Off for a year touring Australia - just gave work notice and booked a ticket!

**Steam** · 5th July 2007, 11:22

I am off to Australia for a year of pottering around on a motorcycle.
I go in October, I have given work notice already, booked a one-way flight, and I have ordered a copy of the Australia Motorcycle Atlas.
Jantar has said I can buy his Honda CT in Cairns at the end of his Postie Bike Challenge for a very cheap price, so it's all on.

I have got lots of books from the library with pretty pictures of amazing places I want to go to.
Do you know of interesting places that may not be in any guidebook?

I intend to take a tent and cooker so I can sleep out most nights, take it real easy and slow. Stay off the main roads. Read a lot of books, work at odd-jobs when I run out of money, and stop in at every Buddhist centre and monastery I can find. Dharma bum, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance indeed.

I start in Cairns then ride south to escape the rainy season.
Down the East Coast to Melbourne to stay with my brother and recharge the wallet, then on to Alice and Perth then Darwin, then across the top to that pointy-up-bit on the right.

Looking forward to it!

**Drum** · 5th July 2007, 11:30

You lucky b'stard.

Stop in at Fraser Island on the way down the coast (access from Hervey Bay). Watch out for the mossies and dingos (and sharks).

Also a 'must visit' on the east coast is Byron Bay.

And if you like weed then make sure you head to Nimbin for the Mardi-Grass.

**Steam** · 5th July 2007, 11:31

Nimbin it is then!

**janno** · 5th July 2007, 11:35

The latest cover of Aus Motorcycle Atlas features my bestest friend Sam!

Taken by the photographer I use for an article I wrote on her, and he onsold the photo to the atlas.

Black leathers on a silver SV650. Unfortunately you can't really see that she is female, just looks like a motorcyclist.

Check inside the cover, photo credit is Mt Mee, Rod Vella.

If so, that's her! Go the chicks!

Have fun on your trip - are you sure it'll be for a year? You might get the bug and go on forever . . .

**Jantar** · 5th July 2007, 11:41

Good on you Steam.

I'm thrilled that the wee Honda will continue to be used after the expedition through the outback.

**NinjaNanna** · 5th July 2007, 12:09

Steam,

AUSTRALIA is a MASSIVE country (trust me I'm an Aussie and used to live in Townsville, 3 hrs south of Cairns) much bigger than a map might suggest

It may seem romantic to do this on a Postie Bike (taking you literally here) but I suspect in reality this will be boring and at times dangerous!!!

You have said that you intend to stay off the main roads, unfortunately in Australia in the majority of places you intend to ride, there are ONLY main roads.

Personal on this bike I would be concerned by the road trains, distances, perhaps reliability and also the bikes fuel range (particularly in central Queensland, NT, WA, and outback SA).

I honestly think you need to re-think your choice of bike otherwise it could be disasterous and break down could be potentially fatal (and I'm not trying to be dramatic).

I had 2 mates that took a simlar trip to you, one rode a DR650 and the other was on an XR, both fitted with road tyres, they road from Townsville, MT Isa, Alice Springs, Darwin, then to Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville in 6 weeks and loved it.

By the way in case this gets read the wrong way, I am not trying to put you off, I think this will be an experience of a life time, one that I will do someday as well, though I hope it will be when I'm about 50 and on a nice comfortable Gold Wing with my wife on the back.

All that I hope is that you put serious consideration into your choice of bike for this trip and don't let it be a purely financial decision.

Cheers

Shane

**Babelfish** · 5th July 2007, 12:30

Go hard Steam, you are doing something that is definately on my to-do list.

**skelstar** · 5th July 2007, 12:35

Good shit dude. That'll be a life changing/affirming trip. Enjoy!

**Steam** · 5th July 2007, 12:36

Originally Posted by NinjaNanna

AUSTRALIA is a MASSIVE country ...
All that I hope is that you put serious consideration into your choice of bike for this trip ...

Thanks Shane, good points.
I've talked to some Aussies and they initially thought it was nuts but then said "She'll be right cobber", so I'll just take it easy and see. Well, some of them said "she'll be right". The rest still think I'm nuts.

As for suffering a critical breakdown on a remote track somewhere, that's what Epirbs are for. My cousins in Oz have a wee cheap class A one for bushwalking, they said I can borrow it for a while. Locates to within 20km within 24 hours when triggered, so good enough.

Yeah it may be a bit eccentric, but hey, I don't have anything to lose 'cept my life, so it's all good.

**janno** · 5th July 2007, 12:48

Actually, that's a good point. Most of how you get from A to B is main drags - once you've left the eastern coast of Aus there aren't the millions of different ways like in NZ. I'd hate to see ya get squashed by a B double!!

But then people cycle around Aus, so obviously it can be done with a bit of care.

Plus you can't kill those postie bikes with a brick, or so I've been told . . .

Hope we're going to get regular updates?

**slowpoke** · 5th July 2007, 13:07

Originally Posted by Steam

Thanks Shane, good points.
I've talked to some Aussies and they initially thought it was nuts but then said "She'll be right cobber", so I'll just take it easy and see. Well, some of them said "she'll be right". The rest still think I'm nuts.

As for suffering a critical breakdown on a remote track somewhere, that's what Epirbs are for. My cousins in Oz have a wee cheap class A one for bushwalking, they said I can borrow it for a while. Locates to within 20km within 24 hours when triggered, so good enough.

Yeah it may be a bit eccentric, but hey, I don't have anything to lose 'cept my life, so it's all good.

Good luck fella and good on ya for doing what thousands just dream about!

BUT, it's one thing to do the Postie Bike Challenge with lotsa company, support crew etc and it's quite another to be getting in the way of Road trains belting along at 110kph (or more) and having virtually no spares on hand with 100's of km's to the nearest service station.

Maaaaaate, Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance, so do your research and get your head around some of the requirements. If you don't: at best you'll look stoopid....at worst you'll be a dessicated corpse no-one will ever find.

Having said, don't forget to write and tell us how you're doing.

**janno** · 5th July 2007, 13:21

http://postiebikes1.tripod.com/index.htm

The Postie Bike Club of Australia - they do lots of touring on unmodified bikes, so it can be done!

**Drum** · 5th July 2007, 14:08

Meh. I did it in a Cortina, so your postie bike should be ok.

Actually, the Aussie is right. You're going to need to put some good planning into this thing to avoid risking your life.