This is my story of a solo unsupported bicycle ride across Australia.

The ride was mostly on dirt roads through the desert centre of western and central Australia and then on more dirt through the great pastoral plains of eastern Australia.

This is the land of Banjo Patterson’s ‘sunlit plains extended‘.

It is also the land where long stretches are still occupied by the direct descendents of the aborigines who have lived here for the last 40,000 years. Meeting these people and hearing of their ways of being ‘in the land’ and of their struggles to reconcile the remnants of their ancient culture with the advantages and temptations of modern life was the highlight of my trip.

Tourists, in everything from farm utes, through high end 4WDs with $60,000 caravans to fully catered tour busses, are the other main population group in this vast area.

The pastoralists, miners and National Park rangers are a small but more or less permanent population out here. It is their presence that makes trips like mine possible through their investments in roads, stock waters and stores.

To all of you, thank you very much for making my trip through your country such a wonderful, uplifting experience. I tried not to trouble you but really appreciated your offers of help and encouragement when you came across an exhausted, hungry, smelly wretch on a bike on a back road somewhere.

Stuart Crombie