| Australian
Motorcycle Adventures |
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Riding In Australia
| Geography
It's a serious problem. Where
to go? Australia offers a huge variety, from desert to tropical rainforest,
mountain ranges to beaches, cityscape to ghost town.
Australian
Motorcycle Adventures is located in Brisbane, an ideal starting
point for an Australian jaunt. Beyond the Great Dividing Range you
will find the landscape gradually becomes harsher and a lot drier and eventually
this becomes desert.
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1000 km south is Sydney (reputedly
a mosquito infested swamp dividing Victoria and Queensland) from whence
you can ride along the east coast to Melbourne and then along the Great
Ocean Road to Adelaide. This trip is truly spectacular, 300 kms of twisting
and winding road dotted with pretty little holiday towns, breathtaking
cliff-top views, lush forests and dramatic coastal formations including
the awesome Twelve Apostles which rise above the pounding surf near Port
Campbell. The Great Ocean Road ranks as one of the best motorcyling roads
in the country, rivalling the Oxley Highway.
Tasmania is an overnight ferry ride
from Melbourne and in the summer offers magic riding through some of Australia's
most beautiful World Heritage listed national parks with open grasslands,
rainforests, lakes and gorges. Tasmanian events of note include the Targa
Tasmania (a battalion of loonies in Ferraris and Porches barrels around
the island at ludicrous speed) and the quite amazing Pylon Racing, where
another band of refugees from the funny farm play chicken in souped up
Cessnas.
Travelling north of Brisbane takes
you up to the Barrier Reef coastal towns of Mackay, Gladstone, Townsville
and eventually Cairns. Outback takes you to such places as
Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the opal mining towns of Central Australia,
or less well known attractions such as the superb Lawn Hill Gorge and the
Morning Glory of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Key things to remember when planning
your trip are our climate (harsh in an outback summer), and the vast distances
involved. You're not in Kansas anymore!
A little geography
Australia is almost as large as all
of Europe put together, and a good deal larger than Texas. Motorcyclists
on an extended trip around the continent with a diversion into the centre
of Australia generally ride over 20,000 kms. Years ago blokes used
to race around the country, and every couple of years someone would break
the record for the round trip over some of the worst roads and through
the harshest country imaginable. Two coppers finally beat the 10 day mark
(well one did - the other had an altercation with a 'roo) on Z1300's back
in the early 80's. That record stands, and probably will forever. Speeding
is rather frowned upon these days - go fast enough, and they'll lock you
up!
Climate
You will find the climate varies in
Australia just as much as the geography. The climatic conditions vary greatly
throughout the year and will depend on the area you are travelling through.
Beware of travelling through the outback during the
high summer.
| Spring:
September to November
Autumn: March
to May |
Summer:
December to February
Winter: June
to August |
Australian
Motorcycle Adventures does not recommend travel in Central and Northern
Australia during the summer months, as the conditions are ... hot
.. damn hot.
Ideally Central and Northern Australia
should be travelled to during the winter months, when daytime temperatures
range from 15 to 30 degrees. At night it often drops to freezing temperature,
so take your woollies! The area north of The Tropic of Capricorn is subject
to monsoon conditions, with a wet and
dry season. The Wet (November to March) is subject to daily storms
and occasional cyclones. This heavy rainfall makes travel on unsurfaced
roads hazardous if not impossible. The warmer months are perfect for travel
in the coastal areas of NSW, Victoria, Tasmania (if you don't like the
weather, come back in 5 minutes), the Southern coast and areas of South
Australia and Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia. Queensland,
so they say, is beautiful one day, perfect the next.
Road Conditions
Australia has very good highways along
most of the eastern seaboard and across to South Australia, linking the
major cities. The more populated the area, the better the road conditions.
Generally these areas have sealed roads, which can vary from well maintained
highways to narrow sealed country roads. For the dirt bike enthusiast the
secondary roads in the outback and in Central Australia are almost all
unsealed. Fire trails and dirt roads through the Queensland hinterland
and the Great Dividing Range are easily accessed from Brisbane. Whether
you choose a road bike or a dirt bike, there is a wealth of adventure ahead.
Australian
Motorcycle Adventures recommends
that you avoid riding a motorcycle between sunset and sunrise, particularly
at twilight. Riding flat-out at kangaroo feeding time is a known health
hazard. And when camping, watch out for the dropbears.
Motorcycle Insurance
Full comprehensive insurance is provided
on all hire bikes as part of the rental fee.
Personal insurance for the rider
is not provided and is the responsibility of the hirer/rider.
Theft insurance is not available
for motorcycle rentals
Personal Injury/Travel
Insurance
Australian
Motorcycle Adventures recommends
you obtain this type of insurance before departing for Australia.
These policies generally cover you for medical expenses incurred whilst
travelling, and for theft of passport, money and personal effects.
Motorcycle Licence Requirements
An International Licence is the most
convenient and popular method of riding legally in Australia and is available
for short term visitors and holiday tourists. International Licences are
valid for three months from the date of entry into Australia. We will accept
a licence from your own country, providing it clearly defines, in English,
the right of the holder to ride a Motorcycle.
Third Party Personal insurance
This is a component of motor vehicle
registration in Australia. If you are involved in a accident whilst riding
in Australia and you are at fault, then you are insured against any injury
caused by you to another person (including a pillion passenger) in the
event of an accident.
You must never ride or drive an
unregistered vehicle on public roads or lands.
Language
The official language spoken in Australia
is Australian, which consists largely of unprintable monosyllables. For
those who speak other tongues, our multicultural society has a very accessible
telephone interpreting service.
If there is something we haven't
covered, please just ask us and we will help you. Please note that the
insurance comments are a guide only and not legal advice. We suggest you
obtain further information from insurance companies at home regarding personal
and travel insurance.
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