In the first of our new Adventure Series pieces we teamed up with Becky Griffiths of BeGriff Images as she tackles the East Coast of Australia with her partner and their touring bikes. Be sure to check back for more Adventure Series pieces as we bring you the best See You Out There stories to inspire your own next mission…

Part 1: Sunshine Coast – Sydney.

I’ll start at the beginning…

More than a year ago Joe and I packed up our bags and left Shropshire behind to follow our dream of exploring New Zealand. We got ourselves a camper van and worked our way around every inch of that spectacular country. Having explored NZ by van for a year, we fancied a change in pace.

Already both keen cyclists and outdoor addicts, we came up with the idea of touring Australia by bike. Neither of us remember how we came up with the destinations; I think we just looked at a map and thought the Sunshine Coast to Adelaide would be pretty cool. There was no route planning, hardly any research and definitely no training. We just slogged away in the vineyards in North Canterbury to save some money, boxed up our bikes and hopped on the plane. So here we are, cycling our way through Australia.

Above: Building up our bikes after their flight from NZ.

This is my first time cycle touring, I had never even used pannier bags until we rolled out of Brisbane and to say I was a bit wobbly would be an understatement! I could barely get out of the saddle for the inclines without feeling like I was going to fall off. Luckily, it didn’t take too long to adjust to the extra weight and we were soon on our way. I still wasn’t overly confident but the excitement for what lay ahead kept me going.

One of the first pieces of advice we were given when we started cycling in Australia was “Watch out for those swooping Magpies, they’ll take chunks out of your ears!”. At the time we thought it was pretty strange but, believe it or not, it wasn’t long before our first swooping incident. A shriek was all the warning I had before an almighty thud against the side of my head and a clattering of beak and claw as the Magpie attacked my brand new helmet.

Thankfully my helmet rather than my head took the brunt of the attack! As you can imagine, from then on I had major paranoia whenever I heard a bird or saw a telltale shadow on the road. We keep debating whether to fit in with the locals and attach zip ties or googly eyes to our helmets but for now, waving an arm crazily in the air and pedalling furiously seems to work a treat.

The first few days on the bikes were spent cycling North from Brisbane to Noosa, which we had decided was our turn around point before heading South. If only South meant downhill! The quick trip North was a perfect way for us both to get accustomed to our new bike setup and gently introduce our legs (and backsides!) to the Aussie roads. It was also enough time for us both to fall in love with cycle touring and find out it is the most amazing way to travel.

Above: Taking the scenic route along the Sunshine Coast.

Above: Rainforests living up to their name. Our wettest day yet in the Tamborine Rainforest.

Above: Taking in the views at Nambucca Heads look out.

Travelling by car or public transport is a convenience not to be snubbed, it allows you to travel so fast and far with so much ease. But cycle touring is like hitting the play button compared to the car’s fast forward. Things that would have been just a blur through the window are crisp and clear and animals you never knew existed come crawling out of the bush to watch the weird humans panting their way up the road on creaking bikes. Also, people are so friendly and kind towards cycle tourers! We’ve been approached by so many, of all nationalities, who are intrigued to know about our travels, questions like “Where have you come from?” and “How far?!” frequent our daily conversations. We have had so many nice people suggesting great routes, giving us a cold drink and even offering us a place to stay during our ride. We’ve been overwhelmed by their generosity and it has certainly made our travels so much more memorable.

It wasn’t long into our trip that we learned why you shouldn’t always trust Google Maps; it’s led us down some strange looking ‘trails’. One example of this was a day that started with 50km of easy, sealed roads, which gradually vanished to be replaced by rugged track and sandy dunes and eventually led to a painfully slow 10km crawl through some beautiful riverside bush ending in a swamp. I’m not talking about a little swampy pond, this was a vast area covered in mud and water and biting insects that could easily have been lifted straight from a Hollywood film set. As we started to try and cross over a muddy spit of land, which Google insisted was a trail, we were saved by a local crab fisherman in a boat who hollered at us from a near by river. After his initial disbelief that two cyclists were about to try to wade through, he told us that the trail had been washed out several years before and offered us a lift across the river, saving us a lot of miles lugging fully laden bike through swampland! Not only had the path been washed away but apparently most maps still showed a bridge across the river that to his knowledge had never even existed. We were clearly going to have to be more careful with our choice of routes and maps!

Above: Questioning the trail Google Maps had recommended.

Above: Rest day adventures at South West Rocks.

Above: Setting up camp just in time to enjoy sunsets like this.

Above and below: Having some fun on off-road tracks.

Above: Encounters with deep sandy trails.

Above: Gravel grinding under the midday sun.

This first leg has been a bit of an adventure to say the least and we are all the more wiser because of it. With over 1600km, an entire tub of sunscreen, miles of stunning coastline, kind travellers, countless wildlife encounters (including a bite from a bulldog ant) and some very painful thighs we have made it to Sydney, the first big milestone of our zig zag tour towards Adelaide. Our legs are feeling stronger and we are eager for more. After a few days rest we’ll head inland from Sydney over the Blue Mountains before turning Southwards once more.

Above: Sydney is in sight! Arriving into Manly.

Above: Rolling into Sydney.

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