The initial idea, to do the big lap of Australia, is so simple. It goes along well with the Australian climate. The center west is a desert, monotonous. The map shows that the roads are very few. If we omit the Stuart highway, which connects Adelaide to Darwin, it remains mainly tracks where stores and gas stations are really rare. This does not justify to go there, with a vehicle whose reliability is unsure.
Then, the ride around Australia relies in one road: Highway 1. With a wide-angle view, it encircles the entire island serving all metropolises which, besides Canberra, are on the coast : Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adélaïde, Perth, Darwin, Cairns…
One might fear that driving such a long distance on a highway would be extremely boring.
But when zooming in, we discover that the builders of this road are very mischievous. By hiding it under various qualifiers: ‘National Highway 1’, ‘National Route 1’ or also ‘Freeway’ for portions of toll road as in this photo. Tolls that are almost invisible since they work with license plate reading cameras. A good point to limit stops and therefore pollution.
Above all, the term highway has been pompously granted to sections of one-lane dirt road. And the view here is not the worst example, because some portions are still not traveled by Google cars.
It must be recognized that the places are quite inhospitable. Gas stations, rare testimonies of the human race, are more than 300km apart. And their owner leaves no doubt about the sweetness of life of the place, as evidenced by that hell’s gate roadhouse whose “highway” may remain closed due to flooding for weeks.
It is advised to plan your trip by checking the road closure, each state offering its own dedicated website :
| State | Road status website |
| Australian Capital Territory | https://www.cityservices.act.gov.au/roads-and-paths/act_public_road_closures |
| New South Wales | https://www.livetraffic.com |
| Northern Territory | https://roadreport.nt.gov.au/road-map |
| Queensland | https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/ |
| South Australia | https://maps.sa.gov.au/TrafficSATime/ |
| Tasmania | https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/projectsplanning/road_closures_and_delays |
| Victoria | https://traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au/ |
| Western Australia | https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/travel-information/driving-in-wa/roadworks-closures/ |
Route constraints
The map of my big lap must respect some imperatives:
- The solar eclipse requires to be in Exmouth (marker A on the map) at the end of April. But the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian Alps and most of the big cities are in the East. For ecological reasons, this will be my only visit of the country. I will therefore take the time to do the grand tour and not the half-tour which covers the East coast and the center.
- The rainy season rages on the North (marker B) during the southern summer. So, it is better to go there between May and October to avoid the heat, the humidity and the wind. So I go from A to B. I turn clockwise.
- In April, it is autumn in the southern hemisphere. The unpaved roads have not yet been too badly damaged by the bad weather but the cold is due (marker D). In particular on the summits of the South East where the weather becomes rough. So I choose to go there first, then to go to the North where the summer heat is easing.
So I’m go around the patatoid in the CDAB direction. The East is a good place to start. The area is well populated, with many garages that will allow me to adapt the bike if necessary.
There are many other constraints that I tried to integrate. The migrations of certain animals, the periods of maturity of the crops. And also the vacations of my daughter, who could have joined me for two weeks to visit the West Coast between July and August. Unfortunately she is very busy with her studies and does not have the time. I’m sorry about that, Soupignon. But I can assure you that you have a great life ahead of you and I’m sure that we’ll be able to help you fulfill many other dreams.
Now, how long will it take?