Hello from Canada

[Bam]

Hello everyone. Kevin "Bam" Baker here. I live in Bowmanville, Canada, which is just east of Toronto. I will complete the Ride Around the Big Paddock ride from October 2 to 11, 2023. If anyone is interested in joining me for parts of the ride, I will be leaving from Sydney and traveling clockwise. You can email me at [email protected] and I will be happy to share my planned route and stops. I will also have a tracker on as well and will post the link closer to October.

 

[Biggles]

Wow! Big challenge for someone presumably not very familiar with Oz.

 

[HACKLE]

Will be watching, as no doubt will many others.

 

[Bam]

Wow! Big challenge for someone presumably not very familiar with Oz.

Agreed Biggles.

 

[MidTNJasonF]

I will be watching. I have a 5 year plan for big rides I want to do and year 4 or 5 is Australia. Wish I was ready to tackle it at this time but I will have to wait.

What is your plan for the bike, are you shipping over or renting/buying a bike once you have boots on the ground?

 

[Bam]

I will be watching. I have a 5 year plan for big rides I want to do and year 4 or 5 is Australia. Wish I was ready to tackle it at this time but I will have to wait.

What is your plan for the bike, are you shipping over or renting/buying a bike once you have boots on the ground?

Hey Jason. Same. I do two multi-day runs every year. I'm planning out to 2026. I retire in 2028, and then we will be hitting a whole new level of crazy.

I've rented a 1250 GS with unlimited kms. It was just simpler and honestly not that much considering the depreciation I am going to put on the bike.

Cheers.

 

[MIXR]

Been there and done a lap Kevin, and hopefully doing it again in June this year if they build some flood destroyed bridges over in the West. Not quite in that short a timeframe.

You may wish to research the wet season for the northern parts of your ride. You could find yourself heading up there early in the wet which has taken on a life of its own the past year or two.

Other than that, I'll follow your ride plans with interest. Cheers, Mick

 

[Bam]

Been there and done a lap Kevin, and hopefully doing it again in June this year if they build some flood destroyed bridges over in the West. Not quite in that short a timeframe.

You may wish to research the wet season for the northern parts of your ride. You could find yourself heading up there early in the wet which has taken on a life of its own the past year or two.

Other than that, I'll follow your ride plans with interest. Cheers, Mick

Thanks Mick, and yes. I appreciate that advice, Mick! I was originally hoping to come in November and was told there was a strong possibility I would encounter flooding. I've been told I should be ok in early October. That said, if the rains come early, I am ok with changing my plans on the fly. It's all part of the adventure. I will also review the historical weather from the website several others have recommended.

 

[Tele]

Very best wishes for your continued preparations Kevin! Something very exciting and interesting to look forward to!

 

[Bam]

Very best wishes for your continued preparations Kevin! Something very exciting and interesting to look forward to!

Thank you Ian!

 

[Ed.]

G'day Bam
As you have already be been told, lower chance of rain or cyclones in the north in October.... but not impossible. Conversely you could well run into some warm temperatures up there at that time of year too. Just be prepared for everything as always, I guess!
As others have said elsewhere, you're more likely to get a bit of a tail wind if you head west to east across the bottom, but that's not guaranteed either - a belting cross wind is not out of the question either! (I managed to wear a flat spot on the shoulder of a tyre on a trip heading east in October '99). Neither is a show-stopper for whichever direction you choose.
Accommodation in much of the area the lap takes you is not always easy to come by and takes a good chunk of planning, but you probably know this already.
Lynne and Michael's (fatman) interview on longriders podcast has lots of good info (Peter/Ox's too), if you haven't found it already. But knowing this two they've probably contacted you directly already!
Have a great time and I look for ee arts to hearing stories of the trip through Canadian eyes!

