21 DAY RED CENTRE SELF GUIDED TOUR

LOCATIONS VISITED IN THIS TRIP: Noosa - Rockhampton - Longreach - Mt Isa - Alice Springs - Ayers Rock - Coober Pedy -Broken Hill - Sydney - Coffs Harbour - Noosa.

 

This tour is the great Aussie outback adventure tour with the added benefit of Sydney and some great coastal riding.

 

If you have the time, why not stretch this tour out to 30 days to include Townsville and Cairns for the ultimate riding road-trip experience.

 

 

Total tour distance: Approximately 8300kmTo calculate the price for this self guided tour please go to BIKE RENTAL PAGE

 

DAY 1 - NOOSA TO BILOELA 485km Leaving Noosa, follow the signs to the small town of Cooroy and the Bruce Hwy where you swing north for the start of your adventure. Some 30 minutes ride further north, you will pass the old gold mining town of Gympie.

 

Continue on for another 12km then take the left turn headed for Kilkivan and Goomeri.At Goomeri, continue your ride north on the Burnett Hwy (route no 17) through the towns of Gayndah, Monto and finally for today, the larger regional town of Biloela.

 

DAY 2 - BILOELA TO BARCALDINE 652km From Biloela, point your machine west onto the Dawson Hwy (route no 55) where the roads are good and the traffic is light. A steady four-hour ride should have you in Emerald in time for your midday stop.

 

The bustling town of Emerald features a historical railway station and many gemstone stores with the gems mined at the neighbouring town of Rubyvale.After lunch you will encounter some interesting roads passing through the spectacular Drummond Ranges on your afternoon ride out to Barcaldine. The smaller town of Alfa with its many murals will provide an ideal excuse for a coffee stop!

 

DAY 3 - BARCALDINE TO LONGREACH - SIGHTSEEING 107km You should leave Barcaldine about 7.30am this morning in order to arrive in Longreach comfortably before 9am. Today is packed with interest starting with a tour of the Qantas Outback Air Museum (opens at 9am) followed by a visit to the Long Distance School of the Air (10am school days only) where you can listen to an on-air lesson.

 

Progressing to the Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame, lunch will be waiting and you will have time aplenty to check out the exhibits. In the evening you can ride back out to Ilfracombe and the Wellshot Hotel, reportedly the oldest in the district, where you can enjoy a tour, an evening meal and be entertained by the "Back to the Bush" show.

 

DAY 4 - LONGREACH TO MT ISA 634km Today marks the start of 3 days of riding. First stop is the outback town of Winton famous for its annual Bush Poetry festival and the town that gave birth to Australia's unofficial national anthem, the song 'Waltzing Matilda'. Today you will start to encounter the three and four trailered road trains and hopefully you will find a truck park where you can photograph your machine next to one of them. The next stop will be Cloncurry followed by Mt Isa and your comfortable motel.

 

DAY 5 - MT ISA TO TENNANT CREEK 636km After a tour of the town you head out onto the Barkly Highway. The first stop will be Camooweal for morning tea or coffee followed by the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse for lunch. You will pass by your first Aboriginal lands called 'Arruwurra' on this leg of the ride. After lunch it is a short two hour haul to Three Ways, the junction of the Barkly and Stuart Highways and from there, only another 10 minutes south and you will be arriving in Tennant Creek.

 

DAY 6 - TENNANT CREEK TO ALICE SPRINGS 508km An easy ride is promised today as you leave Tennant Creek early. Stopping at the Devils Marbles, you see an interesting collection of weathered rocks piled upon one another by mother nature.

 

With a straight run, the plan is to arrive at the fabled inland city of Alice Springs by 1pm in time for a late lunch. Today however, you are back in civilization so a long shower and some decent clothes are in order for dining out. You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant.

 

 

DAY 8 - ALICE SPRINGS - LOCAL SIGHTSEEING We would like to suggest you visit a number of points of interest in and around Alice Springs. Most importantly, the Strehlow Centre will provide an in depth understanding and appreciation of the indigenous Aboriginal culture. Visit the Old Telegraph station and learn of its chequered history, see the actual springs from where Alice Springs took its name, visit the Con-air Aviation Museum and visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service Headquarters.

 

DAY 9 - ALICE SPRINGS TO AYERS ROCK 460km Pulling out of Alice Springs you pass through Heavytree Gap which is the narrow break in the MacDonnell Ranges that allows the road, rail and Todd River to enter The Alice. Heading south, you make for Erldunda Roadhouse 200km south of Alice. After a coffee and petrol stop, the Lasseter Highway takes you westward towards Ayers Rock passing through Curtin Springs where more petrol is needed.

 

Before you arrive at the Rock, you will pull in to your accommodation at Yallara Resort which is also known as 'Sails in the desert'. In the early evening you can ride the 20km out to the Rock to witness the spectacular changes of colour on Uluru, the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, as the sun sets for another day.

 

DAY 10 - AYERS ROCK - SIGHTSEEING 150kmToday is the day you climb the Rock, all 348 metres, weather permitting! Experience the thrill of the Rock in many ways. You can either climb it and/or you may wish to walk the 9kms around the base exploring its many caves depicting Aboriginal rock paintings. You will see the famous dingoes, be amazed at the bright red and green colours of the landscape and you will be awestruck at the sheer size of this monolith in the desert. Afternoon activities can include a visit to the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, a ride out to the Olgas (Kata Tjuta) for more exploring where you will wonder at mother nature and her strange ways and as well, learn something more about Aboriginal culture.

