MELBOURNE TO PERTH SELF GUIDED MOTORCYCLE TOUR

MELBOURNE

A bustling, cosmopolitan city with loads to see and do. The ‘Cultural Capital of Australia’ will do its very best to make you feel welcome. Plenty of superb restaurants offering great meals, shopping, parks and an easy to use tram system make touring the city a breeze. A brilliant place to set out on this trans-continental motorcycle tour!

THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD

Famous as one of the most scenic coastal drives in the world, words can’t describe the wonderful scenery and amazing riding on this 280km stretch of road on the fringes of Melbourne, but we’ll try anyway.

As soon as your wheels hit asphalt, you’ll realise just how special the Great Ocean Road really is. The route twists and turns, hugging the picturesque cliffs as it winds a sinuous path along the coast. Curve after sweeping curve are seamlessly stitched together, almost purposely designed to give maximum enjoyment to any motorcycle riders that are lucky enough to be there.

There are plenty of small coastal towns to stop for a break and a coffee, serving up fantastic ocean lookouts along with the great refreshments. The lovely Otway Ranges provide a lush backdrop to the quaint towns when the road darts inland away from the coast. It takes longer than you might expect to ride along this gem of a road, there’s simply so much to see.

Take a walk in the temperate rainforest at Maits Rest, try and spot that iconic Aussie creature the Koala in the trees above, visit the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, the Grotto, London Bridge, The Arch the list goes on and on! Don’t forget to watch the road as well as the spectacular views though!

Every motorcyclist should ride this road at least once in their life!

GRAMPIANS NATIONAL PARK

The ancient hills of the Grampians National Park make for an awesome spectacle as you ride toward them. This area of granite highlands is jam packed with wildlife, superb lookouts and beautiful waterfalls. The visitor centre at Halls Gap can provide all the information you’ll need for getting the best out of your time there and will give you a great overview of the area, ensuring you get to see everything you want during your visit.

By the time you’ve ridden the roads in the park, taken a short walk to the two main lookouts and perhaps trekked to the base of one of the thundering waterfalls, you’ll need at least a half day to absorb what’s on offer, but will probably long to spend more time lost in the atmosphere of the national park.

ADELAIDE

Perched on the Fleurieu Peninsula, capital of Southern Australia, ‘City of Churches’ and the perfect blend of urban cool and natural splendour. Adelaide has one of the most impressive botanical gardens in the world, loads of relaxed open spaces and a vibrant atmosphere that makes it a pleasure to wander the streets.

A small town feel with lovely colonial architecture and all the conveniences of a modern city. It’ll be the biggest settlement that you’ll encounter from here until you reach Perth in Western Australia, so it’s the perfect spot to sample that most iconic of Aussie meals, the meat pie floater! That’s a meat pie floating in pea soup for those that haven’t had the pleasure as yet.

CLARE VALLEY

The Clare Valley is one of Australia’s premier grape growing regions and the wine making tradition runs deep in the area. The carefully tended gardens, regimented columns of vines, pristine conservation parks and plethora of open cellar doors makes this area an absolute delight to ride through. Try one of the famous Clare Valley Rieslings with a meal prepared at one of the many local restaurants or wineries.

FLINDERS RANGES

This is the start of what many would consider to be the ‘real outback’ and is the place you’ll really begin to get a feel for the otherworldly landscapes Australia has tucked away. Cavernous red gorges and magnificent mountains seemingly aglow in the sunset, contrast with the starkly beautiful white gum trees standing proud in the thin desert soil. Huge wedge tailed eagles soar in the blue skies above and the peace and solitude make you feel as if you’re on a different planet.

All this can be reached within a relatively short distance of the Wilpena Pound Resort. An oasis in the outback, fully kitted out with all the modern facilities. There are a huge amount of gravel tracks to explore, but if you don’t want to take your bike on the gravel then the 4WD tours are superb and really help to bring the place alive. You’ll have day here to explore and immerse yourself at your leisure.

EYRE PENINSULA

Calm beaches and the warming waters of the Spencer Gulf on one side, jagged cliffs, turquoise blue waters and big skies on the other, the Eyre Peninsula is framed by spectacular sights. With more than 2000km of coastline to explore, we certainly hope you like beaches! It’s also the jumping off point from where you’ll begin your ride along the Eyre Highway heading west, across the world renowned Nullarbor Plain.

