enough! Certainly not if are from europe. ONe can see enough white sandy beaches and enjoy a change by cycling through some forest wilderness, seeing snow gums and tall subtropical rainforests and some bush ranger country a la tv as in Rush the tv show which was gorgeous and so evocative. I've been jarvis bay. Its nice. You can go to wilson's promontary once in melbourne. You can to through whyalla when you come through the back way to melbourne.

Anyway its jsut a suggestion that there are perhaps better or at least alternative routes that can offer more diversity of scenery than by sticking to a very long coast.


Meditator
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Location: North of Cairns

Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby Meditator » Tue May 22, 2012 9:39 am

For the Cairns to Brisbane section, i would suggest a change to take you to noosa and down the sunshine coast. Firstly if you are going over to Fraser island, look into the possibility of riding down along the beach to Rainbow beach and from there don't go back to the highway. I am not suggesting that your experience of fraser island should consist solely of riding down the beach: that might be boring. It might also be quite windy. But you might also be able to hitch a lift from some local guy with a ute. But then you can skip that part of the highway on the mainland.

You should head east back to the coast at noosa if you can. Noosa Heads is pretty and then you can ride down the sunshine coast avoiding the highway. This whole area around noosa is nice to explore if you can. It looks like you are going near Boreen Point. I heard that is a nice place. Its just north of Noosa.

In the section from sydney to melbourne. After cooma, i am not sure why you go back up and around instead of going through jindabyne. Maybe its a prettier root but i am not sure. Threadboe and is in the heart of the national park it think with the ski resorts. I went through there in winter. It was lovely but perhaps the other road is also lovely. I can't tell from the map what's there but i'm curious why you've taken that route.

Then you go back up to albury from Benambra. Why are you doing that. Its a long way out of the way and there's nothing interesting in albury. From Benambra (or somewhere near there) you can take a much shorter route down to omeo. Its a gorgeous road through forest and there's a creek at hte bottom of the hill which you go past for some time. Again i went through there in winter. It wasn't snowing but it had been a bit wet. The road is dirt but its in fine condition for a bike.

I don't really know why you do a big loop back up north after wilson's promontory. I am not sure its worth it. I've driven up from Melbourne to Canberra via the inland road that goes via mansfield and later on albury. Its not that special. Yes it can take you up near some of the skiing areas but i am not sure if you are going there and i am not sure if it would be worth it in summer time. What time of year are you going to be there anyway. Watch out for bushfires. Avoid being in central victoria during bushfire season.

When you are heading westwards after melbourne, consider going south to Mornington then taking the ferry across. I think it will be nicer and more interesting to go through those suburbs than the way you've routed.

That's all i can see or think of at this point.

THOMAS_KAERGELL
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Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby THOMAS_KAERGELL » Tue May 22, 2012 11:19 pm

Thank you for your suggestions to change the route. I have considered them and changed the route from Sydney to Melbourne. What do you say?

http://maps.google.de/maps?saddr=Sydney ... 12&t=m&z=8

I took this route from Sydney to Melbourne because after such a long way along the coast, I would like to ride through the hills.

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KenGS
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Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby KenGS » Tue May 22, 2012 11:37 pm

From Jindabyne you could take the Barry Highway south through Suggan Buggan and Buchan. From there you can either keep going south to Nowa Nowa and pick up the rail trail to Bairnsdale OR head over to Orbost and pick up the rail trail from there instead.

From Leongatha follow the advice in http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... =2&t=51787
I would not ride into Melbourne on Highway 1
--Ken
Helmets! Bells! Rego!

Meditator
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Location: North of Cairns

Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby Meditator » Thu May 24, 2012 2:02 am

THOMAS_KAERGELL wrote:Thank you for your suggestions to change the route. I have considered them and changed the route from Sydney to Melbourne. What do you say?

http://maps.google.de/maps?saddr=Sydney ... 12&t=m&z=8

I took this route from Sydney to Melbourne because after such a long way along the coast, I would like to ride through the hills.
Yes it was me who told you go through the middle in the first place. So this looks good to me now , although i have to admit after omeo, its not that exciting heading into melbourne though undoubtedly you will enjoy Wilson's promontary. I don't know whether its worth your while to ride in Lakes Entrance. When you are donw that way you might ask the locals if its worthwhile to visit any coastal towns and which ones are nice.

Vintagetourer
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Location: Canberra

Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby Vintagetourer » Sun May 27, 2012 1:10 pm

THOMAS_KAERGELL wrote:Hello,
i'm Thomas from Germany. I'm 20 years old and i'm searching for a participant for my tour along the east coast of Australia. The tour will take place between October 2012 and March 2013.
The participant can ride along a part or the entire route. He or she should be 18 to 30 years years old. The stages would be between 50 and 80 kilometers (30-50 miles) long, but i want to be in the bigger city for some days.
I want to do coachsurfing or i want to sleep in small hotels, hostels or in a tent.

Yours sincerely Thomas
Hi Thomas
These two journals may be helpful for resources, maps etc
Join the routes together and you can make a good backroads ride from Sydney to Melbourne.

Canberra to Sydney
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/housetohouse2011

Canberra to Melbourne
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/laketolake

L'iota
Posts: 118
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:43 am
Location: Central Coast, NSW

Re: Bicycle tour from Cairns to Melbourne (Australia)

Postby L'iota » Wed May 30, 2012 8:13 pm

G'day Thomas
On your ammended route Sydney to Melbourne I noticed you crossed through the Nattai National Park. This road through Yerranderie is not a through road. It is closed water catchment of the Warragamba Dam which now cuts this road, particularly as it is now full. The nearest alternative is to continue south on the Goulburn Road to Richlands (no town, just a location, as are many names on Australian maps) turn east through Wombyan Caves (good camping area here)(on a rather rough and hilly dirt road for about 30 km after the caves) and on to Mittagong from where you can go to Moss vale and the road to the coast.
Have a great tour, Regards
L'iota

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