Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Non-Thorn Related => Topic started by: il padrone on June 25, 2012, 02:32:56 PM
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how did the cyclist do years ago when this gear wasn't available.
i often seen lads on old steel bikes with one or two bags touring the world how the hell did these guys do it, makes you wonder.
This bloke (Jerome Murif) was the first person to cycle across Australia from Adelaide to Darwin. I'm not sure what extra gear he carried (or how) but I doubt it was too much more. Fixed gear riders did not use panniers - they needed to be able to swing off the back if the bike got out of control on a descent. I believe in those days there were a lot more taverns and shanties for horse riders and wagons to stop overnight at, but not many at all in central Australia.
(http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/images/B61438.jpg)
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This bloke (Jerome Murif) was the first person to cycle across Australia from Adelaide to Darwin. I'm not sure what extra gear he carried (or how) but I doubt it was too much more. .... I believe in those days there were a lot more taverns and shanties for horse riders and wagons to stop overnight at, but not many at all in central Australia.
(http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/images/B61438.jpg)
For a long time I held the record from Adelaide to Darwin -- there and back, a 3760 mile trip that few people in Britain can envisage. The average was over 100mph, and the Falcon GTHO in which I did it expired from heat exhaustion as I returned it to the driveway of the owner.
Between the four of us in the car, we started out from Adelaide with about a hundred times as much food and water as could be fitted into Mr Murif's visible luggage, and added more whenever the opportunity offered. Horse riders and wagons did not venture through the heart of Australia often enough for there to be taverns -- the towns even today are few and far between, certainly too far for several days' riding on a horse or a bike. Any journeys made through there before automobiles were made by camel train, and Norm Shearlaw, the prospector who struck the big bauxite deposits, told me the camel-trains were self-sufficient -- more precisely, he didn't tell me because it wasn't necessary; self-sufficiency was the explicit subject of the conversation. Until the First World War, and for some time afterwards, Australia had more camels than Arabia did. (Lawrence of Australia doesn't quite have the same ring...)
We can see on the photograph that Mr Murif's clothes are not clean...
I also travelled by car all the way around the coastline of Australia, camping, and in my opinion (I have substantial African and South American experience, including walking out of the Namib Desert after my convoy was destroyed) it would be virtually impossible for someone to live off the land without indigenous assistance. It is not generally understood that, if you live off the land, even if you know what you're doing, just finding water and food can consume your entire day, slowing you down tremendously.
What there was though, in Mr Murif's time, and still are, were huge farmsteads every few hundred miles, and a cult of hospitality. I don't know the details, but I think it likely that Mr Murif rode from homestead to homestead, and would have been sent on his way after a few days rest with enough food and water to get him to the next homestead.
All the same, it must have been a fraught adventure to cycle out there. Forget roads, or even trails from camel trains; I seriously doubt if they passed often enough to cut a track. I suspect that what Mr Murif rode on were cattle or sheep trails, and these would naturally lead him toward the homestead because that's where the services were centralised. All the same, the opportunities for becoming terminally lost were clearly very substantial.
I understand why Dan would rather abort his trip than go into a desert without enough water and food to see him through.
Andre Jute
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For a long time I held the record from Adelaide to Darwin -- there and back, a 3760 mile trip that few people in Britain can envisage. The average was over 100mph, and the Falcon GTHO in which I did it expired from heat exhaustion as I returned it to the driveway of the owner.
Quite an achievement I'd say, if it was back in the days of the GTHO. Roads were pretty bad back then. Was it all-sealed to Darwin?
Horse riders and wagons did not venture through the heart of Australia often enough for there to be taverns -- the towns even today are few and far between, certainly too far for several days' riding on a horse or a bike.
What Jerome may have been able to rely on would have been the fettlers camps (almost small towns) along 'The Ghan' rail line to Alice Springs, and north of Alice perhaps some maintenance camps on the Overland Telegraph line.
Until the First World War, and for some time afterwards, Australia had more camels than Arabia did. (Lawrence of Australia doesn't quite have the same ring...)
Still do have more than Arabia I believe. Various estimates, some as high as 2 million - they all ran wild. Australia is a land of feral creatures.
We can see on the photograph that Mr Murif's clothes are not clean...
