|
 Australia
Apart from the Tour Down Under there are plenty of reasons to make the trip - not least because of the reversal of seasons. If you live in Europe or North America then sunbirds can head south for a second summer between November and April.
But Australia is a big place and unless you have months to spare a one or two centre holiday is the way to go. Dividing the country up by state capitals provides a good basis for planning a trip. I don’t intend to duplicate all the info that you can find on the standard tourism sites - so here are a few “extras” that are of interest to cyclists.
Perth
Capital of Western Australia; a modern city with every facility but still very far away from any other capital - state or national. Web sites provide info about local cycling and the Great Bike Ride.
Adelaide
Capital of South Australia and the centre of a conurbation running 30 miles or more along the coast and back to the hills. Famous not just for the Tour but for its wineries. Most tourists go north to the Barossa Valley - but my choice would be the Southern Vales especially around McLaren Vale. A trip to the top of Mount Lofty (727m) gives a views over the entire city.
Melbourne
Capital of Victoria - and probably the city with the most cyclists (no I can’t prove that statement!). Victoria is a state that is relatively small in area yet has a significant number of country towns; providing a range of travel options. Keen cyclists will probably know that the Melbourne to Warrnambool is one of the oldest cycling events in the world. The 300 kms distance, up to 200 riders and a history going back to 1895 make it an exceptional race. In 2007 Peoples’ Recreational Rides (71km, 120km and 168km) became part of the two-day festival of cycling around the race proper.
Hobart
Capital of Tasmania - famous for it’s yacht race, casino, convict heritage, mountains, devil - and Christmas Cycling Carnivals. Looking at the map it may seem that the island is just off Victoria but the sea crossing is all of 240kms. And being so far south the weather is colder and wetter than the mainland - with winter snow in the centre.
Sydney
Capital of New South Wales - and a city with such a great harbour location that it has become a tourist “must-see”. Too much to see to cover in one paragraph - just go there!
Canberra
National capital in a territory created from New South Wales in 1911. For the cyclist there’s not a lot to warrant a special effort to visit - even though it could be used to start / end a trip to the Australian Alps. [Pub quiz fact - there is a second territory assigned to federal control - Jervis Bay peninsula was bought from New South Wales in 1915 to provide access to the sea]
Brisbane
Capital of Queensland - and located well to the south of the state not far from New South Wales. Being a state with a huge tropical coastline - including the Great Barrier Reef - this has meant there are a string of coastal towns running north. Today almost all of these towns have tourism as a major industry. A trip from Brisbane (or even Sydney) all the way north to Cairns is a great experience.
Cairns
Not a capital but an international gateway to tropical north Queensland that can be used as the start or end of a trip along the coast or inland.
 Alice Springs
A town like Alice .. located in the red centre on the Todd River (normally dry!) by a gap in the MacDonnell Ranges. The base for travel to Palm Valley, Kings Canyon, the Olgas (Kata Tjuta) and Ayers Rock (Uluru). Mountain bikers may want to tackle the many challenges - but the distances are vast and 4-wheel drive back-up essential!
Darwin
Capital of the Northern Territory - a huge area with less than 250,000 population; more than half of these in Darwin. Nearer to Asia than Canberra, Darwin has the reputation of being an independent, frontier town. The first university only opened in 1987 and the 3000 kms railway line south to Alice Springs and Adelaide was not finally completed until 2004.
New Zealand
The fantastic scenery, great people and adventure sports all make for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Information about New Zealand will be here soon.
|
