Australia Trip Planning #5
I bought the ticket!
I had been viewing the ticket sites regularly for a while, and with the appearance of the right price, I finally hit the button “Purchase.” The cost of a round trip ticket to Perth landed at US$790 (with a return from Sydney), so I had to bite. And unlike U.S. based airlines which charge an extra $100 or more to carry your bike, the Australian airlines take the boxed bike for free as one of the two allowed luggage.
Before getting to Perth, though, I decided to stop in Melbourne for a few days, at $50 less. I know it’ll be a little more expensive to ultimately get to Perth, but I get to hang out for a few days in Melbourne with some cool Australian friends I met biking on the Great Divide Route last year. It’ll give me time to get acclimated and maybe I’ll get a few helpful hints about biking in Australia. After a couple of days, I’ll head over to Perth, where I’ll begin my ride.
So the ticket on Qantas has me leaving on March 25 at 10:55 PM. The return flight is set to leave from Sydney on October 12, 2019.
Less than three months now before departure. The excitement is building.
5 comments
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This is so cool!!! Looking forward to follow your adventure!
Hi, Thuan! Has anyone ever done this bike ride before? I just ask because most of what I’ve read about traveling through the Outback is pretty daunting. Perhaps my information is dated. Had your friends in Melbourne done any riding across Australia? And did they mention that the heat in Perth, where my brother Nathan & his family live, is very different from Melbourne’s climate? And none of the coastal weather approaches the extremes of the interior? Just want you to be prepared.
Author
I certainly understand that it is daunting. Quite a bit of extensive research has gone into this– weather, terrain, water availability, type of roads (and non-roads), food and water access points, etc.– so I try to prepare as best as I can and try to mitigate the dangers as best as possible. It will be rough. Still, no amount of preparation can predict what will happen out there; that’s why it is an “adventure.” Thanks for your concern.
(You can sign up and get news whenever I post as I go, i.e. whenever I stop at certain stopping points. I try to keep friends posted as to progress).
Finally getting around to checking out the details of your old age insanity! Ha! But after following your Great Divide trip in the snow, and meeting up with the author himself on a bike ride near Williams, AZ, I look forward to your next adventure. Nice upgrade to your ride! But I’m noticing there is no return date for October 12 on your trip calendar…surely not a fatal sign of what is to come! Probably a flexible end date, I know. Safety first as we say in the SCUBA diving and RV driving worlds.
Author
Hi Hank. Always love to hear from you, from one adventurer to another.