He wore a pair of pyjamas over his clothing -
Typically male cycling club members uniform seems to have been shirt, vest, jacket, knickerbockers, stockings, cycling shoes and cap. Flies could be very troublesome and some long distance riders tried fly nets and goggles to keep them at bay. Murif didn't conform to this standard of dress. For comfort he wore pyjamas and carried a spare pair to change into before arriving at telegraph or pastoral stations on the way. But he also wore high topped boots rather than shoes to prevent sand getting into them while he was pushing the bicycle across sand dunes.
http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1293
What there was though, in Mr Murif's time, and still are, were huge farmsteads every few hundred miles, and a cult of hospitality. I don't know the details, but I think it likely that Mr Murif rode from homestead to homestead, and would have been sent on his way after a few days rest with enough food and water to get him to the next homestead.
I do think this was the key to a lot of early cycle expeditioners' success, but I am still amazed at how lightly they travelled. Photos in the book "The Bicycle and the Bush" (http://www.starhillstudio.com.au/the_bicycle_and_the_bush) taken of overlanders on their journeys in out of the way places routinely show them carrying not much more than I would pack for a weekend tour....... staying at a pub..... with meals provided! These were often men out on journeys of 2-9 mnths and more.
Bush workers
(http://www.starhillstudio.com.au/Blakeley,%20Fred%201908.jpg)
Francis Birtles
(http://www.starhillstudio.com.au/Birtles%20100%20mile%20point%20out%20of%20Bourke%201910%202.jpg)
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Quite an achievement I'd say, if it was back in the days of the GTHO. Roads were pretty bad back then. Was it all-sealed to Darwin?
We should have been so lucky. Forty years ago you had to be addicted to a diet of red dust and danger to go on that road. The cattle-trains, big haulers with twelve or fourteen trailers, would be barreling along at 80-90mph and you'd have zero visibility as you passed them. You just had to pray that you didn't meet another cattle-train coming the other way in the dust. I went bush more than once; not recommended.
Fascinating material in your post that I didn't know.
If there was a railroad or a telegraph line to follow, that was some of the hard work and the danger taken out of the ride by the surveyors and engineers who went before Jerome Murif. Still, a huge achievement. (When I was offered a bet of hundred grand that I couldn't repeat my Adelaide-Darwin-Adelaide ride, with plenty of fellows from my choir at The Feathers willing to back me, I smiled condescendingly at the quarterwit challenging me, and said, "That's what distinguishes us. I'm brave. I'm not stupid." Even today that is still a dangerous journey in a car, never mind on a bike.)
Hey, Dan, have you taken the tip about the pyjamas? Sounds like Murif was one of the great lateral thinking cyclists! I would choose loose cotton pyjamas, but those among us with a roadie background might want to consider tight fitting knitted polyester.
Fascinating photographs of bush workers on bicycles, carrying spare rubber around their chests.
Thanks for a most palatable and entertaining history lesson, il Padrone.
Andre Jute
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Hey, Dan, have you taken the tip about the pyjamas? Sounds like Murif was one of the great lateral thinking cyclists! I would choose loose cotton pyjamas, but those among us with a roadie background might want to consider tight fitting knitted polyester.
Ah, Andre, I'm prepared! I've a genuine Punjabi suit, equally suited for hot weather!
Best,
Dan. (who just may take my next desert ride in pyjamas!)
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Ah, Andre, I'm prepared! I've a genuine Punjabi suit, equally suited for hot weather!
Best,
Dan. (who just may take my next desert ride in pyjamas!)
And i bet you'll be cooler in your genuine Punjabi suit than in lycra! Not to mention so much better protected from the sun.
Il Padrone also provided this quotation from SA Memory
[Murif] also wore high topped boots rather than shoes to prevent sand getting into them while he was pushing the bicycle across sand dunes.
http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1293
Mmm. I remember sitting in politician's pool at a barbecue and being horrified at how the muscle on the calves of several now-rich prospectors had been eaten away by snake venom. Those high-laced boots, and even puttees, are still today seen on people who walk off the roads outside the city boundaries in Austalia, surveyors, prospectors, farm workers. 19 of the world's 20 most lethal animals live in Australia, many of them are aggressive snakes, and the ones who aren't aggressive will strike if startled, so the practical difference isn't much. I guess there was a secondary reason, besides sand getting in shoes, for Murif wearing high-laced boots: protection against striking vipers.
