Australia is a big place.

Much of it is sparsely inhabited, quiet and with only the most basic of roads, phones and other services. However it is developing rapidly, roads are being tarmac’d, phone services improved and the population losing many of the larger than life characters of more isolated times.

So no better time than to grab a bike, a sleeping bag and head outback.

In 2016 I rode from Perth to Cairns along mostly dirt roads including the famous Great Central Road to Uluru, the Finck road to Dalhousie Springs and Oodnadatta and finally past the Burke and Wills Dig Tree to Banjo Patterson’s Winton and on to Cairns.

In 2017 a small group of friends and I will ride from Cairns across the bottom of the Gulf of Carpentaria to Cairns. On the way we will visit the limestone caves at the old mining town of Chillagoe, the lava tubes at Undarra, the gorges and fossil fields at Lawn Hill, pass the historic cattle property of Wollogorang and the roadhouse at Hells Gate, and the fabulous wilderness national parks at Litchfield and Jabiru.

We aim to finish in the last two weeks of August after 8-10 weeks of relaxed riding.