cycleboy2
Justified & Ancient
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2005
- Messages
- 2,901
I used to get that. I lived in Australia in 1988 and travelled from Sydney up to Cairns (by train with stops at Brisbane, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Innisfail - for white water rafting), back down through Mt Isa to Alice Springs by train/bus including the 'scenic' delights of Mt Isa; then Alice to Adelaide/Melbourne/Canberra Sydney by train. I'll always go for train over bus where possible.Years ago I took the greyhound bus from Perth to Sydney. Took about two days if I remember. People kept saying ''why don't you fly'', but I wanted to see a bit of Oz. Not too much to see on that route, granted, but at least I saw that there wasn't a lot to see- if you, er, see.
In 1996 I cycled from Cairns to Melbourne down the east coast, including a stop at Goulburn - 36 days riding for 2700 miles, a healthy 75 miles daily average but I took extended breaks in Brisbane and Sydney. If my knees survive and I get enough fitness I still want to ride from Sydney to Perth or vice versa - different direction depending on the time of year because of prevailing winds. I'm 56, so it might be a bit of an effort... my thinking is to do it on an Airnimal folding bike, which fits in a suitcase that then transforms into a trailer (I'll need a fair amount of water cycling the Nullarbor). In the early 2000s I rode 3000 miles in three months in Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the USA and an afternoon in Tijuana. Oh to be young again!!
No particular Fortean experiences but two striking coincidences on my travels: on my first flight to Australia I sat next to a friend of my uncle in Sydney - he's a four-time Olympic water polo player and she knew him through that (wife of a team-mate or something like that). The other was on my tour around the country. My best friend from home came over to Sydney a few months after me, even staying with me for a few weeks. I did my trip anti-clockwise from Sydney in about six weeks, my friend set off later anti-clockwise and this was in the pre-internet/pre-mobile era so there was no contact... until we bumped into each other at the Ayers Rock (now Uluru) campground/accommodation. That was a bit of a shock, as 999 times out of 1000 or more this wouldn't happen.
I spent an evening at the accommodation drinking beer with an ex-wife of one of the members of Argent!
Oh to be young again!!!!!