3 Indians will be riding around Australia in a bid to showcase the continent country to Indians and to meet maximum number of Indians (and of course Aussies) in the trip.



References :

· Australia, Lonely Planet
· The Australian Drivers Atlas by Explore Australia Publishing
· Wikipedia.org
· Wikitravel.org
· RACQ Trip Planner Fantastic resource. All route distances maps have been primarily made from this tool.
. advrider.com

The Great Australian Roadtrip : 3 Indians down Under. (Route Version2 : revised 11th oct 07)

Leg : Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra (thanks to zeeowh for his inputs) (Host : zeeowh, respected Shmerel)

Day 1 : Nov 1 07 : Melbourne to Bright via Bairnsdale : 510 kms

Day 2 : Nov 2 07 : Bairnsdale to Canberra via Mt Beauty, Talangatta, Khancoban and Jindabyne (The Great Alpine Way) : 500 Kms

Day 3 : Nov 3 07 : Around Canberra

Day 4 : Nov 4 07 : Canberra to Gerringon via (Kings Hwy) Batesman Bay, Milton, Nowra and berry : 292 kms

Day 5 : Nov 5 07 : Gerringon to Sydney via Shellharbour, Wollongong, Stanwell Park & Royal National Park 150kms

Leg : The Grand Circular Tourist Drive

Day 6 : Nov 6 07 : Sydney – Katoomba via The Great Western Highway : 112km

Day 7 : Nov 7 07 : Katoomba to Oberon via Jenolan Caves : 97kms

Day 8: Nov 8 07 : Oberon – Sydney via Lithgow and bells line of road : 189 kms

Day 9 : Nov 9 07 : Around Sydney (Diwali : The Great Indian Festival of Lights) (Host : Dear Mouse)

Day 10 : Nov 10 07 : Around Sydney

Leg : Sydney to Brisbane

Day 11 : Nov 11 07 : Sydney to Gloucester (NSW) via Putty road: 390kms (Thanks to Mouse for his inputs)

Day 12 : Nov 12 07 : Gloucester to Bellingen via Port Macquarie (Oxley Highway) : 330 kms

Day 13 : Nov 13 07 : Bellingen to Brisbane via Kyogle, Murwillumbah & Beechmont: 489 kms

Day 14 : Nov 14 07 : Around Brisbane (Host : Peka)

Day 15 : Nov 15 07 : Brisbane to Gold Coast and back : ~200kms (Host : DrPig )

Day 16 : Nov 16 07 : Around Brisbane (urban)

Day 17 : Nov 17 07 : Brisbane Country drive (http://www.ourbrisbane.com/visitors/...try-drives.htm )

Leg: Brisbane – Townsville

Day 18 : Nov 18 07 : Brisbane to Rockhampton(Beef Capital of Australia) via Mt.Mee and Gin Gin : 690 kms (Thanks to Peka for his inputs)

Day 19 : Nov 19 07 : Rockhampton to Whitsunday Islands (Airlie beach) 492kms

Day 20 : Nov 20 07 : Around Whitsundays

Day 21 : Nov 21 07 : WhitSunday Is to Townsville : 290kms

Day 22 : Nov 22 07 : Around Townsville (Great Barrier Reef)

Leg: Townsville – Uluru – Tennant Creek

Day 23 : Nov 23 07 : Townsville to Hughenden : 390kms

Day 24 : Nov 24 07 : Hughenden to Mt.Isa : 520kms

Day 25 : Nov 25 07 : Mt Isa to Tennant Creek : 700kms

Day 26 : Nov 26 07 : Tennant Creek to Alice Springs : 510kms

Day 27 : Nov 27 07 : Around Alice

Day 28 : Nov 28 07 : Alice Springs to Uluru : 440kms

Day 29 : Nov 29 07 : Around Uluru

Day 30 : Nov 30 07 : Uluru – Alice Springs : 440kms

Day 31 : Dec 1 07 : Alice Springs to Tennant Creek : 510kms


Leg: Tennant Creek – Darwin

Day 32 : Dec 2 07 : Tennant Creek to Katherine : 680kms

Day 33 : Dec 3 07 : : Katherine to Darwin : 320kms

Day 34 : Dec 4 07 : Around Darwin

Day 35: Dec 5 07 : Around Darwin

Day 36 : Dec 6 07 : Darwin to Katherine : 320 kms

Day 37 : Dec 7 07 : Katherine to Kununurra : 515kms

Leg: Darwin – Perth

Day 38 : Dec 8 07 : Around Kununurra

Day 39 : Dec 9 07 : Kununurra to Halls Creek : 362kms

Day 40 : Dec 10 07 : Halls Creek to Fitzroy Crossing : 300kms

Day 41 : Dec 11 07 : Fitzroy Crossing to Derby (Boab trees!) : 258 kms

Day 42 : Dec 12 07 : Derby to Broome : 220kms

Day 43 : Dec 13 07 : : Broome to Port Hedland (The Great Northern Highway) : 613 kms