Andre Jute
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Thanks for the great thread il Padrone!
You may know this site il Padrone, but thought I would share it for those who follow in the footsteps, or tyre tracks, of the pioneers!
http://www.cycletrailsaustralia.com (http://www.cycletrailsaustralia.com)/
Lovely site it is too!
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Ahah! Found the reference I had been thinking about with the reference to 'negotiations' with the aborigines - it was Donald Mackay, not Jerome Murif. Mackay was an extraordinary rider. He set a record for riding around Australia (but not the first - Arthur Richardson beat him to that) . After riding into Perth, where Arthur Richardson had already become the first to cycle around the continent, he then proceeded to ride home..... to Brisbane (halfway around the continent) in a blistering 50 days to achieve the record for fastest time.
From Life on the road (http://richardtulloch.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/tough-ride-tougher-rider-donald-mackay-and-his-dux-bike/)
In 1899 Donald Mackay set the record time for cycling around the Australian coastline, riding 17,703km (11,000 miles) in 240 days, 7 hours and 30 minutes.
He wasn’t the first to do it; Arthur Richardson completed his circuit a month ahead of Mackay, but Mackay was faster.
Interviewed about his feat, Mackay told tales of near-death experiences from hunger and thirst, and encounters with hostile Aborigines.
‘Suddenly a spear came whizzing over our heads, and we at once opened fire on the dusky gents. We took pot shots wherever we saw a head appear above the boulders. For a while things looked rather dicey, but the revolvers had a good effect, and the blacks decamped.’
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Great stuff, Padrone!
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By pure coincidence, this story is on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) site today....
http://www.abc.net.au/bestof/?WT.svl=bestOfScroller#s3553137
It seems the current estimated camel count is circa one million.
I drove from Brisbane to Darwin in 1973 and although I took it a little more gently than Andre I do recall the thrills of overtaking the road trains on the way. It requires a loooong stretch of straight road to negotiate the manoeuvre. Occasionally a road train will overtake another road train.... best to hang well back.
There is now an Audax Raid from Port Augusta to Darwin. http://preview.tinyurl.com/buaa7o5
Not quite as long as Adelaide to Darwin but still sufficiently challenging.
Cheers,
pj
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PeterJ, Pete (Il Padrone), Andre,
Your photographs, stories, and accounts have me absolutely on the edge of my seat, and so has Andre's account of his rally-raid across the country. For many of us, Australia is the stuff of dreams and legends, and we're good to eat up as much as you might dish out. The country -- with its varied geography and natural features, its peoples and lifestyle -- represent a sort of Last Frontier and the very essence of, well, "Adventure".
My personal interest in the continent was kindled in the 2nd grade when my best friend moved with his parents to Australia. We corresponded for years, and he was a promising swimmer on-track for an Olympic career until health issues intervened. He returned stateside for a visit or two in his adult career as a catering chef for touring rock bands. He now lives stateside about half of each year, and we recently made re-contact via Facebook, where he is an ardent fan of televised basketball and (American) football at my local uni, watching the same games on cable and computer. Small World(WideWeb).
With that in mind, I hope you'll indulge a question or two about those road trains and cycle-touring from someone who as an adult is still starry-eyed about the country. When on a bike, how do you deal with the road trains? Do they give any leeway as you ride the shoulder? Are you left in their wake choking on dust, or are they good to slow on passing (or simply go at-speed right past you)? How are motorists to deal with?
Here in my NW corner of the 'States, motorists seem to take a perverse delight in adjusting their closing speeds so they pass opposite one another at the same time they pass me. The latest laugh is for oncoming, passing cars to come head-on toward me as I ride, dropping a full tire width over "my" white fog-line and onto the shoulder where I'm riding as they close at passing speeds. It is surely unnerving, and dangerous. Hopefully, the car and road-train drivers are more considerate of you.
All the best,
Dan.
