Route

My original intention had been to follow Highway One around Australia as near as possible, only deviating to avoid gravel roads and then only where the deviation involved an increase in distance.  Highway One does not really officially exist any more and some states have changed to their own numbering systems and, in many places, what was originally Highway One, has been replaced by new more direct routes or freeways.  I planned to follow these revisions where cyclists are permitted.

However, less than two weeks before my departure, I became aware of the prize offered by Eugen Schilter for someone breaking his record for riding around Australia using his route.  Although the distances were very similar (my planned route 14,368km versus Eugen’s 14,450km), my planned route differed from Eugen’s in several minor respects.  It was longer in that it went all the way north to Cairns before turning westwards, rather than turning at Innisfail, but shorter in that it did not hug the coastline in south-west Western Australia and western Victoria.

Having contacted Eugen and confirmed the prize money was on offer and that my originally planned route was ineligible, I switched to following Eugen’s route.

Click on above image to view route