Adventure Motorcycle Tours through Australia

TOUR DIFFICULTY
All-weather motorcycling experience required Ability to ride for long periods required

TOUR SERVICES
Rental motorcycles for tour duration Bilingual (English/German) tour guide on motorcycle Support vehicle, luggage transport, spare motorcycle Maintenance of the motorbike and repairs during the tour (provided that they are not caused by actual fault) Transfer from airport to tour starting point Third party insurance Camping equipment, campground fees Maps and roadbook GST and taxes
NOT INCLUDED
Food (breakfast and lunch) - AUD 110 per week (payable to the tour guide before the tour starts) Fuel, air fares Individual activities and expenses Compulsory additional insurance (see prices below)

PRICING & DATES

TOUR PRICES		TOUR DATES March 1 - 21, 2009 [Melbourne to Darwin] Aug. 16 - Sept. 5, 2009 [Darwin to Melbourne]
AUD 3.490	Riding a Suzuki DR650SE
AUD 4.490	Riding a BMW F650GS Dakar or Yamaha XT 660R
AUD 2.180	Bringing your own bike
AUD 1.080	Pillion passenger
AUD 1.980	Passenger in support vehicle
ADDITIONAL INSURANCE (compulsory)
AUD 75/wk	Suzuki with AUD 1.000 excess
AUD 150/wk	Suzuki without excess
AUD 100/wk	Dakar/Yamaha with AUD 1.000 excess
AUD 210/wk	Dakar/Yamaha without excess

Currency: AUD (Australian Dollar)

CURRENCY ASSISTANT

ALL TOURS

* Reservation deposit is AUD 300 per person, due with booking confirmation.
Tour balance is due six weeks before the tour starts.

ITINERARY

We pass through three climatic zones, starting from the mediterranean climate of the South heading through the deserts of the centre to the subtropics of the North. Furthermore, Australia is not just desert and prairie, the south being reminiscent of Ireland and the North very similar to the tropics of Asia.

This tour can be mastered by bikers of average experience. Most of the roads are surfaced but there is also some opportunity to ride off the road and to have some "enduro" fun.

We leave Melbourne heading west and follow the 'Great Ocean Road', one of the most beautiful of Australia’s coastal roads. This part of the coast consists of countless sandy bays and bizarre rock formations created by millions of years of erosion. It is here, that we find the 'Twelve Apostles', a collection of massive detached rocks, which are an absolute must for every - hobby - photographer. This coastal road provides you with constant breathtaking views of the ocean and gives you the opportunity to go for a refreshing swim. In Cape Otway National Park , there is the opportunity to hire horses and ride through the unique countryside for a few hours. A great experience even for beginners! On every ride up to now it has been possible to see koalas and kangaroos living in the wild. After about three days we arrive at the pulsating city of Adelaide. Another day’s ride and we reach Port Augusta, which borders the Outback. This is where the legendary Stuart Highway begins which then winds its way along the 3.000 km to Darwin and the Timor Sea. Just a few kilometres beyond the outskirts of Port Augusta we are already in the Outback, with its thornbushes, huge cattle herds, gnarled Eucalyptus trees and, of course, kangaroos.

Already, we hardly see other vehicles, just the occasional road trains, which are huge trucks with up to three trailers. Between Port Augusta and the next town, Coober Pedy, we camp out in the bush at a huge salt lake. The fascinating atmosphere of the Outback at night is something indescribable, it’s something you just have to experience. The desert town of Coober Pedy is the most abundant source of opals in the world, providing 75% of world's opal production. Most of the inhabitants live underground in dug-outs which are hewn out of the soft rock and which are often very comfortable dwellings. Our overnight stay here is in one of those dug-outs. Nearby there is an interesting museum which gives a good impression of the early pioneer days in Coober Pedy.

After another two days, we arrive at Kulgera which is nothing more than a road-house. Not far from here is the turn off to Ulruru - Ayers Rock, the red heart of Australia , which is 8,8 km in circumference and towers 348 m above the plain. Geologists have estimated that it also reaches a depth of 3,000 m below ground level. This 'giant' is a sacred place for the Aboriginals who call it 'Uluru'. Every aspect of the rock, whether it be the 60m long 'Kangaroo’s Tail', the waterholes, the caves or the formations caused by erosion, such as the 'The Brain', has its own individual religious importance for the indigenous population. Wall paintings can be seen in some of the caves. These are painted in three colours: Red, representing the past, Black, for life and White, for death.

Only 30 km from here are the equally impressive Kata Tjuta - Olgas whose granite cone-shaped summits rise up to a height of 546m.

After Uluru it’s another day’s ride along a dusty track to Kings Canyon, which is a rarely visited national park. Here, we take a day and a half break from riding to do some hiking through this immense canyon with its hidden oases and their tropical vegetation. On the way to Alice Springs we stop and take a look at the crater left by the Henbury meteorite. In 'Alice', as the Aussies call it, we have a day’s rest and visit the local attractions, for example, the open-air museum and an old telegraph station.

After a further two nights in the bush we finally reach the tropics just north of the gold-mining town of Tennant Creek. We spend the night by the hot springs of Mataranka and visit the Edith Falls in the Nitmiluk - Katherine Gorge National Park, which are terraced waterfalls set among unique shrubland.

In the middle of the tropics we reach our destination, Darwin and the Timor Sea, after travelling some 5.000 km. Darwin is a town with the typical easy-going atmosphere and it’s here that the tour ends. This tour, although not always comfortable, is full of unique experiences in a wild untouched countryside and will, by now, have provided you with a good section of the Australian continent.

Note: We reserve the right to make changes.

Ready to ride? Book here