Boy Scout Preparations for Cycling the Nullarbor, Australia
November 10th 2006 03:14
Preparations for the Nullarbor can be as individual as, well, individuals. We heard of a Japanese cyclist who took off with just one half litre bottle of water and a packet of 2-minute noodles. We don't recommend this and neither did the Norseman businessman who reported him to the police!
We, on the other hand, went crazy with preparations. Here's what we did...
1. We planned on being self sufficient.
2. We made sure we were physically fit and could do over 100kms per day by pedalling first from Fremantle. This also gained us invaluable experience dealing with roadtrains, getting used to a loaded touring bike and wearing in our newly tweaked wheels.
3. We did our research - we read books about crossing the Nullarbor, checked out Nullarbor Net and got ourselves an ok map from the tourist office in WA. The map is called "Australia's Great Road Journey - The Nullarbor" and gives the details of what's available at each roadhouse with a phone number for each, has general tourist information and shows where the emergency phones and rest areas are. We also checked out the approximate climate and planned when to travel there.
4. We did a first aid course and made sure our first aid kits were up to date.
5. We worked out how to carry enough water.
6. We serviced our bikes and made sure we had sufficient spares and tools.
7. We made sure we had rearview mirrors to check for roadtrains and other traffic as you don't always hear them coming.
8. We made sure we were visible with bright vests, flags and flashing lights for low visibility situations (such as fog).
9. We noted in advance how much food and water we were using and planned for two day stretches plus an extra emergency day's rations.
10. We noted when the sun rose and set so we knew approximately how many cycling hours we had.
11. We sent food parcels ahead using Australia post. Check out what that involved here.
12. We pumped other travellers for up to date information. We discovered, for instance, that the Yalata Roadhouse had shut down and that there was a 55km stretch of roadworks before Balladonia.
13. We let people know where we were by sms'ing from Telstra payphones (25c).
14. We took sunscreen.
First day of Nullarbor Crossing - fully prepped
We, on the other hand, went crazy with preparations. Here's what we did...
1. We planned on being self sufficient.
2. We made sure we were physically fit and could do over 100kms per day by pedalling first from Fremantle. This also gained us invaluable experience dealing with roadtrains, getting used to a loaded touring bike and wearing in our newly tweaked wheels.
3. We did our research - we read books about crossing the Nullarbor, checked out Nullarbor Net and got ourselves an ok map from the tourist office in WA. The map is called "Australia's Great Road Journey - The Nullarbor" and gives the details of what's available at each roadhouse with a phone number for each, has general tourist information and shows where the emergency phones and rest areas are. We also checked out the approximate climate and planned when to travel there.
5. We worked out how to carry enough water.
6. We serviced our bikes and made sure we had sufficient spares and tools.
7. We made sure we had rearview mirrors to check for roadtrains and other traffic as you don't always hear them coming.
8. We made sure we were visible with bright vests, flags and flashing lights for low visibility situations (such as fog).
9. We noted in advance how much food and water we were using and planned for two day stretches plus an extra emergency day's rations.
10. We noted when the sun rose and set so we knew approximately how many cycling hours we had.
11. We sent food parcels ahead using Australia post. Check out what that involved here.
12. We pumped other travellers for up to date information. We discovered, for instance, that the Yalata Roadhouse had shut down and that there was a 55km stretch of roadworks before Balladonia.
13. We let people know where we were by sms'ing from Telstra payphones (25c).
14. We took sunscreen.
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