Book Review: Cycling Australia by Ian Duckworth
September 17th 2006 02:12
I found this book for $5 in the Newsagency at Denmark in WA and, like the bargain hunting cycle tourer I am, I snapped it up.
It's written in the mid-nineties so you can't rely on the detailed information about accommodation and food. However, we've found this book's route notes are still surprisingly accurate - even those related to changeable gravel roads and tracks in Western Australia.
It covers WA, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. The rides are from a few days to a few weeks. It doesn't have long distance routes but several of the rides could be combined for those wishing to do overland touring.
Ian is a little gung-ho for me. He thinks nothing of doing 90km-plus days through WA's deepest gravel or over Australia's higher mountains. Being slow and lazy, I tend to cut up his harder rides into two with some bush camping or some nice detours on the way.
The maps are basic but very clear giving an overview of the route without any topographical information or profiles. If you don't intend to follow his routes slavishly, you would do well to get a good detailed map of each area rather than relying on the maps in the book.
This would be a good initial read for anyone interested in riding in Australia and for anyone who wants to get off Lonely Planet's well worn path.
Full title: Cycling Australia, Bicycle Touring Throughout the Sunny Continent
Author: Ian Duckworth
Series: The Active Travel Series
Publisher: Bicycle Books
ISBN: 0933201761
It's written in the mid-nineties so you can't rely on the detailed information about accommodation and food. However, we've found this book's route notes are still surprisingly accurate - even those related to changeable gravel roads and tracks in Western Australia.
It covers WA, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. The rides are from a few days to a few weeks. It doesn't have long distance routes but several of the rides could be combined for those wishing to do overland touring.
Taking Ian's cycling route through the Coorong in South Australia
Ian is a little gung-ho for me. He thinks nothing of doing 90km-plus days through WA's deepest gravel or over Australia's higher mountains. Being slow and lazy, I tend to cut up his harder rides into two with some bush camping or some nice detours on the way.
The maps are basic but very clear giving an overview of the route without any topographical information or profiles. If you don't intend to follow his routes slavishly, you would do well to get a good detailed map of each area rather than relying on the maps in the book.
This would be a good initial read for anyone interested in riding in Australia and for anyone who wants to get off Lonely Planet's well worn path.
Full title: Cycling Australia, Bicycle Touring Throughout the Sunny Continent
Author: Ian Duckworth
Series: The Active Travel Series
Publisher: Bicycle Books
ISBN: 0933201761
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