Day 44 : Dec 14 07 : Port Hedland to Karratha : 242 kms

Day 45 : Dec 15 07 : Karratha to Carnarvon : 650 kms

Day 46 : Dec 16 07 : Carnarvon to Denham (Monkey Mia is 8 kms from Denham) : 334 kms

Day 47 : Dec 17 07 : Denham to Kalbarri : 375 kms

Day 48 : Dec 18 07 : Around Kalbarri (Rainbow forest, seahorses, Kalbarri National Park )

Day 49 : Dec 19 07 : Kalbarri to Perth : 579 kms

Day 50 : Dec 20 07 : Around Perth

Day 51 : Dec 21 07 : Around Perth (Rottnest Island)

Day 52 : Dec 22 07 : Around Perth

Day 53 : Dec 23 07 : Around Perth (service break)

Leg: Perth – Adelaide

Option 1 : Hugging the coast

Day 54 : Dec 24 07 : Perth to Albany : 417 kms

Day 55 : Dec 25 07 : : Albany to Esperance : 480 kms

Day 56 : Dec 26 07 : Esperance to Norseman : 203 km

Day 57 : Dec 27 07 : Norseman to Eucla : 650 kms

Day 58 : Dec 28 07 : Eucla to Ceduna : 500 kms

Day 59 : Dec 29 07 : Ceduna to Port Lincoln via Baird Bay : 434kms

Day 60 : Dec 30 07 : Port Lincoln to Port Augusta : 341 kms

Day 61 : Dec 31 07 : Port Augusta to Adelaide via Quorn and Melrose : 381 kms

Day 62 : Jan 1 08 : Service break in Adelaide


**

Option 2 : Across the Nullarbor Plain (saves one day plus the once in a life time ride ) (http://www.holidayoz.com.au/features...rbor-WA-SA.htm )

Day 54 : Dec 24 07 : Perth to Kalgoorlie : 600kms

Day 55 : Dec 25 07 : Kalgoorlie to Norseman : 200 kms

Day 56 : Dec 26 07 : Norseman to Eucla : 650 kms

Day 57 : Dec 27 07 : Eucla to Ceduna : 500 kms

Day 58 : Dec 28 07 : Ceduna to Port Lincoln via Baird Bay : 434kms

Day 59 : Dec 29 07 : Port Lincoln to Port Augusta : 341 kms

Day 60 : Dec 30 07 : Port Augusta to Adelaide via Quorn and Melrose : 381 kms

Day 61 : Dec 31 07 : Service break in Adelaide

Day 62 ; Jan 1 08 Adelaide

**

Day 63 : Jan 2 08 Kangaroo Islands

Day 64 : Jan 3 08 Kangaroo Islands

Leg: Adelaide to Geelong : 1st Part of the The Great Southern Touring Route

Day 65 : Jan 4 08 : Adelaide to Mt.Gam : 450 kms

Day 66 : Jan 5 08 : Mt Gam to Port Campbell : 250 kms

Day 67 : Jan 6 08 : Port Campbell to Lorne via Cape Otway : 160 kms

Day 68 : Jan 7 08 : Lorne to Geelong via Torquay : 70 kms

Leg: Geelong to Warrnambool: 2nd Part of the The Great Southern Touring Route : Country alternative

Day 69 : Jan 8 08 : Geelong to Warrnambool : 182kms


Leg: Warrnambool to Melbourne: 3rd Part of the The Great Southern Touring Route : Country alternative

Day 70 : Jan 9 08 : Warrnambool to Mortlake (55kms) – Mortlake to Colac (82kms) – Colac to Lavers Hill (55kms) – Birregurra (73kms) Total : 265 kms

