when to travel in oz

[gypsy]

what time of the year is considered the best for motorcycle travel in oz,,,will be camping etc lots of outdoor stuff

[atgreg]

It depends where you want to travel. The northern tropics and the central deserts are best in the cooler months say May-September. The south of the country is best in the warmer months October-April.
Greg

[AndyE]

I biked and camped down under for a year, and put bit of time working out a route depending on the weather.
I had two days total of rain in the non-tropics, the warmest I had was 38 in Adelaide, the coldest overnight temp was 1 C in Uluru.

Arrived Sydney November
Tasmania December
Adelaide Febrary
NZ March- May
Outback May - June
Cairns/Cape - July
Darwin (NT)- August- October

Something like that would work. Outback was flooded however, and it rained for two weeks solidly in Cape Trib. 1 day of rain riding was in Tassie the other in NZ SI West coast of course....
HTH




[This message has been edited by AndyE (edited 05 June 2002).]

[rroberts]

I've just come back from a round trip. I left Early April, not too bad down south, but still a bit warm up north. Now, it would be perfect up North. The extra month made all the diference, temps are down 7 or so degrees.

The northern regions and desserts are only really to be attempted between April and October, the rest almost any other time (although it might be a bit cold down south - but its bearable).

Cheers

[WavyDavy]

Travelled 10,000km in 22 days riding in November - December 2001, including Uluru - Laverton on the Great Central Highway (but it ain't 'Great' or much of a highway....).

Didn't do Queensland as I heard it may be a bit humid.

Temps were mid-40s for the central desert bits and never dipped below low-mid 20s and I was fine as its a dry heat so you don't feel uncomfortable.

Just remember to leave loads of room for extra water and fuel on the more remote bits.

I stopped every hour/100km for more water (between .5 - 1 litre each stop) and this was just about right to keep me well hydrated and allow me to not get too fatigued.

Let's face it - anyone can do it at an 'easy' time of year - do it the hard way - you'll feel better for it (well i did afterwards, at the time I spent quite a few days almost crapping myself with fright - those bloody emus are *damn* fast!)

Dave

[rroberts]

"Let's face it - anyone can do it at an 'easy' time of year - do it the hard way -you'll feel better for it"

I hope this is tongue in cheek. No one who lives in Australia would recommend this type of trip in summer, and your kidding about riding in 40 degree heat - it's f*****d.

People do die out in the desserts - but they are generally british or german tourists who don't pay enough respect to the outback. Just cause you got through alright doesn't mean the next person will with different skill, bike, experience.

[WavyDavy]

Originally posted by rroberts:
"Let's face it - anyone can do it at an 'easy' time of year - do it the hard way -you'll feel better for it"

I hope this is tongue in cheek. No one who lives in Australia would recommend this type of trip in summer, and your kidding about riding in 40 degree heat - it's f*****d.

People do die out in the desserts - but they are generally british or german tourists who don't pay enough respect to the outback. Just cause you got through alright doesn't mean the next person will with different skill, bike, experience.

No it wasn't tongue in cheek. Yes, stupid people die, but if you prepare properly and make absolutely sure the bike is in good order, you've got a load of water and you plan your route you'll get through it OK.

I'm not advocating riding off across uncharted terrain for hundreds of Kms or anything - riding solo it's best to stick to the marked routes, but you'll still get to go 'off road' on the Great Central Highway.

On the (tarmac) roads I met quite a few Aussie bikers (and some Germans), none of whom had a problem with riding through the centre in mid-summer and all, like me, had taken time to plan and prepare as best they could.

And as for riding when the temp goes over 40+ - it was reasonably comfortable for me in MX gear - the armour was able to provide crash protection (but luckily I didn't need it) and the multiple thin layers kept a nice cushion of reasonably cool air around me. Riding in 40+ temps in leathers, however, now *that* would be a tad silly.

[rroberts]

Generally, the Aussie tourist isn't stupid or fool hardy enough to attempt the desserts in summer. That means if you break down, and your off the main road, you are unlikely to see someone for a number of days. Even on the main road in peak season, I only saw two or three cars in a whole morning in the Kimberleys.

Besides in 40 degree heat you need around 5-10 litres per day. You can really only carry one, maybe 2 days at best. Fall and break your arm / leg whatever, you'll be dead within a day or two, and become another statistic. When you read these stories you think what an ideiot, but I'm sure they were all thinking how smart / good / clever they were. Just cause you are prepared to take that risk, the odds don't stack up in your favour if a mishap happens, which can still ocour dispite meticulous planning. I don't care what credenitals a rider may have, you are still foolhardy if you go in summer. You should buy a lottery ticket.

[mmaarten]

WavyDavy,
I am sure you are an experianced traveler who knows all about surviving in the desert...

BUT.... please consider the effect your words might have on less experianced people... They might get the idea it's not all that dangerous... and try it themselfs.

And the only reason they die, is becouse they have red on the BB that surviving in the desert in't that dificult.

I don't like to preach, but I do think you should consider that your words here have an effect on travelers out there.

Maarten

------------------
- www.maartensworld.tmfweb.nl -

[WavyDavy]

No, I'm *not* advocating going out into the wildernes and dying. If the previous posters re-read my posts and looked at a map, they'd see that the GCH has roadhouses and towns along it, even though it is in the middle of a desert.

