Book Review: Bike Australia - Cycling Australia from Perth to Sydney by Paul Salter
November 4th 2006 07:45
This is the book for cyclists with a soft spot for history and tall tales. Where Paul Elwood is dry, Paul Salter is entertaining. We enjoyed reading Salter's concise but descriptive tidbits while crossing the Nullarbor but were glad we didn't read the bit about the UFOs till after we'd camped rough near Mundrabilla Roadhouse.
The guide covers the most direct route between Perth and Sydney including the Nullarbor crossing. It has general information about cycle touring in Australia, road profiles, route descriptions and information about food and accommodation. All this is in a very slim, lightweight volume that won't weigh you down.
In a first, I think, Salter has also taken a photo of the road ahead every 100kms to give cyclists an idea of what it looks like. It seems like a good idea right? Unfortunately, we didn't find it enlightening and it certainly didn't do justice to the variety of landscapes and gradients we encountered on our travels.
Ditto the profiles. We just didn't find that they were accurate enough or, rather, detailed enough to be of any particular use.
I would recommend this book for its strengths - Salter's ear for the quirky, his ability to give your cycling context (without weighing too heavily in your panniers) and the way he whets your appetite for more information.
Title Bike Australia - Cycling Australia from Perth to Sydney
Author: Paul Salter
Year: 2001 (?TBC?)
ISBN:0-9582256-0-5
Publisher:Epic Guides
Price: Unknown
The guide covers the most direct route between Perth and Sydney including the Nullarbor crossing. It has general information about cycle touring in Australia, road profiles, route descriptions and information about food and accommodation. All this is in a very slim, lightweight volume that won't weigh you down.
In a first, I think, Salter has also taken a photo of the road ahead every 100kms to give cyclists an idea of what it looks like. It seems like a good idea right? Unfortunately, we didn't find it enlightening and it certainly didn't do justice to the variety of landscapes and gradients we encountered on our travels.
Ditto the profiles. We just didn't find that they were accurate enough or, rather, detailed enough to be of any particular use.
I would recommend this book for its strengths - Salter's ear for the quirky, his ability to give your cycling context (without weighing too heavily in your panniers) and the way he whets your appetite for more information.
Title Bike Australia - Cycling Australia from Perth to Sydney
Author: Paul Salter
Year: 2001 (?TBC?)
ISBN:0-9582256-0-5
Publisher:Epic Guides
Price: Unknown
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