Day 71 : Jan 10 08 : Birreguerra to Winchelsea (22kms) – Winchelsea to Melbourne (110 kms)
Total : 132kms

Day 72 : Jan 11 08 : Service break in Melbourne

Leg: Tasmania

Day 72 (night) : Jan 11 07 : Melbourne to Tasmania (Devonport) on The Spirit of Tasmania

Day 73 : Jan 12 08 : Devonport to Strahan via Burnie : 230kms

Day 74: Jan 13 08 : Strahan to Hobart : 288kms

Day 75 : Jan 14 08 : Hobart to Launceston via New Norfolk : 230kms

Day 76 : Jan 15 08 : Launceston to Devonport via Beaconsfield : 102 kms

Day 76 (night) : Jan 15 07 : Devonport to Melbourne by Spirit of Tasmania

Day 77 : Jan 16 07 : Arrive in Melbourne. End of a Great journey.

Just a few tips Monky Mia is over rated you can see Dolphins in Tin can Bay in Queensland idid both Tin Can Bay was better .William Ricketts Sanctury in the Dandenongs near Melbourne is well worth a look & the Pinnacles Desert (Nambung National Park) near Cervantes in WA north of Perth was amazing.
Also the roads up north in the wet season are some times impassable.
I did a 36000km trip round Oz on a 1200 Sportster in 96/97 & a 16000km half lap in a Ford in 2000/01 . On the Highway the biggest distance i found between petrol stations was about 360kms in north WA.
Hope this is some use if you need any other help just ask .
Have a great trip Kev

Also Kangaroo Island south of Adelaide is worth a look great for wildlife Kangaroos/Koalas/Seals etc
Kev

@ukKev : thanks for the inputs. I have incorporated Pinnacles(Cervantes) which seems to be absolutely surreal.

Looks like a great trip! I have just finished a book by a Kiwi rider who went around in 35 days - 17 000 km. If you would like to read the book before you go send me your postal address and I will mail it to you.

__________________
Peter

http://peter-onamission.blogspot.com

Great itinery Sundeep ! it loks really interesting well done. I am heading to OZ at the end of November for 2 months, and i intend to buy a decent 2nd hand bike and tour as much as i can in those two months. i took the liberty of taking a closer look to your trip plan sundeep maybe who knows we might meet on the way as well ! any body can illuminate me on the situation and what price range to excpect for a decent 2 nd hand bike not too fussy of course ?

ozzee,

You don't say what kind of bike you want, so that makes it kind of difficult to answer. Maybe a better option is for you to look at this site linked below and search used bikes, that should give you a better idea.

Motorbikes For Sale – Search New & Used Motorbikes For Sale – BikePoint Australia

sundeepGajjar,

Goodluck with the trip.

One thing though from reading some of your itinerary, as much as I love the Bellingen/Dorrigo region, its nothing like south island of NZ or Fiordland in particular. As an Aussie national it is my sworn duty never to give compliments about NZ, so I hope no Kiwi's read this (joke) - but I have not seen any place quite as spectacular as Fiordland, no doubt that's why they filmed LTR there. On a global scale I guess Bellingen is close to NZ, sort of like Lahore is close to Chennai, but there is a world of difference between them.

As far as suggestions go - if you are looking for something different and you like offroad, you could try sand beach riding. In Queensland you can ride on the sand beach (its flat & hard at low tide!) at Tewantin near Noosa all the way to Rainbow Beach (about 60km) and if thats not enough you can catch the ferry to Fraser Island (National Park and World Heritage listed) for another 100km and more on the beach, then go inland on sand tracks to see the rainforest and freshwater lakes.

Depends on what bikes you have and if you like sand offroad though....

Regards
Skillo

SKILLO

Well i did not have any model in particular, regarding what bike, as long as it can take me to point A to B and can handle some rough terrain and is ok on roads too its alright for me. i looked at that link you gave me its quite good. but i noticed that some bikes that interested me like the XT 500 / 600 where not round wothy. In my country we are not that strict here , i mean even XR 250/400/600 are seen on the street, whereas in Asutralia it seems different ? the only thing is that i have a budget and i cannot afford to spend more then $2,000 on a bike. I assume ofcourse i would have to pay insurance and road registration as well like eny country. and I only have 2 months in autralia. The good thing is that i could leave the bike with some friends i know there that can sell it for me after i leave Australia.

ozzee, I don't want to hijack someone's thread here, so very briefly.... many off road bikes can be registered in Aus, including XT's and XR's and others. Unfortunately each state has different rules for registartion of motor vehicles, so its difficult to give you good information.