Going off the track on that road in summer on your own *is_stupid*. Going along that road in summer with, as rroberts said, 10 litres of water (minimum - I carried about 10 in the topbox and had a 3 litre platypus rucksac full for each sector (about 300-350km)) is dangerous, but fun....

I was under the impression that the point of 'Adventure Motorcyling' was to try something your average biker wouldn't do, which is why I still say go for summer. If you're worried about crashing (and lets face it, it's a near certainty - I was just very very lucky about half a dozen times) wear good body armour and carry a satellite phone in a hard case for emergencies. Admittedly it won't help if you are unconcious, but Aus, deserts and all, is a damn sight more forgiving than half the militia-infested places mentioned on the other bb's....

Disclaimer:
*If you in any doubt, don't do it or at least travel in a group with 4x4 back up* (or do what I did and make friends with the few people you do meet on the way and ask them to keep an eye out for you on your route, just in case - they may save your life or, hopefully, you'll just owe 'em a when you get to Laverton.....)

[onlycookie]

Hmmm....

I crossed the centre in March with the temperatures hitting 49° plus...

AND it felt great, but hot...
I ALWAYS carried a 4 Litre extra water canister...

...was there in leathertrousers - if you chose the right stuff it is cooler than anything - and a driryder jacket which is textile and protected me from drying out by being plastic and keeping the sweat inside...
...I got used to the heat after a while either - kind of adapting or something...

...BUT I stuck to the main roads...
Mainly...

I WOULD ride the MAIN gravel and sand roads, but would certainly INFORM myself before I go - ESPECIALLY when I have heard, that someone said, he has seen someone talking about...

Anyhow - you can make it without to much of a danger, if you use common sense, ask the locals and have some experience in repairing or some ideas what's a go and a nogo for hot deserts alike...

In any case - if I walk out of my house tomorrow a car can roll over me and all my bad desert-dreams of dying there come to an end...

There are some dos and don'ts as do not leave your vehicle, take water and petrol, inform police stations and roadhouses. Go in groups, that's a good idea either.

There are more people on the road than you might imagine, but there may be less than you hope for, when you broke your leg...

A GOOD first aid kid is an absolute MUST e.g.

But I'm sure there's plenty of ways of going through with not much more danger than crossing the road in Frankfurt a.M., Germany...

[rob_mader]

I rode around Australia between January and March in 2001, starting and finishing in Adelaide.

Because I was riding an FJ1200 road bike, getting off road was only occasional, but some of the stretches like the Nullarbor and from Karratha to Broome were pretty long and hot.

Common sense and weighing up the odds for yourself is the advice I'd give. Make sure you know what the conditions are likely to be and then make your own decision based on your experience of travel, riding and bike knowledge/maintenance.

My trip started in Adelaide after not riding a bike on the road for nearly six years.

http://www.robstravels.com/daily_log...og_id=20010105

It ended two and a half months later.

http://www.robstravels.com/daily_log...og_id=20010324

I'm about to head back to Australia from Europe, pick up a bike and head north from Adelaide to the desert again. I can't wait!

[This message has been edited by rob_mader (edited 19 October 2002).]

[David and Cheryl Laing]

Wavey davey or Silly Billy or whoever you are. . . Nov-Dec is not mid summer. Do not think that January February in the outback will be a breeze.
And some summers are not as hot as others. This summer is going to be a very hot dry one. Already the temps are at record highs for this time of the year, as are the bushfires and summer has not yet hit. Yesterday was 39 degrees and we are on the coast less than 3 hours ride north of Sydney.
Anyhow, that many kilometers in that many days. . . . why would you be taken seriously.

[WavyDavy]

OK, Nov-Dec ain't mid-summer. How's about 'early summer'? When summer lasts one day and it's only 20-odd degrees, like in the UK, it was mid-summer to me!

But you got my drift, yeah?

And yes, I *did* cover the distance in 22 days riding (although I must confess to a total of 9 days off waiting for tyres at Coober Pedy (2 days waiting), being absolutely knackered by the time I got to Perth (3 days sleeping) and having to wait for parts for the Aprilia Pegaso I rode when I was in Albany (4 days in the rain, but still mid-20s))- I got the pictures and memories to prove it! (And the SA Police speeding fine from just outside Port Augusta).

PS. 10,000kms ain't so bad - I met two blokes in CP on R650GS's who were riding Sydney - Alice "for a coffee" (and back, all in 5 days) and a bloke out in WA who was taking his late 70s boxer twin from Perth - CP and back in a week just to see an old mate for the day! Made me feel rather sane in comparison.

[This message has been edited by WavyDavy (edited 15 November 2002).]

[rroberts]

10,000K's in 22 days is very acheivable, especially in "mid" "early" whatever summer with the added light.

When my mate and I did our trip from Sydney to Alice, Kings Canyon and Uluru in 2001, we took eight days, pimarily cause we were hampered by fading light, but as my earlier posts will allude to, I like to keep the odds in my favour and try and be off the road an hour before sunset. In winter that's about a 4pm . Our second last night we had come from Woomera heading to Cobar. I had unfortunately underestimated the distance by about 100K's, and by 5pm every Goat, Emu and Kangaroo in the area were waiting to welcome us. We ended up spending half an hour behind a road train to clear the way.

At Erldunda, we met two blokes from Melbourne on 1100GS's who were going up the centre, around the West and home in 3 weeks. I thought that was impressive.

Working full time with limited holidays unfortunately demands big distances in short time frames.

Cheers