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(http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/attachments/mustang-lounge/4887d1094688283-flying-my-mustang-road_train-800.jpg)
Road trains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9JbHZXaJU). Watch from 5:00 for some oncoming encounters on narrow pavement. With road trains people generally pull over and let them stay on the tar.... to save their windscreens :o
I have no real experience of road trains on the bike. Generally I have found long-distance truck drivers to be the most conscientious drivers on the roads - as long as you give them notice and place yourself out on the road lane to persuade them to overtake with ample room. They will always go right into the next lane. Done with a reasoned and fair assessment of other traffic, distances etc of course.
The road trains are another thing altogether I believe. They are carrying such a load, with the added risks of jack-knifing and simply being unable to stop or slow the train that you need to give them room, on a bike or in a car. Slow, pull off into the gravel, or stop entirely for a few seconds. Not such an issue on main highways but it is wise on all narrow tar or gravel roads. Happily most of the truck traffic is on main highways or around mining operations. They will be less frequent on gravel backroads. We encountered no road trains at all in the 700kms of gravel riding we did from Leigh Creek and out along the Oodnadatta Track. Later after my fall, my mate Rob did find the noise from them, at night when he was camping along the Stuart Hwy, to be so disturbing he pulled the pin and caught the bus the 400kms to Alice Springs.
The overtaking/oncoming?? Well you're only a bike eh! Yes, one of the more disturbing of road behaviours (not from truckies, mind, always cars and SUVs). I've had it a few times on main highways when there is no traffic behind me. I've always wanted to predict it, and pull out the water bottle to squirt a gusher at their windscreen - be great to catch an open window ;D Or just throw the bottle to bounce it off the windscreen.
I hate the bald-faced arrogance of them. People with mindsets like this were the bane of our riding on outback gravel roads too - the kitted up SUV, whip aerials, driving lights, plumbers kit boxes on the back; careering along at 110kmh on a loose gravel road flinging stones and dust everywhere. Refusing to slow down at all as they came on, despite any waving by us to do so, nor even when we rode out into the middle of the road towards them. Rob was on the verge of hurling rocks at them, but after a bad burst of them going into Arkaroola, we had less trouble with these 'dudes' the more remote we got.
[edit] As for big trucks...... and then there was this!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K1tAcAS8zY&feature=fvwrel) :o :o
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There is now an Audax Raid from Port Augusta to Darwin. http://preview.tinyurl.com/buaa7o5
Not quite as long as Adelaide to Darwin but still sufficiently challenging.
By golly, I love an understatement!
Road trains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9JbHZXaJU). Watch from 5:00 for some oncoming encounters on narrow pavement. With road trains people generally pull over and let them stay on the tar.... to save their windscreens :o
Oh, such beautiful roads. But notice the raw red earth beside. And those are of course near the big conurbations. Back in the day the roads looked more like at the end of Pete's video.
The thing about professional long distance truckies is that their licences are immensely valuable. They are therefore perforce the best and most considerate drivers. I love them. But you must make clear that you expect to be treated like another vehicle, and that you will be equally considerate as soon as you can. And, in close traffic, you must remember that visibility out of those cabs is very poor. The trucker that cut you off probably didn't see you. Try to place your bike where he can see you; I also find making eye contact and smiling very useful and I've noticed that from the second time they see me, the locally-resident transcontinental truckies will block other traffic at a busy roundabout to let me through on a clear lane.
Ah, the sun just came out. Bye, I'm off for a ride.
Andre Jute
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In today's edition of The Australian:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/gallery-e6frg6n6-1226436912049?page=1
The accompanying story is a "pay per view" thing and I don't subscribe to the Australian on line. I will scan the hard copy and post it later in the week.
RERgards,
pj
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Oh, nicely found, Peter!
The photos came up okay for me, along with the captions. My favorite was Bathard's quote, "What I find exhilarating is that everything gets stripped down to the basics. It's the ultimate simple life".
That's really what touring is all about, in one statement all tied up neatly with a bow.
Beautiful scenery, and a nice setup he has. Lots of bottled water -- understandably!
Best,
Dan.
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There is an easy way to get around these paywalls - copy the article title into Google and hey presto, up it comes! But shhhh, don't tell the media barons.
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Where he has been for the past month, on tracks in the Northern Territory and Queensland, he sees an average of about two cars or two trucks a day.
"I wash my hands in the dirt, I can smell rain well before I can see it or feel it when I'm out here," he said.
