The Great Outback Bike Ride: Gulf to Gulf

Tour Details

Operator

The Adventure Collective

Destinations

Flinders Ranges, Birdsville, Undara Lava Tubes, Birdsville and Wilpena Pound

Departs From

Adelaide, Birdsville, Birdsville and Port Augusta

Tour Description

THE GREAT OUTBACK BIKE RIDE: GULF TO GULF
We're doing it all again in 2009! Ride your way across Australia from Gulf to Gulf! This amazing experience is becoming known as ‘The Crossing’ and it’s an epic adventure not to be missed. The beauty of this ride is that it’s achievable for everyone: you don’t have to be a super athlete to make it to the end. From the South Australia’s Spencer Gulf, we make our way through the Flinders Ranges and towards Marree, where the infamous Birdsville Track begins. Traversing some of the most remote land in Australia, we reach Birdsville in time to experience ANZAC day here - the sunrise is something special. Continuing north through Channel Country and to Mount Isa, before travelling into the Gulf Country. Karumba is a tiny town popular with fishermen, and sampling the seafood here, you’ll understand why!

30 days (full ride), 15 days (Stage 1 or Stage 2)
2009 Dates: 10 April - 9 May (full ride), 10-24 April (Stage 1), 25 April-9 May (Stage 2)
Stage 1: Port Augusta to Birdsville
Stage 2: Birdsville to Karumba

HIGHLIGHTS

>> Ride part of the Mawson Trail through the Flinders Ranges >> Ride the legendary Birdsville Track >> Soak in steamy artesian spas >> Outback towns and remote stations >> Bustling Mount Isa mining city >> Delicious seafood in the gulf country

Days 1-4
Port Augusta, Quorn, Rawnsley Park, Angorichina Leaving the Spencer Gulf in Port Augusta, we head up through Pichi Richi Pass to Quorn, a historic railway town, where we stay the night in the caravan park. It’s a good day’s riding to Rawnsley Park Station, but the scenery is well worth it, as we pass through the town of Hawker and the jagged ranges approach us. Day 3 is a great day of ‘real’ mountain biking, as we cycle along sections of the Mawson Trail winding through creek beds and gorges. After a refreshing drink at the Blinman Hotel, it’s a nice (mostly) downhill ride to Angorichina, where we spend a welcome rest day. We eat dinner at the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna on our rest day (at own expense), where you’ll enjoy a stunning sunset and unique ‘feral’ cuisine. Days 1-3 (BLD), Day 4 (BL)

Days 5-7
Angorichina, Beltana, Lyndhurst, Marree It’s a stunning ride out of the gorge to the vast open spaces. There’s another chance for a quick stop at the Prairie Hotel before we head towards Beltana. This little ghost town is actually inhabited, and is definitely worth a look around with your camera. We stop in at Copley for morning tea on day 6 on our way to Lyndhurst, also passing the modern mining town of Leigh Creek on the way. Talc Alf is Lyndhurst’s most famous resident, and once you visit him you’ll understand why. On the way to Marree, there’s ochre pits and another ghost town, Farina, before we reach the ‘last town’. Dinner in Marree is at your own expense. Days 5-6 (BLD), Day 7 (BL)

Days 8-15
The Birdsville Track: Marree, Mungerannie, Birdsville Now we’re on the Birdsville Track – that infamous track through some of the most remote places on the continent! Our first night on the track is spent at Clayton Station, where you’ll have the chance to soak in a tub of hot thermal waters, or take a short walk to check out the wetlands. Shane and Debbie, the station owners, might even pop in to say “g’day”. On Day 9 we reach Cooper Creek and camp among the shady gums of the dry creek bed, and the following day we reach Mungerannie, the only service outlet on the Track. There’s a rest day at Mungerannie to enjoy relaxing in the thermal pool, exploring the wetlands, observing the birdlife or having a ‘chin-wag’ in the bar. Dinner on the rest day is in the roadhouse at your own expense. From Mungerannie, there’s still four days before we reach Birdsville, and you’ll feel like we’ve reached utopia! Buy yourself dinner tonight in Birdsville and refresh with a drink at the pub. Days 8-9 (BLD), Day 10 (BL), Day 11 (B), Days 12-14 (BLD), Day 15 (BL)

