Solo bike across Australia.

After long two flights, I landed at 9:30 at Adelaide, I managed easily to put back my bike and I head the road around 11:00 up to Port Wakefield. I managed 106 km the first day even with the jet-leg. What a joy was that but I was extremely buggered. I thought the next day I would not move from bed, but it was the opposite, next day I had done even more km. With the occasional small town every 56 to 100km, it's fairly easy to resupply and there I stayed at motels and hotels and I could buy water and food at the gas stations without any issues. It was not easy ride though. I made average of 125 km each day and it hurts a lot but I kept going and pushing. The road trains (3 to 4-trailer trucks) were every where and it got busy when I approached Port Agusta.

It is about 1200 km of nothingness. Emptiness indeed. I had to admit I enjoy it. From time to time it was hard to cope and resist this endless road but I was mentally prepared for that. Not a single village, not a farm or a field, no fences or sign of life on the horizon, not a human being. In Reality nobody can survive here. Only a roadhouse (a gas station combined with a motel or caravan park) every 110-200 km. It takes careful planning to bring enough water/food between every stop, and a lot of mental energy to keep going knowing you won't have any surprises for many, many hours. This part includes the "famous" longest straight section of road: 146 km without a single turn. There I wished for a turn after ca. 60 km ride and it was not a joke. It was the longest and the longest straight ride I could ever imagine. In reality, the whole Nullabor cross didn't seem like having many turns at all.

Here some of road houses were fully booked, the Frazer Range was closed and I had to camp outside with my sleeping bag and no tent.

between Norseman and Esprance. First you're in an area of mines and gold fields, the landscape did not change that much from the Nullabor except from different small trees. From Esprance to Albany and South Perth you start seeing civilization again and this time green fields and hills. Farms, apple fields and wineries everywhere and it seems like a horizon wild Bordeaux area, I just loved the mix of the wild jungle, vineyards and the ocean. This section feels like paradise with its warm climate and green fields. Once I had to camp at the beach it was a good experience and what a joy of freedom to listen to the ocean while sleeping.

Very simple answer: to inspire my family, friends and myself.

To rely on minimalism as much as possible

Mostly very hot and windy. Some days above 42 deg. It made the carrying of sufficient water a real challenge. I would carry up to 4 liters at times. My water got very warm with the heat and some of the caravan and car drivers top up my bottles with cold water (what a joy), which I did a few times when encountering people stopped to ask if I need help or on rest areas. Some days I started my ride at 04:00 in the morning, in the dark. No sun, no wind, no traffic, nobody and the sky full of stars. Those times turned out to be the most enjoyable of all.

Strong winds made some days for me very hard and was one of the big challenges I've ever experienced. No possibilities for hiding from the wind as the whole Nullarbor plateau is open and the wind sometimes pushes me away.

During the night it gets very cold indeed, glad I had some flees with me. Once towards Eucla I experienced heavy rain for a short time.

The Nullarbor plateau, the emptiness and the endless of no man land (with respect to the natives aboriginals, it belongs to the them I guess). The cliffs of the Nullarbor.

The overall allure of this journey is to find yourself in the middle of nowhere, literally. This feeling is like no other when you actually got there on your own (leg) power. It is hard to describe, and even harder to convey through pictures. Finding yourself with no sign of any other human being for hours on end is something we rarely (if ever) get to experience during normal life.

I burned about 4000-6000 kcal a day. That's huge, and it's a challenge by itself how to consume the equivalent amount of food. I stopped only twice to get "real" meal, the rest of the time I consumed whatever I found at the roadhouses such chocolates and biscuits. I ear twice a day and very light food. I bought with me some protein bars which I relied on most of the time. Later I have to rely on whatever I find in gas stations: I tried the whole range of cookies and biscuits, sandwiches (if found) !

The mental and the physical effort of spending 10, 12, up to 14 hours on the bike, takes courage and determination. My body hearts all over and each day but I kept pushing. I was surprised that I could manage all the way and I am very proud of what I achieved. Then the rest is about coping with the conditions, the heat, the wind, the flies that try to get in your face and nose at all time, the loneliness and the emptiness.

Finally, it takes a bit of discipline to plan the day-to-day recovery. The goal every day is to keep going and have good rest sleep to prepare for tomorrow. The good thing when I was buggered and totally exhausted at the end of the each day, tomorrow is a new day and I felt I want to keep doing even better than the previous days. Some days of course I wanted to give up and I couldn’t do more. It takes a good amount of discipline to prepare and plan all the details such food, water,sleep, hygiene, taking care of the gear for sure. These details should not be underestimated and must be planned carefully. Very important advise believe in yourself and listen to your body.

Minimalism was the key during this journey. I packed what I need and not what I want. My practice is simple: First I packed all the items I wanted then I shortlisted what I needed.

I packed the bare minimum to be safe and comfortable. I have very little space on my bike:

Two spare tubes, necessary keys, chain tool, pump/patch kit.

Sleeping bag, flies net and sleeping bag, fleece, and water proof light jacket.

Sun protection and small first aid kit.

4 T-shirts, Sandals, trekking shoes, trekking light trousers and one fleece

Oh Jah. Flat tire after 640 km ride and during a very warm day around 40 degrees. It happened In the area of Wudinna, there is no bike’s shops or workshops so I have to rely on my skills that I haven’t used for ages. I replaced the tube and I fixed the damaged one to keep as a spare (you never know when it happens again) and everything when well after that.

I met many nice people that helped me during this journey by either stopped and asked if I needed help or a ride, interested to find out why am doing this, or by providing me fresh cold water or even sometimes offering me biscuits and chocolates. Those people I admire most, they appreciate adventures and they kept me going with their encouragement and their respect to what I do. Special thanks to all of Margaret, Trevor, Chris, Anthony, Sandy, Peter, Sys, David, Lilian, Julie, Robert, Carmel, Christina, Karen, Laura, James, Jason and last but not least a very special thanks to Chris and Christina from Perth that I met in Kimba, for hosting me the last day of my trip (celebration) and driving me to the airport.