If someone says bike is not roadworthy, that probably means that in the condition it is offered for sale that it will not pass the inspection certificate required for registration of bike for legal road use. It is possible that with some repairs and parts that it may pass and could then be regisitered, but this means you take a risk as to cost for parts/repairs and of course the cost of registration.

Finally, I think it will be difficult to find a running & reliable registered off road bike suitable for touring for $2000 or less. Just my opinion of course, but try using that link I posted above and search for all bikes up to $2000 and see what comes up - mostly 50cc minibikes and scooters I expect, maybe a few 250cc road bikes but I suspect very few off road bikes will come up.

Regards
Skillo

Mate, looks like a great trip. Can't half tell you're excited about it.

Can I make a few suggestions on your route:

The Sydney - Wollongong - Sydney ride go down through the Royal National Park and down the old hwy along the coast, and back up through Kangaroo Valley. Great

Don't turn left at Townsville, keep going north to Cairns. Some of the most beautiful country in Oz. Go up the mountain range north of Cairns (just south of Mossman) and follow your map to Mt Isa via Kurumba on the Gulf. Very different part of the country.

Head out to Kakadu from Darwin before going south and get sh*tfaced at Humpty Doo pub and sleep out the back.

DON'T camp on the beautiful green grassy banks of the Victoria River near Timber Creek on the way to Kununurra - I nearly got eaten there once (well, almost nearly).

Depending on what bikes you've got:
- Take the old Wyndham Road from Wyndham to Derby in WA, not the main hwy.
- instead of travelling across the Nullabor (really just a "been there done that" destination - in reality dead-boring) travel north-east from Perth to Laverton and across to the Olgas and Uluru via the Warburton Hwy (all dirt and you need to get permits to pass through the Aboriginal land). Then head into Alice and south to SA.

Avoid Melbourne altogether...those pointyheads will try to mess with your mind and steal your soul. Just avert your eyes as you ride round it and up to Australia's greatest city - Sydney.

Keep us informed of your progress. I'm good for s in Canberra (and everything you said about the place is true).

Have fun

Brett

Hi sundeepGajjar,
You will love Australia, but your itinerary, whilst certainly possible is, in my opinion, a recipe for frustration. You will see plenty of road & little else. You will be exhausted by the end of your trip. What sounds easy on paper is very different in real life. Personally I think you would have a far better & more enjoyable trip if you had more time to stop & explore localities & locals.
I guess it depends which of 'completing the big lap' or 'discovering Australia' has the higher priority for you.

If you haven't seen it, you can read my account of our trip in 2000 here:- http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/lock/ We did 14,000kms over 7 weeks. Great trip. Will be travelling around Oz again , departing early next year, but this time gonna really take our time. I've converted a small bus & we plan to be on the road for 16 months. :-)

Contact me via my web site if you want to ask anything.

__________________
regards
Cuppa
cuppa500.com

I think Sunny (Mr Sandeep Gajjar) conveniently forgot to mention a few things regarding his upcoming photography (not adventure) tour of Australia.

This photograpy trip is SPONSORED by Nokia, Castrol, Hyosung and a host of other companies. Nothing to do with the lofty aims he expresses as the purpose of this tour, rather like a miss world contestant appealing for world peace
See: http://www.xbhp.com/gar/sponsors.php

He is going to be using a backup vehicle which he is trying to buy at present. It will have to be big enough to provide airconditioned sleeping quarters, as he is not comfortable sleeping in the heat. He may also be planning to transport a spare bike (provided by his sponsors) in it as he did in the "Great" India roadtrip. Please help him if you can.
See: http://www.xbhp.com/gar/blog/?p=222 ,

also: http://www.xbhp.com/girt/riders/gurjant.php (Has links to the pickup hired for the Indian trip which carried the spare scooter, refrigerated cold drinks, press releases etc). Of course, for that trip they tried to get 3 star (airconditioned) hotel accommodation as far as possible (vehicle did not have airconditioning)

He is also looking for a backup rider, but you have to be Indian.
See : http://www.xbhp.com/gar/
A little reminiscent of: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/travellers-seeking-travellers/south-america-motorcycle-adventure-movie-1509

He is looking for people to sponsor his food as well, perhaps you could help. He will never say no to using your resources, free, even if he already has sponsorship, as this is how he makes his money (selling off cellphones/cameras/electronic items etc acquired through sponsorship, slowly)

I'm sure you would like to help sunny@xbhp.com (he owns the site), as he as not come to HU for a few days, or maybe even put him up at your place (if airconditioned).