Epic cycle adventurer!
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Coincidentally I've just returned from a 'bit of a jolly' in the Top End. I managed to try the new Darwin - Rural cycle track that follows the path of the old north australian railway. It is a joy to ride and it winds its way through bits of bush too so you are likely to encounter all sorts:seriously fit squaddies from a nearby barracks, lizards, mozzies and local residents, how shall we say, 'in an advanced state of refreshment'
The NT is harsh place and cycling there requires access to copious amounts of water. You also need to cover up well from the harsh sun and high UV levels. Even with sealed roads it is a tough ride, on dirt roads it would be a sure test of intestinal fortitude and personal resolve.
I have mapped out a future ride in my minds eye that might be of interest to others and consists of a ride into Litchfield Park to visit the many swimming, watering holes that pepper the area. The presence of so much water makes a quite testing trip very doable. Combine that with good camping, no crocs and the sheer beauty of the area its a very attractive proposition. Only if you can do heat and harsh though!
Here's link: http://en.travelnt.com/explore/darwin/litchfield-national-park.aspx
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I have mapped out a future ride in my minds eye that might be of interest to others...
Oh, yes indeed!Only if you can do heat and harsh though!
Gettin' ready! I knew there was a reson why I do desert touring here...
So glad you had a chance to see a bit of the continent, Ian. Your links sent me scurrying, and I'm looking at those maps with an acquisitive eye to the future myself, wishing I could add the experiences in them soonest!
Best,
Dan.
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Back in 1993, I cycled from Townsville to Darwin, took me five weeks!
I was meant to cycle from Melbourne to Darwin but had knee trouble and had to take a break for a month when I got to Sydney, then took the train north from there up to Cairns as I got my knee back in working order.
Great experience out on the road in the outback though and fantastic sleeping out under the stars.
I never found the road trains a problem, you could hear them coming for a mile or two away and had plenty chance to pull over til they were past. At that time I think they were limited to three trailers, in Queensland and the Northern Territory anyway.
I had to carry water for about two days between roadhouses, which was about 12 litres.
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Hi Pete
looking at this thread and the links, I can see why you prefer a solidly built bike with bullet proof rims!
In this link Frank van Rijn has an interesting anecdote about near death mishap in Padrone/Danneaux type hostile country. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDHRwzMbcuI&feature=channel&list=UL
Interesting chap.
Ian
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Our planned route cycling through the Red Centre (http://www.bikemap.net/route/1361010#lat=-24.757847314646&lng=133.064655&zoom=7&maptype=terrain) - 1600kms and departure is now just 4 weeks away :). We fly to Alice Springs (and here's hoping my Extrawheel will pack in the box with the bike) then head out to the Western MacDonnells, Mereenie Loop Road, Kings Canyon, Uluru then across to the Stuart Hwy, Finke and Old Andado Station to return via the western edges of the Simpson Desert.
Looking forward to the adventure.
(http://static.panoramio.com/photos/1920x1280/2904879.jpg)
(http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/12970381.jpg)
(http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/70216596.jpg)
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Looking forward to the adventure.
Oh, Boy! And so are we, Pete! Please take lots of photos to show us upon your return.
Any chance we coud see a packing list? Particularly interested in how much food and water you'll carry and where/how.
'Sure do wish you all the best, Pete, hoping it will be a grand time full of fun adventure with a safe return. Do take care!
All the best,
Dan.
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Heading off to 'The Alice' in just 6 days now ;D
Here is some nicely put together footage of one guy's journey by recumbent trike (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=N1x5DM7vr8E), across Australia from Sydney to Perth. The scenes, terrain and wildlife are classic Aussie touring.
Oh, yeah Dan... packing list! Well I do have one that is pretty comprehensive and used universally.