 

DAY 11 - AYERS ROCK TO MARLA 494km After travelling back to the rock for a last look and sunrise photo opportunity (if you are keen enough!), you will rumble out of Yallara resort mid morning for an easy ride to Marla. The roads are straight and of excellent quality and there is lots to see from the giant wedge tail eagles that feast on the previous nights road kill to the rugged outback landscape. You will notice that out here everybody waves. It is all part of the special outback camaraderie.

 

DAY 12 - MARLA TO COOBER PEDY 234km Leaving the Stuart Highway road house of Marla, it is an easy two and a half hour ride south to the opal mining centre of Coober Pedy. You should arrive before lunch at midday leaving a full afternoon to explore this unique outback town. Coober Pedy is a town that exists mainly underground.

 

Private homes, churches and tourist resorts are carved out of rock and ventilated by shafts. Inside they are quite normal except for the lacquered rock internal walls and constant year round temperature of 23 degrees C.

 

DAY 13 - COOBER PEDY TO PORT AUGUSTA 535km Cruising south to Pt Augusta you can take a short detour to the old rocket launching base of Woomera. During the 60's, 70's and 80's Woomera was a bustling military town populated by a large number of American and Australian personnel. The nature of the work was highly classified and to enter town, one had to pass through the guard posts.

 

During the 90's the town fell into decline as its military activities were scaled down, however, in recent years Woomera has again entered the news spotlight as the outback town that has become a temporary holding home for many foreign refugees and illegal immigrants.

 

DAY 14 - PORT AUGUSTA TO BROKEN HILL 368km Pt Augusta situated at the head of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia will afford your first glimpse of the sea since you departed Gladstone on day one.

 

Today you will encounter some corners at last as you take the road to Broken Hill via Wilmington, Orroroo and Peterborough, small towns that are rich in history and culture. With only 368km to cover today, there is plenty of time for stops at the many points of interest.

 

DAY 15 - BROKEN HILL - SILVERTON AND LOCAL SIGHTSEEING 100km

 

DAY 16 - BROKEN HILL TO COBAR 455km After a day spent exploring the large mining town of Broken Hill and it's surrounding district with it's many art galleries and chequered history, you and your trusty motorcycle head off for Cobar. The scope and size of this country will not cease to amaze as you rumble along feeling at one with nature.

 

By now you will have spotted many kangaroos, emus and other wildlife in their natural habitat.

 

DAY 17 - COBAR TO DUBBO 296km Bidding farewell to the small outback town of Cobar, you are mindful that this is the last leg of your outback adventure and you begin to recall some of the trip highlights and your encounters with the characters of the bush that you have met along the way. However it's not over yet as there is still more fantastic riding ahead as the scenery gradually changes from outback to rural. The goal today is the regional city of Dubbo situated at the junction of the Newell and Barrier Highways.Dubbo is home to the "Western Plains Zoo", an African style game park featuring all the exotic animal species of the Savannah.

 

DAY 18 - DUBBO TO SYDNEY 410km An easy ride today but full of interesting places to visit. You will pass through the town of Orange on your way to Bathurst that is famous across Australia as the town that plays host to the yearly 1000km motor race as well as the traditional Easter motorcycle races.

 

As Mt Panorama Circuit is a public tourist road when it is not closed off for racing, you are welcome to ride the circuit but be warned, the Police monitor it's 60kph speed limit with unbridled enthusiasm. Leaving Bathurst you will pass through the spectacular Blue Mountains and the town of Katoomba where you could stop for a bit of sightseeing. Australia's largest city beckons only a short distance further on.

 

DAY 19 - SYDNEY 100km Whether you spend the day sightseeing, shopping, visiting friends or attending to business, Sydney will impress. Playing host to the 2000 Olympics, Sydney is home to the famous Opera House, Harbour Bridge and many other attractions. Our suggestion is to take a harbour cruise or one of the many day tours and let the experts show you around!

 

DAY 20 - SYDNEY TO COFFS HARBOUR 543km Heading north on the Pacific Highway (No 1) there are many seaside hamlets to explore along the way including Gosford, The Entrance, Swansea and the large city of Newcastle. North of Newcastle you could turn off Highway at Bulahdelah and follow the coastal road through to Forster and on to Taree. Continuing north, turn right at Kew and head for Pt Macquarie before rejoining the Pacific Highway for the run up to the city of Coffs.

 

DAY 21 - COFFS HARBOUR TO NOOSA 573km Choices, choices! The last day of your tour takes you north to Grafton and onto the seaside town of Ballina where you can choose to stay on the Pacific Highway or follow the coast road through Lennox Head to the coastal resort town of Byron Bay. After a lunch stop at Byron Bay, head north to Coolangatta where you can choose the freeway to Brisbane or follow the Gold Coast tourist strip north to Surfers Paradise.

 

Just north of Surfers, rejoin the freeway for the run on to Brisbane. Whether you pass through the city or choose to bypass it, just follow the signs pointing to the Sunshine Coast for the last hour and a half's ride back to Noosa.Why not add another day to your holiday in order to spend the extra time simply relaxing in the beautiful ambience of Noosa and it's stunning semi tropical beaches. We promise you won't be disappointed!