Another Bucket List Item

The word “mate” has a long, proud and distinctive history in Australia. From Broome to Omeo, “G’day mate, how ya going?” is the familiar phrase all Australians instinctively understand. Aussie “mateship” can be traced back to the early convicts. In Australia, a “mate” is more than just a friend; it’s a term that implies a sense of shared experience, mutual respect and unconditional assistance.

Sharad Tank definitely meets all the criteria to qualify him as a “mate”. It all began in 1993 when we worked together helping to kick-start a start-up company called Optus. Sharing such an exciting experience together kindled our relationship, which over the years has developed in no small way due to a mutual love of cycling and a fanatical appreciation of that splendid football team called the Sydney Swans.

For several years we have talked about cycling from Sydney to Melbourne. After several weeks of planning and physical conditioning, we are finally setting off on Saturday (4th March 2017) on our 1,270 Km trek. All going well we expect to reach Melbourne in 4 weeks, when we will have much satisfaction and pleasure in ticking off another bucket list item.

Some bike tourers are very ride-focused, so they are on the bike most of the day. Our focus is more on sightseeing, with a spot of fishing and catching up with friends along the way. We have therefore broken up the journey into 25 daily stages (see Route Map), which means we will be averaging just over 50 Km per day. Retirees like us don’t have to concern ourselves with deadlines. If we take longer than 4 weeks it will probably be because the fish are biting too well! And remember, the race is not to the swiftest nor the battle to the strongest but those who endure to the end.

After many solo bicycle tours in Europe in recent years this will be only my second bicycle tour in Australia, having completed the Great Victorian Bike Ride along the Great Ocean Road (accompanied by 5,000 other riders) in 2009. For Sharad this will be his first of hopefully many tours.

What does it mean to be on a cycle tour? Every day you wake, dress, pack your two panniers, eat, check the weather, check the route. Soon you get into a rhythm and you remember how wonderful it is to ride, how simple it all is. Why do we do it … to discover, to escape, to challenge ourselves, to feel free, to experience simplicity. Sharad and I prefer not to struggle up hills on creaking bikes overloaded with tents, cooking utensils, and other camping gear … we are what are known as “credit card tourers” enjoying the comfort of Airbnb and Booking.com accommodation as well as some generous hospitality of friends along the way.

As we wind our way down the magnificent eastern coast of Australia we are looking forward not only to seeing many panoramic beaches and spectacular bushland but also some charming villages and towns along the way, the largest being Traralgon (population approx. 25,000) and the smallest being Genoa and Bemm River (population approx. 300).

In Victoria the highlight will be riding for a distance of 340 Km along five of the Gippsland Rail Trails. Rail trails built on disused or abandoned rail corridors offer cyclists a quiet, safe and scenic path for them to explore some of the most beautiful regional areas in Australia while at the same time learning of the important history of these areas and the rail lines that contributed to the development of this great nation. But sadly, NSW is missing out on the economic and health benefits that rail trails can deliver, because NSW Rail Trails are virtually non-existent. Rail trails have been successfully developed in all other states of Australia and are well established in Europe and America, helping to bind communities and attract tourists. Victoria alone has over 800km of high standard rail trails.

In NSW we have to content ourselves with the NSW Coastal Cycle Trail which, according to the official website, “connects from Coolangatta to Eden”. On the map it shows as a cycleway, but Google Street View reveals that (except for the stretch from Thirroul to Wollongong, and another section from Dalmeny to Narooma) it is nothing more than a marked shoulder along the Princes Highway. Thank goodness for our helmet-mounted rear-vision mirrors!

Tough times are bound to come. We might feel miserable at times but what will get us through is knowing that, at some point in the future, there will be highs to compensate. The forecast for the first few days looks really bad, but moaning about the weather won’t change it. With the right outlook and appropriate clothes to keep us dry we can deal with any weather conditions. But what will help most is “mateship”, which after all is a term frequently used to describe a relationship during times of challenge.

In the challenge that lies ahead your support and encouragement would greatly help two aging cyclists fulfil their dream. Wi-fi permitting there will be a daily upload of our photos and videos as well as a summary of our day’s highlights, which we hope you will enjoy following on my Blog page.