Australia 2003 bike tour - Oceanía

AUSTRALIA, 'TRIP TO OUTBACK'

If anyone had told me that my first big foreign travel in bike was going to be in Australia I would never have believed it.

A host of circumstances made me meet Juan Francisco Cerezo in 2002. Then, he told me about travelling to Mongolia. That invitation was rejected for an injury, much to my regret.

The second chance that Juan Francisco offered me was not wasted. And then, Australia meant to me a fresh start in the way I travel. Since that experience it is hard to me any other kind of trip.

Despite the fact that this huge country is completely westernized apart from its location, everything was new, different and appealing. From that moment a necessity of meeting different people, cultures and places embodied me. Cycling across red sand paths of the Australian desert inoculated into me a new passion that goes until today.

Australia distances are another scale, for instance, the country has three different time zones, almost the same gap between Spain and Pakistan. This handicap and lack of time were the major problems when we planned the route. Having always in mind these former things, we decided to cycle the most isolated and wildest part of the country, the North, also called 'Outback'. With a total area of 1,350,000 squared kilometers (more than two and a half times as Spain). We split our efforts in two stretches, Kakadu National Park and the desert, from Alice Springs to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

A trip full of abiding memories, fear for the unknown, and filled with satisfaction for discovering the adventure of cyclotourist.

Owing to the distance in time of the travel and, it is likely terms of entry to the country have changed, the most commendable option is to visit the following website: Embassy of Australia in Spain, where you can get updated info.

In the following link: Ministry of foreign affairs and cooperation (Spain), you can find daily updated information about country travel advice.