Days 16-20
Birdsville, Bedourie, Boulia Our rest day in Birdsville falls on ANZAC day, a special day commemorating Australia’s service men and women in past and present times of conflict. After an afternoon of exploring the township or experiencing ‘two-up’ at the pub, a hearty meal at the hotel (at own expense) will fuel you up for the next day. Leaving Birdsville, we continue our trek towards the gulf, with a night of bushcamping before we reach Bedourie, a little town on the edge of Channel Country and the Simpson Desert. There’s a heated public swimming pool and spa which are soothing for your legs, and the town boasts a pub and a tavern – great for catching up with the local ‘goss’. Another bushcamp before we reach Boulia, which feels like an oasis with lush green grass lining the Burke River. This town is famous for the ‘Min Min Encounter’, a theatrical experience that is tribute to the phenomena of the Min Min Lights. Day 16 (B), Days 17-20 (BLD)

Days 21-24
Boulia to Mt Isa The roads are mostly sealed now as we leave Boulia and head towards the ‘big smoke’ of Mt Isa. We set up our bush camp in a tree-lined creek bed. The next day’s ride takes us to Dajarra for morning tea, a quiet town that was once billed as the world’s largest trucking depot! There’s another bush camp along the way. It becomes more and more obvious that we’re heading towards the city, with a little more traffic (including road trains) to watch out for. The scenery is spectacular as the road winds through jagged ranges surrounding Mt Isa, and when you catch glimpse of the smoke stacks you know you’re pretty close! Mt Isa is a bustling town with restaurants, shopping centres, cafes and even a McDonalds! On our arrival, it’s a bit of a tradition to chip in for pizzas to be delivered to the campground, otherwise head into town to grab yourself some dinner. We have a whole day to spend here, a good chance to catch up on emails, news and shopping, or otherwise just relax under the shady trees at the caravan park. Days 21-22 (BLD), Day 23 (BL), Day 24 (B)

Days 25-27
Mt Isa to Burke and Wills Roadhouse We’ve now entered the last week of the ride, and while the distances are longer, your legs are well-conditioned by this stage! The roads are mostly sealed from here on, making it a little faster. From ‘The Isa’ it’s a pretty long but very pretty day’s ride across to Cloncurry, but the swimming pool at the caravan park makes it worth it! From Cloncurry, we head north along the Burke Development Road and stop in at a little place called Quamby, which has an historic pub and a population of about 30. There’s a bit of dirt as we turn off to Kajabbi, and we’ll cross the Leichhardt River on our way to the tiny town with its famous Kalkadoon Hotel. It’s usually an interesting night at Kajabbi, and we camp in the pub’s backyard. The next day we continue on the dirt roads until we get back onto the Burke Development Road towards the Burke and Wills Roadhouse. An ice cream goes down a treat here, and the hot chips are pretty good too! There’s a pay phone here, as well as some ‘dongers’ if you feel like a night in a ‘real’ bed. Days 25-27 (BLD)

Days 28-30
Bourke and Wills Roadhouse to Karumba Only a few days to go, and the Gulf is becoming very close now! We spend our last night bush camping in the yards of Warren Vale Station, and the station workers may even come and join us for a beer and a bite to eat. The sunsets here are spectacular and seem to last forever. The next day we ride to Normanton, and as we cross the Flinders River you might want to look out for crocodiles! You’ll see the warning signs, at any rate. Normanton has a couple of pubs, the famous Purple Pub, and the Albion, and both are worth a visit. There’s a well-equipped library with internet terminals, and the locals are friendly. A delicious dinner with locally made fish and chips will whet your appetite for seafood as we enter the very last day of this great adventure. Our last day of riding takes us through flat, grassy Gulf country, with lots of birdlife. We ride into Karumba Point together, and seeing the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria is an amazing feeling – it feels a long way from the Spencer Gulf 30 days ago! The seafood here is delicious and we celebrate our last night at the Sunset Tavern, as the sun dips over the waters of the Gulf. Days 28-29 (BLD), Day 30 (BL)