 

[Bam]

G'day Bam
As you have already be been told, lower chance of rain or cyclones in the north in October.... but not impossible. Conversely you could well run into some warm temperatures up there at that time of year too. Just be prepared for everything as always, I guess!
As others have said elsewhere, you're more likely to get a bit of a tail wind if you head west to east across the bottom, but that's not guaranteed either - a belting cross wind is not out of the question either! (I managed to wear a flat spot on the shoulder of a tyre on a trip heading east in October '99). Neither is a show-stopper for whichever direction you choose.
Accommodation in much of the area the lap takes you is not always easy to come by and takes a good chunk of planning, but you probably know this already.
Lynne and Michael's (fatman) interview on longriders podcast has lots of good info (Peter/Ox's too), if you haven't found it already. But knowing this two they've probably contacted you directly already!
Have a great time and I look for ee arts to hearing stories of the trip through Canadian eyes!

Excellent insight and advice Ed. Sincere thanks. I will absolutely watch that video. Love the flat spot story. So far, I have managed to identify roadhouses and motels at each stop location. I haven't booked anything yet, but I will do that as soon as I have my trip plan finalized. I'm pretty used to the heat (I rode a good bit last July in the South West US with temps over 38 C every day), and I carry a one-gallon water jug with a drinking hose with me at all times. I also wear Klim gear always and am as prepared as I can be for rain. Of course, I can't control flooding, and if that happens, I'm not afraid to abandon the attempt.

 

[Fatman]

G'day Bam, welcome and I look forward seeing your ride plans unfold.

When Lynne the Pillion and I rode the "Around the paddock" a few years back we did it anti clockwise, mainly because as we started in Melbourne Vic, and we wanted to get Sydney NSW and Brisbane Qld out of the way early in the ride.

Apart from nutrition, hydration, sleep management, Aussie outback business closing times and all the other multi day IBA ride considerations, I found a ride schedule with achievable (for us and your requirements will no doubt vary) ETA's and ETD's to be crucial. And we tried as much as we could to stick to it, of course problems jump out at you from time to time and then plan B has to be done on the run.

As Ed indicated there are a couple of interviews about the lap on Justin Long's "Long Riders Radio" with Ox and another with LTP and I, if you are interested have a listen.

Ox's interview - https://podtail.com/podcast/long-riders-radio/54-peter-hogan-s-lap-around-the-paddock/

Ours - https://podbay.fm/p/long-riders-radio/e/1593387245

LTP's and my ride report here: https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.ph...g-paddock-around-australia-on-highway-1.3211/

As it turns out my forum Avatar shows our lap as recorded with Spot tracking at the time.

Good luck with the planning Bam.



EDITED.. Bam, I have copied this post to your "Around the Big Paddock" thread, it probably makes more sense than here in your welcome post

 

[Bam]

G'day Bam, welcome and I look forward seeing your ride plans unfold.

When Lynne the Pillion and I rode the "Around the paddock" a few years back we did it anti clockwise, mainly because as we started in Melbourne Vic, and we wanted to get Sydney NSW and Brisbane Qld out of the way early in the ride.

Apart from nutrition, hydration, sleep management, Aussie outback business closing times and all the other multi day IBA ride considerations, I found a ride schedule with achievable (for us and your requirements will no doubt vary) ETA's and ETD's to be crucial. And we tried as much as we could to stick to it, of course problems jump out at you from time to time and then plan B has to be done on the run.

As Ed indicated there are a couple of interviews about the lap on Justin Long's "Long Riders Radio" with Ox and another with LTP and I, if you are interested have a listen.

Ox's interview - https://podtail.com/podcast/long-riders-radio/54-peter-hogan-s-lap-around-the-paddock/

Ours - https://podbay.fm/p/long-riders-radio/e/1593387245

LTP's and my ride report here: https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.ph...g-paddock-around-australia-on-highway-1.3211/

As it turns out my forum Avatar shows our lap as recorded with Spot tracking at the time.

Good luck with the planning Bam.

