Randy and Jody

Pacific Rim Trip

Australia

Sydney to Brisbane

Upper Murray Valley

Great Ocean Road

Canada

Vancouver to Seattle

Vancouver Island

Yellowhead Highway

Other

Victorian Goldfields

Kimberly, Australia

Around Australia by Bicycle

A 20,000 Kilometre bicycle journey by Randy Miller and Jody O'Meara - April 2001 to ?????
Click here for the latest reports from the road.

FAQ

Who is going?
Where are you going?
Why are you going?
Has anyone ever done this before?
Bicycles and Equipment
Weather
Sponsors

The Trip

The East Coast, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns
The Cape York Penninsula
The Gulf Country
Kakadu National Park, Darwin
The Kimberley and the Gibb River Road, Broome
The West Coast, Perth
The South-West
The Nullarbor Highway
The Wine Country, Adelaide
The Great Ocean Road, Melbourne

Who is going?

Jody is from Perth, Western Australia and Randy is from Seattle, U.S.A. Both are experienced cyclists currently living in Melbourne, Australia. Jody and Randy are bicycling around Australia for their honeymoon.

Where are you going?

The trip will begin in Sydney and proceed in a Northerly direction, using backroads and dirt tracks where possible. The trip will end in Sydney 12 to 15 months later.

Why are you doing this trip?

The trip originated as a plan to cross the Top of Australia from Cairns to Broome. This part of Australia is very sparsley populated and remote. It also contains some of Australia's great natural treasures, such as Cape York, Kakadu National Park, the Kimberly, and the Bungle Bungles. As we researched the trip, it became apparent that a bicycle trip across this tropical countryside would be quite demanding. This led to the idea of starting in Sydney to give ourselves a couple months to build up our fitness, acclimate to the tropical heat, and devise a way to carry the large quantities of water we would require to cross the outback. After more research, the idea of continuing all the way around as a honeymoon trip was discussed.

Has anyone ever done this before?

A few crazy people cycle around Australia every year. The main highway around Australia is now entirely sealed and most cyclists stick to this road. We are planning an off-road route across The Top which as far as I know has not been used as part of a round-Australia bicycle trip before.

Bicycles and Equipment

	Randy	Jody
Bicycles	1994 REI Novara Arriba LT (Seattle, USA)	1995 Marin Bear Valley SE (San Francisco, USA)
Deralleurs	front: Shimano LX rear: Shimano XT	front: Shimano STX-RC rear: Shimano XT
Shifters	SRAM Grip Shift 600 (7-speed)
Wheels (all 32-spoke)	front: Velocity Aeroheat AT rear: Sun Rhyno	front: Mavic 220 rear: Ritchey
Hubs (all 32-spoke)	front: Shimano LX rear: Shimano STX-RC	front: Shimano STX-RC rear: Shimano STX-RC
Panniers	front: REI (USA) rear: Wilderness Equipment (Australia)	front: Summit Equipment (Australia) rear: REI (USA)
Handlebar Bag	Topeako	REI (USA)
Tent	Salewa Sierra Leone (Germany)
Sleeping Bag	Pally Paddin 3-season synthetic, zip together to form one large bag. Also, a double-size silk liner.
Stove	Coleman Peak 1 multi-fuel

Weather

The direction and time of year of the trip have been planned to take advantage of seasonal weather patterns and wind direction. The Top has 2 seasons: WET and DRY. To avoid tropical storms, the top should be crossed between June and September (during the DRY). The South Coast is best travelled during the Summer (November to May), although this is not so critical. Prevailing winds will be more favourable for an anti-clockwise route.

Sponsors

Many thanks go out to our sponsors:

Black Satin Chain Lube (Gold River, Canada)

The Brandon Hotel (Carlton, Australia)

Full Sail Brewery (Hood River, USA)

The Priory Lodge (Dongara, Western Australia)
budget accomodation, restaurant, pub, etc phone: (61 8) 9927 1090

Questions, comments, concerns?? E-mail me!! RandyMiller@bigpond.com

Website by RandyMiller@bigpond.com

Last updated 25 February 2001