Tools
6” shifting spanner
pliers
2 tyre levers
Topeak Alien multi-tool
8mm spanner
chain tool
6mm allen key
spoke key
cassette remover
screw driver (dual head)
cleaning brush
puncture repair kit
tyre boot
Spares
gear & brake cables
spokes (inside handlebar)
headlight bulb
brake pads
adhesive tape
zip ties (asstd. sizes)
baling wire
hose clamp
steel rod (5 x 110mm)
assorted nuts & bolts
2 spare tubes
spare tyre
grease tub
chain lube
Camping & Cooking
tent
groundsheet
extra rain fly
Exped Synmat
candle lantern
camp stool
stove & fuel
cooking set (w/pot grip, matches, lighter, dishwashing liquid)
mess kit
serrated knife
cutting board
wooden spoon
water purification tablets
Ortlieb collapsible bucket
6L water bag
sleeping bag
silk sleeping sheet
Clothes - cycling
T-shirts x 3
cycling jersey
knicks x 2
Juggernauts shorts
lycra tights
thermal underwear
socks x 4
cycling jacket
fleece top
Showerspass rain jacket
Netti overpants
cycling shoes
cycling mitts
Clothes - casual
shirt
jeans/travel pants
sandals/street shoes
sun hat
Personal toiletries
toothbrush )
toothpaste )
shaver )
soap ) all in kit bag
shampoo )
pocket knife)
ear plugs )
bath plug )
travel towel
first-aid kit
small roll toilet paper
folding trowel
Food storage
assorted plastic food jars
snap-lock bags
insulated lunch pack
Extra items
Ipad and charger
Go Pro Hero
Powermonkey Extreme cache battery
Garmin eTrex Vista Hcx GPS
Various chargers and leads
LED head torch
digital camera
fly net
thermometer (clipped outside handlebar bag)
compass
maps & map pocket
ocky straps
pens
mp3 player
book to read
cycle bidons
bike computer
1.5L water bottle
stuff sacks
sunglasses
UV blockout
RID insect spray
spare batteries
pegless clothesline
Winter Gear
(Most of this will not be taken, just maybe the skull cap)
Super-roubbaix skull cap
Polarfleece jacket
thermal gloves
waterproof ski gloves
Kinetix longs
overboots
Lots of little bits and pieces that make it look a lot more bulk than it is. Food is another issue altogether. We need to keep the weight down on the air flight so will be buying all in Alice Springs for the next 7-8 days. We'll be pretty dependent on what's available up there - it is a big place with supermarkets etc, but funny things happen in the outback towns, eg. on the Mawson Trail the wholemeal bread disappeared around Quorn in the SA Mid-north, so it was the 'white death' after that. After Leigh Creek we could get no more breakfast muesli, so we did porridge from then on. After our first 8 days out of Alice we will be buying food from resort shops at Kings Canyon and Uluru, from highway roadhouse stores, and from a couple of very small township stores. The range is going to be severely restricted I'd expect, and the prices pretty high :( :-\
For water we are both carrying a couple of 750ml bidons, a 1.5L bottle and two 10L water bladders. 23L each. This should be enough for us to get by without any water for two nights/three days, on past experience, as long as it doesn't get too hot in the day - currently 25-30 degrees C in Alice. We will only use the full capacity for two sections of 3 days each. There are sufficient roadhouses and also some bores that we can get water on most days, and apparently in the NT there are roadside water tanks provided at roadside rest areas... like this:
(http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/pics/docs/00/00/84/47/small/27-October-2011.JPG?v=2)
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Oh boy, Pete <Dan rubbing hands in glee> just six more days till your departure! This is really exciting, and I wish you all the best, with fun times and a safe return.
Pete, you've really outdone yourself in providing that packing list for us to see -- well done! It looks very reasonable to me, with everything you need and nothing you don't, and therefore about as light as you'd want to go, given the conditions, terrain, and climate. You'll be "away" for some time, and so it is natural you'd need to beef up your stores of food and water.
I'm especially interested in the water end of things as well as the food. Once again, for the conditions and weather, our experiences mirror each other. I'd say you're about spot-on with the water, and maybe (as you say) "...as long as it doesn't get too hot in the day". The weather in Alice sounds pretty encouraging at this point; I hope it continues at that level and no hotter for you.
Pete, I've read some of the water available can be sort of salty-tasting and not always free in roadside cafes and such (bottled water sounded expensive in the last account I read). Can you do what I've done and take bottle into the restrooms and dip fresh water out of the toilet tank? On a trip I took several years ago, I found to my dismay that my 1l water bottles couldn't be filled from the sink! They were too tall. Ever since, I've packed a flexible silicone measuring cup to "dip" water from shallow sources and hen transfer it to the bottles. Works a treat.
