On 2nd and 3rd takes on biking in Oz

Thanks to Margo or Chris pointing out the advantages of Expedia, Australia is back in the running as an option for next year. I have also done a bit more research that suggests earlier in the year might be desirable, at least if I do the Alice-Darwin run. May would be the target month.

Using a combination of Google Earth and Google Maps I was able to identify a number of places to stay along the Stuart Highway, as well as the distances involved.

Biking day	Start	Finish	km
1	Alice Springs	Aileron	135
2	Aileron	Barrow Creek	150
3	Barrow Creek	Wauchope	117
4	Wauchope	Tennant Creek	115
5	Tennant Creek	Renner Springs	162
6	Renner Springs	Elliott	92
7	Elliott	Dunmarra	101
8	Dunmarra	Larrimah	136
9	Larrimah	Mataranka	74
10	Mataranka	Katherine	113
11	Katherine	Pine Creek	90
12	Pine Creek	Stapleton	115
13	Stapleton	Darwin	111

This is only a very preliminary breakdown based on the concept of credit card touring and does not include rest days, etc. I have no idea how realistic the distances per day are. In point of fact, I am particularly nervous about the first two days given the significant distances and the learning curve of starting to bike in an unfamiliar country.

It also doesn't take into account a rather significant detour I might take. From Pine Creek, I would hang a right for 212 km to Jaibiru in Kakadu National Park and then go 255 km to Darwin. This side trip would involve camping.

In the research process, I noticed that the speed limit on the Stuart Highway is 130 km/h, enforcement is minimal as are the shoulders. All this makes me a little nervous about the suitability of the Stuart Highway for biking.

Given that Oz is a fairly big country, I still have the option of looking somewhere else for a trip, possibly in slightly more populated areas. I should ask Louise who did some biking on the East Coast of Oz a few years back about what she did.