I sincerely appreciate your sharing Michael. I will absolutely watch the interviews and review your trip tracks in detail. I also agree completely with your approach. I like to plan my rides in excrutiating detail then I try to ride my plan - adapting as things happen. I've already sourced most gas and rest stops and plan to carry extra gas for those areas where range is an issue. I had planned a clockwise route originally so I'm going to flip it now (based on all of the great feedback I have received) and verify the stations are open for all of my planned stops on my new itinerary. I'm pretty good on the nutrition, hydration, sleep management bit (I've completed a certified 12,000 miles in 12 day run and several other multi-day rallies and challenges) and will be bringing emergency rations and my hydration system with me. I'm also very efficient with all of my stops (almost always under 10 minutes). The big unknown for me will be average speed. I normally cover 1600 km in a little under 16 hours with gas stops - even in areas with a lot of animals. I have no idea if I can count on that pace in Australia (I do appreciate that the pace might be considerably slower in built up areas and on some rural roads). Google suggests it will be closer to 18 hours or more per 1600 km. That is still manageable but, as you know, two hours of extra shut eye and considerably less dawn, dusk, and nighttime riding would be nice.

 

[Ed.]

Michael raises a really good point about sections of the loop you might want to consider which end of the trip you do them. The section south of Sydney (~ Victorian border to northern side of Sydney), is likely to be the most extended section of lower average speed (due to small towns/limited overtaking/ single lane roads etc etc) you are likely to face - although west of Melbourne could be similar. Conversely the section between Sydney and the Queensland border is some of the smoothest travelling you will get on the lap - all duel lane, 110 limit, mostly bypassed towns but good services etc etc. In the little bit of planning I have previously done for a tilt at this ride, I was planning to go anti-clockwise like Michael and Lynne did, but would want to get the frustrating section south of Sydney out of the way first and not have to deal with it at the end. Especially if time was running short.
My idea was to start down on the south coast of NSW-say Bega or similar, or even right down at Pambula- and head north. This of course raises other issues around finding 24hr fuel/start dockets in these smaller towns and also the timing of hitting Sydney. As I am sure you know, the A1/M1 through Sydney can be a complete shitfight. I think I was hoping to limit the impact of that by starting on a Sunday.
For my own riding based on the way I know I travel at the end of a ride, I would prioritise getting Sydney and south coast NSW done early over the possibility of a head/tailwind across the Nullarbor.

As far as expected overall averages, it obviously varies from region to region (not to mention person to person). The majority of this loop has a speed limit of 100 or 110km/hr. In many places this can be stretched to ~115/120, in others not really. Even in the "best" areas much more than +10 will likely see you having a roadside chat, especially in the southern (more populated) states. NT has a much more reasonable state limit of 130.
Some of the fuel stations you will need to use will be pretty small, so you may experience some delays to your normal fuelling times. I reckon you'll be doing pretty well if you can maintain an OA of 100/105 (discounting rest time), but it is not out of the question. Some days it will be reasonably easy, others not so much...

 

[Bam]

Michael raises a really good point about sections of the loop you might want to consider which end of the trip you do them. The section south of Sydney (~ Victorian border to northern side of Sydney), is likely to be the most extended section of lower average speed (due to small towns/limited overtaking/ single lane roads etc etc) you are likely to face - although west of Melbourne could be similar. Conversely the section between Sydney and the Queensland border is some of the smoothest travelling you will get on the lap - all duel lane, 110 limit, mostly bypassed towns but good services etc etc. In the little bit of planning I have previously done for a tilt at this ride, I was planning to go anti-clockwise like Michael and Lynne did, but would want to get the frustrating section south of Sydney out of the way first and not have to deal with it at the end. Especially if time was running short.
My idea was to start down on the south coast of NSW-say Bega or similar, or even right down at Pambula- and head north. This of course raises other issues around finding 24hr fuel/start dockets in these smaller towns and also the timing of hitting Sydney. As I am sure you know, the A1/M1 through Sydney can be a complete shitfight. I think I was hoping to limit the impact of that by starting on a Sunday.
For my own riding based on the way I know I travel at the end of a ride, I would prioritise getting Sydney and south coast NSW done early over the possibility of a head/tailwind across the Nullarbor.