Once again, I surely thank you for so generously sharing your photos and others that show the magnificent areas where you'll be touring and have gone on past tours. I think the Australian Outback must surely be one of the most beautiful places on earth, and there is so much variety -- truly exotic compared to what I'm used to. You're a talented photographer, and your scenes always convey a sense of immediacy, as if I were along on the trip and looking through a little window to join you and your companions in the moment. I'm really looking forward to seeing more upon your safe return. Will you be posting them on BNA as well, or on a Flickr or Picasa/Google site?
Boy, that packing list is gold, Pete, and very much appreciated. Please do take care. Will you have cell-phone coverage for at least part of the way? Hoping you can stay in touch with loved ones from time to time.
All the best and godspeed,
Dan.
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More on Aussie hard riders back in the day.
http://veloaficionado.com/australias-bicycle-riding-shearers-of-the-early-twentieth-century/
Early adopters of the frame bag amongst other things.
The link came from this weeks CTC Cycle clips.
Enjoy
Ian
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(http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/70216596.jpg)
I keep coming back to this photograph. Really evocative.
Andre Jute
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What a great trip coming up Pete...
And thanks for that list, really useful for people like me with no experience of touring.
Have a great time Pete
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Ian, this is a resurrected thread. We did the Red Centre Tour last September. Since then I've been over to Europe as well and spent 3 months touring Italy (Sicily, Sardinia, Tuscany) and Corsica ;)
Central Australia photos are here (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/slideshow/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010556_zps4189aca2.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010556_zps4189aca2.jpg.html)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010590_zps0f5d9a83.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010590_zps0f5d9a83.jpg.html)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010601_zpsf338e0fa.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010601_zpsf338e0fa.jpg.html)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010877_zps02e19b7d.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010877_zps02e19b7d.jpg.html)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1020144_zpsd9d2bcf8.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1020144_zpsd9d2bcf8.jpg.html)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1020140_zpsa3ace357.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1020140_zpsa3ace357.jpg.html)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1020003_zps0935a1ee.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1020003_zps0935a1ee.jpg.html)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010930_zpsa83c8c49.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010930_zpsa83c8c49.jpg.html)
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Oops im a bit behind the times ...
Great photos :)
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Thanks for resurrecting this thread, Ian! It gave me a serious case of nostalgia.
I arrived in Australia from the USA in 1985 to manage a coal exploration project in far northern South Australia - about 180km northeast of Coober Pedy. I spent three days in Sydney, and three in Adelaide, and then led a convoy up the Oodnadatta Track to William Creek - about 900km north, population 7! Our camp for the next few months was an out station called Mary's Yard about 150km away. Our nearest neighbors were 65km at Nilpinna Station - the Williams family. We're still in touch 28 years later! :D
I spent three years on that project, and eventually immigrated, married a "Sheila" and gravitated to the Hunter Valley. But the red centre will always remain my first Aussie home. I've not yet cycled there, but now I've got Atilla the Nomad and inspiration from il padrone, I'm going to start planning my journey! My buddy, who's a crazy Israeli ex-kibbutznik cowboy is already up for it. I'm thinking of May 2014 (cooler time of year), which will mark 29 years in Oz for me!
Thanks, guys!
Sam
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Wonderful photographs. Link first posted to RBT by James Stewart of Melbourne:
http://veloaficionado.com/australias-bicycle-riding-shearers-of-the-early-twentieth-century/
(Did we have a thread on this, Dan? Feel free to move this.)
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Fantastic pictures :)
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Here is a bit of a small world story. There is an advertising in the link posted above for a Shearer's bicycle, a principal feature of which is the Shelby seamless tubing. Well, my partner Wendy grew up in Shelby, Ohio! It seems they still celebrate seamless tubing there:
http://ohiofestivals.net/22-shelby-bicycle-days-july-7-2012/ (http://ohiofestivals.net/22-shelby-bicycle-days-july-7-2012/)
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What a connection, Jim!
I know a woman who grew up in Ashtabula, the town which gave its name to the strongest bicycle crank ever made, forged in a single unit of cranks and axle. http://sheldonbrown.com/opc.html
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I've just discovered this thread. Marvelously inspiring! Thanks all. :)