Sunday, September 09, 2007

Itinerary

A Rough Plan.....
I have devised an approximate schedule so that I can roughly keep
track of whether I am ahead or behind schedule, based on an estimated
total distance of 19,000 km ridden in 340 days i.e. 56 km (35
miles)/day. Given the probable route this suggests that give or take a
few days I will be in the following places at the given times:
- leaving Perth 6 Oct 07
- Albany 16 Oct
- Esperance 27 Oct
- Norseman 1 Nov
- Ceduna 23 Nov
- Port Lincoln 3 Dec
- Port Augustus 7 Dec
- Adelaide 12 Dec
- Mt Gambier 20 Dec
- Melbourne 1 Jan
- Canberra 20 Jan
- Lithgow 27 Jan
- Tamworth 5 Feb
- Warwick 12 Feb
- Brisbane 16 Feb
- Brisbane dep 1 Mar
- Rockhampton 13 Mar
- Townsville 24 March
- Cairns 31 March
- Cooktown 7Apr
- week off! 15 March
- Mareeba 20 April
- Normanton 1 May
- Mt Isa 12 May
- Tenant Creek 23 May
- Katherine 1 June
- Darwin (via Kakadu NP) 15 Jun
- Darwin dep 20 June
- Katherine 26 June
- Kununurra 10 June
- Derby 20 July
- Broome 23 July
- Port Headland 3 Aug
- Nanutarra 17 Aug
- Carnarvon 24 Aug
- Geraldton 3 Sept
- Perth 12 Sept
- Rottnest Island to 15 Sept

Only 3 weeks to go now and it's been non-stop! Not only hectic at
work, but busy in the evenings too - there seems to be so much to do.
Hopefully the worst of the planning is over.

I'm just back after a holiday with Lyn - we've been down near Dumfries for the last week, and this was the first break I've had this year apart from the odd day off. I have been saving my paid holidays to take off during my years leave, so that I will only lose
11 months pay instead of 12. What with work and home I seem to be
spending every waking hour in front of the computer. I expect all the
stress will seem worthwhile once I'm underway.
At times I'm finding the whole idea of cycling around Australia quite
nerve-wracking if I'm honest with myself - it seems such a big
commitment - then at other times I feel I can't wait and feel quite
confident.

I've finally managed to send e-mails from the PDA via the
mobile phone, using the phone as a modem. I've just placed this posting here just as I will in Australia, by (1) typing the text up on the Dell Axim PDA via portable bluetooth keyboard (using the superb Textmaker software, which is better than Word Mobile), (2) connecting PDA to mobile phone and navigating to my gmail web e-mail account, and (3) copying and pasting this text into an e-mail and sending to my blogspot dedicated e-mail address. I was pleased that this average-sized e-mail only cost 11p to send, so this process will be fairly cheap, and more useful in the many places where there will be a mobile signal but no internet cafe available. In any case the latter can be expensive, although some states offer free browsing in libraries / telecentres where available. I will need to buy a new Sim card in Perth on arrival - this will mean phone calls and e-mails will be much cheaper than using a British one.

Anyway that's all for now, more later.

5 comments:

Niall O'Callaghan said...

Hi there,

I'm really looking forward to reading about your travels. i myself will be cycling from Cape Tribulation to the 12 Apostles in January 2009, so I am keen to see how you get on through this stretch, especially road surfaces and contours etc. I'm also keen to know if you decide to choose a trailer or not. You seem to have a lot of gadgets to carry, and a trailer may be the perfect platform to rest the solar panel during the day as you cycle.
Have you thought about the bob yak? I'm due to receive mine this week (can't wait!), I decided to get used to it over the next year before heading out there. Anyways, on www.bobtrailers.com you can see where to buy one, should you choose this option, you could always buy it from a shop in Melbourne/Sydney and have them ship it to ya in Perth. just an idea anyway.

another thing i was wondering is if at some time you could post a final list of equipment you are bringing and maybe later on through the cycle, any problems or positive things that happen with the gear etc.

the very best of luck to you,

Niallo

Nicolai said...

Hi David...

Just wanna wish you the best of luck with your bicycle adventure. You'll have a blast I'm sure...

I'm a Danish guy (31) cycling around the world, just arrived in Darwin yesterday. Heading for Alice Springs and Adelaide next week.

Maybe I'll see you down at the other end of Stuart Hwy!

Nicolai

www.worldtravellers.dk

Anonymous said...

Hi David,

Picked up your link on the Thorn Cycling Forum, and checked out the comments.

I live in Geraldton, W.A. , done some touring around the country and should be still home by the time you get back 'round this way, maybe can pop into the Permaculture Nursery and Research Farm, in Geraldton which I help out at/hang about.

Also had a mate just get back a couple of months ago from around Aust. in same direction as you are taking.

Niallo, advice is good on the trailer I've had a BOB Yak and now the suspension model for touring over the years (Aust. and NZ) and highly recommend them. Just make sure sure that you keep the heavy stuff at the bottom on the trailer, take spare trailer Skewer and mounting pins if you decide to go that way. You should be able to score one in Perth, they even have sold them in Geraldton!

I ride a Thorn catalyst now with Rohloff HUB and that seems to be the way to go for me.

So yeah, I'd be keen to read up on your travels, and thoughts.

Apart from Permaculture and Energy Descent, I'm also reading Ken Wilber, maybe you can pick up a copy of his Theory of Everything, or more entirely spirituality focused publications as one of the books you can easily pack in a BOB trailer. Then again maybe you've hooked into him, already and cycling around Aust. to think it all through, as well as generate critical support for WaterAid.

Ok, read what your doing soon, Cheers, Johnny B.

Davidddinoz said...

Hi Johnny, thanks for the words. Ken Wilber I have to admit I've never read (and I've read a lot of spiritual stuff) so I may try TofE if I can pick a copy up in Perth. It's been hard to choose which (couple of) books to haul thouigh - they are so heavy! I'll plump for Lonely Planet Oz for starters.

Look forward to hearing from you again in the future. Did your friend write up his tour of Oz?

cheers, David

Anonymous said...

David,

No write up on the web, but the fella here - Paul Dodson, got in the front page of our local rag.

I crossed paths on the road a guy a few years ago (Ralf?) in Warradargee north of Perth, who documented it all for National Geographic Australia. It was a good write up, maybe you can find an on-line copy.

Cheers, Johnny.