Book Review: Around Australia by Bicycle by Paul Elwood
November 2nd 2006 08:24
Whenever my partner and I are at a loss as to which route to take while cycle touring Australia one of us turns to the other and says; ''What does HE do?''
The other knows immediately that HE is Paul Elwood and will reach for our copy of Around Australia by Bicycle.
To us, it has become indispensible. It is the book to have on hand when cycling in areas no other book covers and the book to have on hand when we're just tired of thinking about which route to take and want someone else to think for us and the book to have on hand when it's getting dark and there's a headwind and you know you're not going to make it to that distant roadhouse.
This book at first repels. It is a very dry series of bicycle touring tips and tripnotes covering some 15000-odd kilometres around Australia. There aren't a lot of glossy photos (though there are a few) and it doesn't have gossipy snippets of information about each town it passes through. It just has the basics, and mostly that's just what you need.
As a consequence, this is a slim, lightweight volume that you can easily carry in your handlebar bag. It starts off with how to use the book and some basic tips on touring around Australia. (Sorry Paul, we ripped out the front section and just carried the pages we required for each area. We sent them home after we'd finished each section and intend to put the book back together with sticky tape.)
Some of the early information is pretty useful but jeez louweez, Paul estimates that the average cycle tourer will accomplish 500kms per week every week. As a result I am feeling pretty lousy about my below average performance.
This is the only book we've found that covers such a wide area and treats Australia as one single cycle tour rather than as a series of shorter ones. You could, however, easily pick shorter routes out of the volume by reading the section overviews and checking out tourist info online.
We have used the book in WA, SA, Victoria, NSW and Qld but not NT. We've found it extremely detailed and very accurate notwithstanding a few closed roadhouses and the odd rest area being a couple kms further or closer than expected.
There are no profiles and not a lot of information about the terrain though he does give basic info and warns you when there's a hill or three to get over. Unlike other books we've used, we found our perception of the terrain married with the author's perception.
He cycles all the routes himself and it is a huge achievement to have managed to keep such detailed notes to share with others.
Title: Around Australia by Bicycle: The Complete Guide
Author: Paul Elwood
Date: 2003
ISBN:0958112908
Publisher
aul Elwood
Approx. Cost: $26.40 - $33.00AUS
The other knows immediately that HE is Paul Elwood and will reach for our copy of Around Australia by Bicycle.
To us, it has become indispensible. It is the book to have on hand when cycling in areas no other book covers and the book to have on hand when we're just tired of thinking about which route to take and want someone else to think for us and the book to have on hand when it's getting dark and there's a headwind and you know you're not going to make it to that distant roadhouse.
This book at first repels. It is a very dry series of bicycle touring tips and tripnotes covering some 15000-odd kilometres around Australia. There aren't a lot of glossy photos (though there are a few) and it doesn't have gossipy snippets of information about each town it passes through. It just has the basics, and mostly that's just what you need.
As a consequence, this is a slim, lightweight volume that you can easily carry in your handlebar bag. It starts off with how to use the book and some basic tips on touring around Australia. (Sorry Paul, we ripped out the front section and just carried the pages we required for each area. We sent them home after we'd finished each section and intend to put the book back together with sticky tape.)
Some of the early information is pretty useful but jeez louweez, Paul estimates that the average cycle tourer will accomplish 500kms per week every week. As a result I am feeling pretty lousy about my below average performance.
This is the only book we've found that covers such a wide area and treats Australia as one single cycle tour rather than as a series of shorter ones. You could, however, easily pick shorter routes out of the volume by reading the section overviews and checking out tourist info online.
We have used the book in WA, SA, Victoria, NSW and Qld but not NT. We've found it extremely detailed and very accurate notwithstanding a few closed roadhouses and the odd rest area being a couple kms further or closer than expected.
There are no profiles and not a lot of information about the terrain though he does give basic info and warns you when there's a hill or three to get over. Unlike other books we've used, we found our perception of the terrain married with the author's perception.
He cycles all the routes himself and it is a huge achievement to have managed to keep such detailed notes to share with others.
Title: Around Australia by Bicycle: The Complete Guide
Author: Paul Elwood
Date: 2003
ISBN:0958112908
Publisher
aul ElwoodApprox. Cost: $26.40 - $33.00AUS
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