Every two years Bike Tours Australia organises this five-weeks expedition through the most beautiful and least accessible areas of Australia.

Tour: Perth - Ayers Rock (Uluru) - Simpson Desert - Cape York - Cairns (or vice versa)
Total distance: approx. 8.000 km with approx. 6.000 km offroad
Level: very demanding
Prices: see bottom of page 
Dates:  04.07.2010 - 07.08.2010  Perth - Cairns

Bike Tours Special is designed for bikers who are looking for the ultimate biking experience and complete fitness is absolutely essential. For this expedition we are looking for bikers who enjoy physical exertion and who want to get to know Australia from its hardest and yet most beautiful side. The total length of the tour is around 8.000 km, of which 6.000 km are on unsurfaced roads or tracks. This kind of journey allows you to experience and gives you lasting impressions of things which are known to very few travellers to Australia.

Unfortunately, we are not able to cater for pillion passengers on this trip, although there is room for one person in the support vehicle.

Bike Tours Special takes you on a diagonal route across the entire Australian continent, from Perth and the Indian Ocean in the South-West up to the jungle of Cape York, the peninsula in the North-East of the continent. We will be entirely on our own for days on end with no chance of picking up supplies. The tour ends in Cairns where you can take return flights.

We set off to the west from Perth towards the goldfields of Kalgoorlie situated on the western side of the Gibson desert. Its past Laverton, that we join the legendary Gunbarrel Highway, which was the first East-West route across Central Australia. The road is, however, in poor condition and can nowadays only be mastered by motorbikes suitable for cross-country travel and 4-wheel drive vehicles. Driving along the dry salt lakes, we come to the Aboriginal missions at Warburton and Docker River and the Giles weather station, where we go on a guided tour to hear about the meteorological instruments and the work involved. After about 1.000 km we finally reach civilisation again at Uluru - Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta - Olgas. The next stop-off is at Kings Canyon, where we go for a swim in a natural lake, surrounded by the red rock walls of the canyon. In Alice Springs, we have a two day break for servicing and can also take a trip to the nearby MacDonnell Ranges, visit Alice Springs Desert Park, a museum or just simply relax.

After Alice, the trip gets serious. We cross the Simpson Desert, a 600 km long sand dunes track. We reach Birdsville, the most isolated pub in the world, so they claim. 600 km to the north in Burketown, we are already in the tropics. From now on the climate is hot and humid for the rest of the journey.

The Cape York track was originally built only for servicing the telegraph line and its main features are countless rivers, which we have to drive through and massive soil erosion. On both sides of the track the jungle seems impenetrable. Crystal clear lakes, rivers and waterfalls offer swimming opportunities. Furthermore, it is an overwhelming feeling to reach the white beaches of the most north-eastern point of Australia after travelling some 7.000 km and to hear the champagne corks pop. Here we take a two day break between palm trees and the blue sea.

On the return journey to Cairns we have some further attractions for you. We travel through a unique jungle area and then there’s the coastal road from Cooktown down to Cairns via Cape Tribulation. This road is a super finale. Mountains, jungle, sea, river crossings and all this squeezed in on a 200 km stretch of road. The tour is very strenuous but it’s certainly a trip of a lifetime.
   

Prices:

You can also join the tour with your own bike. Price: AUD 3.990,- 

Prices include:

• Pick-up service from airport at tour starting point
• Motorcycle rent for duration of tour
• Third-party insurance and full comprehensive insurance with AUD 3.000,00 excess; excess can be reduced to AUD 600,00 by payment of AUD19,00 per day. 
• Maintenance of the motorbike and repairs during the tour (provided that they are not caused by actual fault)
• Spare motorcycle during tour transported on trailer
• Support vehicle and luggage transport
• German/English speaking tour guide
• Maps and roadbook
• Campground fees
• Cook
• Food and Fuel
• GST
• and taxes
   

Prices do not include:

• Air fares
• Admission fees for national parks, museums, etc. and other activities
• additional insurance (see above)

Requirements/Driving Licence:
For Australia, an international driving licence (in combination with the national driving licence only) or an English translation of the national driving licence (in combination with the national driving licence only) is needed. The drivers participating must be 21 years of age at least and in possession of a driving licence for all motorbike types. Please note: We reserve the right to make changes at any time.

Please note: We reserve the right to make changes at any time.