Here we go again!

Celebrating our 50th at the Mud Brick Restaurant - Waiheke

After the success of our trip from Perth to Adelaide, we were keen to try another cycle in Australia. We spent a fabulous month cycling in Provence during the winter months of 2013 and, with our 50th wedding anniversary looming in February 2014 we decided that the Australia trip should be now or never. This time we would start the trip from Adelaide and take the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne, carrying on to Sydney and Brisbane.

Planning began in August 2013, researching routes, camp grounds etc. The first thing we decided to do was to upgrade our bikes to 27 gears (having done the previous trip with 24 gears). We already had all the other accessories, but decided also to update our old tent to a 3 man tent so that there would be more space to store the trailers.

By December 2013 our flights to Adelaide had been bought, the motel where we planned to stay while putting together the bikes and trailers was booked and our travel insurance was paid for. We would fly out on March 7th 2014.

A broken arm, cut nose and bruised right hand! A not so merry Xmas this year! 

On December 23rd plans came to an unexpected halt when, on a cycle training run, the chain came off my bike, I was thrown into a ditch and suffered a broken arm! When the cast was removed 8 weeks later, it was obvious that I would need weeks of physio to get my hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder into action again. Plane tickets, motel and plans were cancelled much to our disappointment.

But - what a difference a month can make! By late March I was able to ride my bike and with an ingenious adaptation I was able to operate the gears and brakes with my wonky hand.

We decided that, at 73, we shouldn't wait another year. The trip was on again!

The computer is a wonderful thing. Air fares, motel booking and travel insurance were completed in the blink of an eye. Training runs with a gradually increasing weight load on the trailers began in earnest.