As far as expected overall averages, it obviously varies from region to region (not to mention person to person). The majority of this loop has a speed limit of 100 or 110km/hr. In many places this can be stretched to ~115/120, in others not really. Even in the "best" areas much more than +10 will likely see you having a roadside chat, especially in the southern (more populated) states. NT has a much more reasonable state limit of 130.
Some of the fuel stations you will need to use will be pretty small, so you may experience some delays to your normal fuelling times. I reckon you'll be doing pretty well if you can maintain an OA of 100/105 (discounting rest time), but it is not out of the question. Some days it will be reasonably easy, others not so much...

Brilliant insight Ed! Thank you so much! I'm going to play around with a few scenarios (both directions) and check out how they play out with gas station availability, etc. I wouldn't be opposed to running through much of the more built-up areas in NSW (especially Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney areas at night if I have to. I'm quite used to 24-hour runs. So, for example, if I left Snowtown at midnight, I would arrive in Adelaide around 3 am, in Melbourne around noon, and in Sydney around midnight. Same thing - in reverse - if I left Sydney at midnight.

 

[Biggles]

"Same thing - in reverse - if I left Sydney at midnight.

As mentioned, that would see you looking for fuel in hamlets in the wee small hours if you headed south. It can be surprising where you do find 24 hour servos, and we do have card operated 24 hour "gas stations" (as you call them) but I don't depend on the card machines working- too big a risk. Most of the servos have a presence on the internet, often with their opening hours.

 

[Bam]

As mentioned, that would see you looking for fuel in hamlets in the wee small hours if you headed south. It can be surprising where you do find 24 hour servos, and we do have card operated 24 hour "gas stations" (as you call them) but I don't depend on the card machines working- too big a risk. Most of the servos have a presence on the internet, often with their opening hours.

Yes. This is not a problem unique to Australia nor one that I am unfamiliar with. I have identified servos all around the route and tried, where possible, to choose the servos with the best hours. Of course, these would all have to be verified much closer to the trip. I still need to reschedule based on all the great feedback I have received to ensure the hours of the servos I identified in my initial research will work in other scenarios.

 

[MIXR]

Accommodation? Ok, so what you may find for ad-hoc stops or unplanned in advance stops is that all accommodation is taken by roving road repair crews, mining research parties or even Voice sales pitch groups at the moment.

We could never rely on a bed because we never planned each day and relied on how far we got and what weather or flooded roads threw at us.

Carry a light sleeping bag and waterproof bivvy bag if you can. We spent a few nights in a ditch off the road when there was nothing in town, or when town wasn't that safe for an overnighter.

Most Roadhouse will generally offer a sheltered place if their dongas are full.

Also remember that many towns on the map are not like Canada or the USA. They be a locality with nothing at all. The HEMA 4wd atlas has good info about. Get one from the airport on your way in. Most newsagents carry them.

 

[Bam]

Accommodation? Ok, so what you may find for ad-hoc stops or unplanned in advance stops is that all accommodation is taken by roving road repair crews, mining research parties or even Voice sales pitch groups at the moment.

We could never rely on a bed because we never planned each day and relied on how far we got and what weather or flooded roads threw at us.

Carry a light sleeping bag and waterproof bivvy bag if you can. We spent a few nights in a ditch off the road when there was nothing in town, or when town wasn't that safe for an overnighter.

Most Roadhouse will generally offer a sheltered place if their dongas are full.

Also remember that many towns on the map are not like Canada or the USA. They be a locality with nothing at all. The HEMA 4wd atlas has good info about. Get one from the airport on your way in. Most newsagents carry them.

While I am very aware that plans can go array, this trip has been planned in excruciating detail with months of input from folks who have done this ride and other IBA Australia folks. Not saying it’s perfect but there is a plan and a reserved roadhouse at the end of each leg. Only time will tell if I can ride the plan.