NULLARBOR PLAIN

Epic, truly epic. That’s the only way we can think of describing the Nullarbor Plain and the Eyre Highway which stretches across the vastness. The Nullarbor is the largest single piece of limestone in the world, over 200,000 square kilometres of it in fact and crossing it is arguably the quintessential Australian Outback experience.

This seemingly endless plain [‘nullus arbor’ meaning ‘no tree’ in Latin] is a truly incredible thing to ride over. Not only is it physically impressive and the sort of landscape where adventures are made, but the friendly characters you’ll meet along the way, typical Aussie roadhouse pubs and eye-wateringly beautiful sunsets over the desert truly make this a once in a lifetime experience.

The Great Australian Bight runs parallel to the highway for much of the crossing, there’s even whale watching at Head of Bight from June to October.

It’s as much about the people you’ll meet on this journey, as the scenery you’ll be riding through. A quick smile and a “hi!” will have you chatting away and making new friends before you know it.

ESPERANCE

After crossing the Nullarbor, you’ve certainly earned yourself a reward and Esperance is the ideal spot to indulge. There are some truly incredible beaches around the local area, so there are plenty of opportunities to lie back in the warming sands, dip your toes in the ocean and reflect on the ride so far.

Enjoy the local hospitality and recharge your batteries with some great local cuisine. You’ll have a day available to explore around the town, ride the famous coastal drive and fit in a bit more relaxing!

ALBANY

Founded in 1827 and the oldest permanently settled town in Western Australia, Albany has an old world charm that’s hard to beat and is surrounded by some of the most amazing beaches and coastal national parks in Australia.

You’ll have a day to explore, giving you plenty of time to visit the Blowholes, Nature’s Arch and The Gap. The beaches here have been repeatedly voted the best in Australia and the sand is so pure it squeaks when you walk on it. It’s not all smooth beaches though, some pretty rugged areas of coastline provide the perfect setting for the Albany Wind Farm and a walk around the base of the huge towers offers some great views out over the ocean.

MARGARET RIVER

Immense Karri forests, world leading vineyards, stunning pure white beaches, an amazing coastline, hundreds of mysterious caves and some of the finest cuisine known to man; a carefully kept Australian secret. This is one of the finest areas of Australia and yet one of the least well known outside of Western Australia.

The climate and humidity in the region is ideal for growing grapes, which has led to the prevalence of world class wines heralding from the area. There are more cellar doors to knock on around Margaret River than you could shake a wine glass at!

There are some great tree lined roads and avenues to be ridden too and the cool, moist interiors of the subterranean caverns located along the aptly titled ‘Caves Road’ provide a welcome retreat from the midday temperatures. You’ll be able to spend a full day in Margaret River and its surrounds, soaking up the atmosphere, seeing the sights and enjoying the local produce, before continuing on to the state capital.

PERTH

Perth is a modern, clean city on the banks of the majestic Swan River. The river feels more like a winding harbour really with Fremantle (‘Freo’ to the locals) at its entrance. Perth has all you’d expect from a thriving city with great shopping, restaurants and nightlife combined with superb beaches and a sublime climate.

The weather is perfect for most of the year with warm winters and hot summers, cooled by the ‘Fremantle doctor’ sea breeze that comes through most afternoons.

Ranked as one of the ‘world’s most liveable cities’, Perth has charm aplenty even if you’re just visiting. A fantastic end point to this incredible, long distance motorbike tour of Australia.

End? Is it really over? All that amazing motorcycling and you’ve finally arrived at the end. Still, you could always ride back the other way, or if you’re feeling even more adventurous, push further north.

Perth is such a welcoming city that it would be a shame not to stay a little while and relax, especially considering how far you’ve just ridden! If you fancy taking advantage of some of what Perth has to offer, why not let us organise a few extra nights accommodation after your tour at a centrally located city hotel? You don’t need the bike in the city as public transport is both excellent and also free!. Just ask!

NOTE: This tour involves crossing the Nullarbor Plain, which will mean two days of 650-700km of riding. It’s to be expected considering you’ll be riding over the world’s largest exposure of limestone bedrock and it’s all part of the great experience of traversing the continent on two wheels.

PRICING OPTIONS:

* BRING YOUR OWN BIKE:
If you decide to use your own motorcycle on tour, please be sure to let us know what it is before showing up – no scooters in the outback please!