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 January-February issue of 2004. Length: 600 words |
Book Review: Around Australia by Bicycle Firstly, I should make it clear that I've never been a fan of the traditional Lonely Planet-style travel guides. Within seconds of opening a guidebook, my eyes begin to glaze over and I have trouble counting the number of stars next to a hotel I'll never stay in. However, I've just finished reading Around Australia By Bicycle by Paul Elwood and I have to say that Mr Elwood has managed to put together a guide that is concise, honest and most importantly, useful. The book can be broken down into two sections: the planning and the route. At this point, being nearly done in my own circumnavigation of Australia, I can say by experience that Paul knows what he's talking about. Granted, everyone has a different set of priorities, but while I was reading the planning section, I found myself occasionally saying, "Why didn't I think of that?" My pal, Simon, who's in the planning stages of his Australian cycling adventure (and, coincidentally, is a fan of travel guides), found it very reassuring - essentially, it didn't tell him that if he attempted to ride around Australia on two wheels he was going to die from dehydration or be run off the road by road trains, which is the advice he'd probably receive at the local pub. The second section of the book covers the route, step by step. This is where my eyes began to glaze, as the book covers every single bank, turn and rut in the road. In the outback it seems a little excessive, since there's only one road, but again, I suppose it is a guide. However, for all my glaziness, it's an excellent resource to get you in and out of the cities, avoiding the high-traffic through-ways. Very handy on the east coast. Around Australia By Bicycle holds your hand through the difficult parts of your journey without being bossy or presumptuous. Like a good map or safety guide, it lets you go off by yourself, but is never out of reach in case you get stuck. The only segment that I found a little iffy was the time estimates given in the book. Paul Elwood makes the assumption that a cyclist would be able to keep to a fairly rigorous schedule of around 500km per week. In my opinion, this would be a difficult schedule to maintain continuously for eight months, unless you were travelling with a support vehicle. Such a schedule doesn't take into account sightseeing or down-time. I would suggest that the average cyclist consider adding a minimum of two to four months to the book's schedule. Aside from what I consider an optimistic timeframe, the rest of the guide is worth its weight in Tim Tams. The element that I appreciated most about Around Australia By Bicycle is that Paul Elwood really does know what he's talking about. He's been there, and done that. He knows that sometimes it's not possible make it to that next roadhouse each night and he can appreciate that a culvert can make an awfully nice resting spot for the day. Essentially, he's not afraid to get dirty, or get real. |
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