Cycling Holiday Adventures

After our big cycling adventure of three months through North America in (2005), we decided we wanted to make another big trip soon. One of our dreams was to cycle across Australia. So in 2007 we went on a cycling trip through the heart of Australia.


We started our trip in July and cycled in two months from Adelaide to Darwin. Along the way we visited the Oodnadatta Track, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Devils Marbles, etc.

After a week cycling through Australia, here our first update. We've had some very bad weather the first week in Australia; heavy rain and big stormy weather. But now the weather seems to be clearing and we also are already a bit further up north, expecting drier weather. We've seen our first kangaroos also already. And the Australian people are very friendly; they're all waving to us while we're cycling. We're now in Hawker, only two days before we start on the Oodnadatta Track.
No worries!!!

En route

Finally a message from us!!! We tried to post a new message 6 days ago in Marree, before going on to the Oodnadatta Track. But the Internet Center there was kept closed. But now we're in Oodnadatta, 440 km on the track.
We're in good health and are doing well. We're already get a nice tan driving in the desert sun.
We have stood (and driven) on the lowest point of Australia (12 meters below sea level); South Lake Eyre. A dried up lake with a salt crust. We cycled along the Old Ghan Railway, whereby we see many ruins and old railway bridges.
We also went into the natural spa (29 degrees Celcius) at Coward Springs and we saw the famous Mound Springs (the Bubbler).
Along the track the road gets worse the father we get (much wash-board road). At the bad spots of the road we can only get an average of 13 km/h.
We expect the end of the Oodnadatta track in 3 days; that will be the village Marla.
We meet a lot of friendly people on the track; a lot of waving and honking when the cars pass us by. Some even stop to make a small talk with us.


Passing Road Train


Cycling on towards Marree


Starting on the Oodnadatta Track


On the Oodnadatta Track


Plane Henge


On Lake Eyre


Dust Hazards...


Sunset view from inside of tent


The Pink Roadhouse in Oodnadatta

We completed the ride across the Oodnadatta Track (650 km of dirt road) and we're now in Marla. Tomorrow we start on the Stuart Highway traveling north. The dirt road from Oodnadatta was very sandy and dusty, so we were very glad to be able to take a hot shower here at Marla. We saw many kangaroos during our cycling days.

We've arrived in Erldunda; the crossroad of the Stuart Highway with the road towards Uluru (aka "Ayers Rock"), the Lasseter Highway. We're a bit unlucky, because since Marla, we've only had a strong headwind, and had to do a lot of hard cycling to get this far. But we've made it! We've crossed the state border and left South Australia and cycled into the Northern Territory. At night it has been freezing here in the desert; one night we had ice within our water bottles.

Our equipment is fine; our bicycles are still great, the trailers are functioning perfectly and our tires still have good profiles.


Crossing into the Northern Territory

We're back in Curtin Springs. Yes, we're here the second time. Now on our way back from visiting Uluru and on our way now to Kings Canyon. At Uluru (we stayed at Yulara) we stayed two days; first we visited The Olga's (very big boulder like mountains and very impressive). This was a return trip of 115 km (from Yulara) in one day. The second day we cycled to and around Uluru (about 60 km return trip from Yulara). We made many nice pictures of Uluru.


Mount Conner


The Olga's


Cycling past The Olga's


Uluru (Ayers Rock)


Uluru (Ayers Rock)


Uluru (Ayers Rock)


Wild Camels...


Ernie the Emu at Curtin Springs

Many things have happened since we left Curtin Springs. Our next stop on our route was Kings Canyon. Here we did the Rim Walk (6 km), which was very nice and gave us incredible views.
After this we went onto the Mereenie Loop Road (for which a permit of 2.20 dollar p.p. was required). This was a very bad road with a lot of corrugations. We only did an average of about 10 km/h for the most part of this road (198 km). There was also a very strong headwind while cycling east towards Alice Springs. From Hermannsburg we're on sealed road again and climbing through and across the MacDonnell Ranges into Alice Springs. Now there are "only" about 1500 km left to get to Darwin.


Kangaroos


Start of steep climb of the Kings Canyon Rim Walk


Standing above Kings Canyon


Corrugation (washboard) on the Mereenie Loop Road


Termite Hill


Sunny weather...

We're in Tennant Creek now and only about 1000 km left for we reach Darwin. After Alice Springs we passed the Highest Point of the Stuart Highway (731 m.). And we also crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. We also visited the very spectacular Devils Marbles; very nice!
We even met another cyclist on the Stuart Highway. This Japanese cyclist was cycling from Darwin to Adelaide.
Everything is going well. The wind is not completely blowing in our favour, but we still are getting a good average speed.


Highest Point (731 m.) of Stuart Highway


Tropic of Capricorn


Windmill in sunset


Japanese cyclist on the Stuart Highway


Devils Marbles

We're on the last stretch to Darwin. Now most days we have the wind in our back, and are going well. It's now too warm in the afternoon to cycle, so we start early in the morning at 7 o'clock and finish our cycling day before 2 o'clock in the afternoon just before it's really getting hot.
We met some cyclists on the way, which were all going south; Swiss, South-African, French and Australian. So we're not the only ones cycling the Stuart Highway.
On the way we visited some nice hot spring at Mataranka, The Cutta Cutta Caves and we went canoeing in the Katherine Gorge.


Bitter Springs swimming


Cutta Cutta Caves


Canoeing in Katherine Gorge


Fresh water Croc while Canoeing in Gorge

After 4220 km we've finally arrived at Darwin. Yeah!!!
Now we'll be relaxing in Darwin; do some sightseeing in and around darwin. We've four days left before our flight leaves for home.
It's extremely warm here and with everything we do we sweat a lot, so we try to stay out of the sun as much as possible.
It has been an incredible beautiful and great cycling trip!


Reached Outer Darwin marker


Welcome to Darwin sign


Sunset at Mindil Beach, Darwin

On Saturday 01 September 2007 we arrived by airplane at Amsterdam airport early in the morning. This is sadly the end of an incredible adventure! We had a great time cycling through Australia!

This has been our first cycling holiday where we searched for sponsors. Two sponsors were very friendly by helping us with equipement that made this great cycling adventure through Australia possible: Schwalbe and ExtraWheel.

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The expedition required a lot of bicycle tires: tires for our bicycles, tires for the trailers and two spare tires. This makes a total of 8 bicycle tires. We've been cycling with Schwalbe bicycle tires on many of our cycling trips and always liked these tires. Schwalbe agreed to support us by supplying the bicycle tires. Thank you Schwalbe for your support!

We had no flat tires during our Australian adventure!

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For carrying plenty of water and the supplies for the long trip we each used a trailer. This to relieve the bicycles a little bit and spread the load on a larger surface. The ExtraWheel trailer is an unique trailer: It rolls on a single 26" wheel, similar to the ones on the bicycles. That means one length of spokes, same tires and other parts, not mentioning traction advantages of large 26" wheel compared to tiny 16" of most other trailers. ExtraWheel is able to handle a load of up to 30 kg and despite steel construction weights less than 5 kg, what makes it the lightest single wheel trailer on the market.