The project. Well! It's about to happen - the Crowtrapper is going on a Big Trip on the Bike. For many years, I've had the idea at the back of my mind, to do a bike ride (motorbike that is, I'm not a complete masochist) around Australia.

This present trip will go about half way around: Albury to Darwin. Several thousand kilometres, from cold late winter weather in the south to the heat of the tropics.

But why would anyone leave the South to travel north at this time of year? It is late winter - would it not be better to go early in the winter, maybe May or June? Yes it would be. However, this timing is to enable me to attend the Darwin Symposium, in Darwin, at Charles Darwin University - celebrating 200 years since Charles Darwin's birth and 150 years since the publication of "The Origin of Species".

The Bike. For several years I have owned a Yamaha T-Max, which is an oversized scooter really. 500cc, cruises OK at 110 km/h, so it is suitable for touring. I know the bike and have confidence in it as far as reliability goes, so rather than replacing it with a more usual tourer, I will use the T-Max for this trip.However, the full enclosure of the motor in fairings, along with somewhat smaller wheels than a touring bike, means that dirt roads are out. It must all happen on bitumen
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The photos show the bike, ready to load; and a detail of the Airhawk seat, a very necessary part of the equipment for a long ride - it has been tested and found to be GOOD. The original seat on the T Max is pretty good as bike seats go, but the Airhawk is very superior! It is filled with a number of tiny aircells, which can be inflated to suit the rider's weight and preferences, hard to soft.

The Plan.The plan is, up the east coast to Townsville, then west across Queensland, through Julia Creek and Mount Isa to Tennant Creek (or 3-ways actually) then north to Darwin.

I will leave Albury on the 27th August, and with a break of several days in Noosa on the way up the coast, I am planning on reaching Darwin on 21st September.

Most days I will cover about 300 km so it is an easy pace. Some days are 450 km or so; I have already done some shakedown trips with the same amount of gear I will have for this one, and I know I can do well over 450 and still be able to walk the next day! Don't laugh, this old body is not as flexible as it once was, and I intend to enjoy the ride rather than making it an extreme achievement...

There is plenty of help out there for a project like this. So far I have combed the internet and found a number of really helpful sites, with advice about loading the bike, what to take, different approaches to doing a long trip - camping, credit-card camping (motelling), travelling light, travelling compact, how to handle emergencies of various kinds, etc etc etc.

Some useful web sites:

Motorcycle Packing for a Short Trip and a Longer Trip
Andy Strapz - Motorbike Bags, Straps, Panniers, Over Gloves - Australian Made
Motorcycle Trip Checklist
Light Weight Cooking