He may not acknowledge your help though, later, as he has not acknowledged the help of anyone who helped him plan out the route of the Indian road trip (and there were several) till date. Small failing, esp as he was busy with more important people (the sponsors). And, if you feel his route is wrong/could be better, you could communicate with his sponsors.

Wonder why he forgot to mention these things. You could always contact him directly with your offers to help, now that you have his e mail address.

Ozzee no road worthy certificate meens it hasnt got a curent test certificate which in some states you need every year in overs you need when selling . Rego (Registration) normaly includeds 3rd party injury insurance. Get your self a copy of the lonely planet Australia this explains all you need to know & is a very handy book to have or even the lonley planets Outback Australia if you can find a copy as it shows the dirt tracks in much more detail . When registering the bike in your name if you can get a receipt for less than you payed this will also save you some money as stamp duty is paid & based on the purchase price but dont push it to far or they might smell a rat. Some bikes might be for off road only but i know there are lots of XTs/DRs/XLs etc on the road in OZ
Cheers Kev

Hi all! Thanks for your inputs! I was very busy in somethings as a certain enlightened individual mentioned earlier in this thread

I have been taking advice online and offline from many people and here how the route from Melbourne to Brisbane looks now :

Special thanks to all at advrider.com

Leg : Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra (thanks to zeeowh for his inputs) (Host : zeeowh, respected Shmerel)

Day 1 : Nov 1 07 : Melbourne to Bright via Bairnsdale : 510 kms

Day 2 : Nov 2 07 : Bairnsdale to Canberra via Mt Beauty, Talangatta, Khancoban and Jindabyne (The Great Alpine Way) : 500 Kms

Day 3 : Nov 3 07 : Around Canberra

Day 4 : Nov 4 07 : Canberra to Gerringon via (Kings Hwy) Batesman Bay, Milton, Nowra and berry : 292 kms

Day 5 : Nov 5 07 : Gerringon to Sydney via Shellharbour, Wollongong, Stanwell Park & Royal National Park 150kms

Leg : The Grand Circular Tourist Drive

Day 6 : Nov 6 07 : Sydney – Katoomba via The Great Western Highway : 112km

Day 7 : Nov 7 07 : Katoomba to Oberon via Jenolan Caves : 97kms

Day 8: Nov 8 07 : Oberon – Sydney via Lithgow and bells line of road : 189 kms

Day 9 : Nov 9 07 : Around Sydney (Diwali : The Great Indian Festival of Lights) (Host : Dear Mouse)

Day 10 : Nov 10 07 : Around Sydney

Leg : Sydney to Brisbane

Day 11 : Nov 11 07 : Sydney to Gloucester (NSW) via Putty road: 390kms (Thanks to Mouse for his inputs)

Day 12 : Nov 12 07 : Gloucester to Bellingen via Port Macquarie (Oxley Highway) : 330 kms

Day 13 : Nov 13 07 : Bellingen to Brisbane via Kyogle, Murwillumbah & Beechmont: 489 kms

Day 14 : Nov 14 07 : Around Brisbane (Host : Peka)

Day 15 : Nov 15 07 : Brisbane to Gold Coast and back : ~200kms (Host : DrPig )

Day 16 : Nov 16 07 : Around Brisbane (urban)

Day 17 : Nov 17 07 : Brisbane Country drive (http://www.ourbrisbane.com/visitors/...try-drives.htm )


I am sure that is much better that the initial highway route that we had. Of course the rest of the route will also be worked upon as we eventually start the trip.

I have also heard that the Australian sun will be too hard along with rains, of course not to mention snakes, spiders, road trains and busa's zipping besides us and we trod along empty highways of NT and WA. It should be a whole lot of fun!

@cuppa : This surely caught my attention.

@brett : i get what you mean. I have read about the age long rivalry between Melburnians & Sydneysiders but have no intentions to get caught up in that . We will be starting our trip from Melbourne though!

Thats is for now, I am leaving on 19th for Melbourne! I will try and incorporate most of the suggestions here into the route. Thanks all!