Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
journey will take. Beware of road trains: if you hear one coming, get right off the road. No
matter how fit you are, take things slowly until you're used to the heat, wear a hat and
plenty of sunscreen, and drink
lots
of water.
Bike Hire
»
In SA you can hire bikes in Adelaide, McLaren Vale, Victor Harbor, the Barossa and
Clare Valleys and the Flinders Ranges.
»
In the NT you can hire bikes in Darwin, Alice Springs, Yulara and Wauchope.
»
Costs start at around $25 per day, usually including helmet, lights and lock.
Buying a Bike
»
If you want to buy a reliable new road or mountain bike, your absolute bottom-level
starting point is $500 to $650. Throw in all the requisite on-the-road equipment (panniers,
helmet etc), and your starting point becomes $1500 to $2000.
»
Secondhand bikes are worth checking out in the cities,as are the post-Christmas sales
and midyear stock takes, when newish bicycles can be heavily discounted.
»
To sell your bike, try hostel noticeboards or online at
www.tradingpost.com.au
.
Legalities
»
Bike helmets are compulsory in all states and territories, as are white front lights and red
rear lights for riding at night.
Transport
»
If you're coming to central Australia specifically to cycle, it makes sense to bring your
own bike - check with your airline for costs and the degree of dismantling/packing re-
quired.
»
While you can load your bike onto a bus to skip the boring/difficult bits, bus companies
require you to dismantle your bike, and some don't guarantee that it will travel on the
same bus as you.
Resources
Bicycle SA
( 08-8168 9999;
www.bikesa.asn.au
; 111 Franklin St, Adelaide, SA) In-
formation on bike touring around SA, plus the excellent (and free!) Adelaide City Bikes
scheme (
Click here
).
