Snowfields to Sandhills
My 2015 Personal Cycling Challenge

Whenever I have told people about my challenge for the Australian Spring of 2015, they say that I am mad, it is too hard, too far or that I am too old!

None of these have worried me greatly, I can shrug them off as  couch-bound comments, but the one question I could not easily answer was “Why do you want to do it?” Until today I had trouble providing a convincing answer.

Finding My Motivation

Today that changed when I realised that what I had most loved about a recent trip to India was that I had no idea of what any one day would bring.

They were all different with a large dose of the unexpected. In that realisation I had my answer. The sound of lights coming on was almost audible. The draw was in the unexpected, not knowing what would happen in the coming 1,700 kilometre (1056 miles) journey through three states and over roads of bitumen, dirt or gravel and crossing the river many times by bridge and ferry.

The thrill will be in attempting the challenge, being self-sufficient and not knowing what the new day brings!

The Basic Plan

In concept, the plan is simplicity itself and has only three parts to it.

• Plan for the unknown over the next nine months.
• In October, hire a car, drive myself, my bike, my gear and (hopefully) my dog to Canberra.
• Leave the car, pack everything including the dog (again, hopefully) onto the bicycle and ride back alone.

Simple enough!

At least that is how I hope it will be.

The Murray River Route

Until I started planning the ride I had not known that my route was along the third longest river in the world, exceeded only by the Amazon and the Nile. But I did know that I will be cycling through some of the most beautiful country in the world.

For the first half I will be switching back and forth between New South Wales and Victoria to avoid main roads and passing through as many national parks as possible. The last half will be in South Australia through to returning home in Adelaide.

Accommodations and Camping

More than likely about two-thirds of my nights will be spent in bush camps, alongside the river under an iconic River Red-gum where convenient and permitted.

Camping should be relatively easy (and free) along most of the river but there may be exceptions. There are also many towns along the route, reducing the need to carry large quantities of food or water.

I may be able to drink the river water depending on algae growth and water flow, but if winter rains have been scarce, then the river will also be at a lower level than in a wet season forcing me back to bottled water.

Terrain and Daily Progress

Thankfully the route will be relatively flat, with the first two days through the Blue Mountains the most challenging section.

After that section I will be looking forward to gentle rides along service roads or atop water levees where I can enjoy the scenery, hopefully without putting myself or the bike and dog trailer into the water.

Allowing for a daily average of 90-100 kilometres covered, I am planning to complete the ride in about twenty-four days, including the drive over and rest days.

Final Planning Stages and Acknowledgments

I am still undecided about the exact route and so this may change, as will where I expect to stop each night. No doubt this embryonic idea will grow over the coming months with any number of unforeseen complications, but in early October, I hope to be on my bike, taking the long way home from Canberra.

Before closing, I must thank Cycle Trails Australia for their series “20 Epic Bike Touring Adventures (in Australia)” that inspired this challenge. Their posting on another’s Murray River ride from Goolwa (SA) to Jindabyne (NSW) is what got me thinking of doing it myself and the writer’s notes were invaluable in conceiving this challenge.