Solo Bike Ride Across the Nullarbor

Patsy Quealy with her trusted rig taking a break at Kalgoorlie on her 2,500km solo journey across the Nullarbor (Photo courtesy: Patsy Quealy)

There aren’t too many places on our planet that can rightfully be described as ‘epic, but the Nullarbor Plain is definitely one. At 270,000 square kilometres, and 1,100 kilometres across at its widest point, the semi-arid landscape poses a challenge for any traveller. Those who have crossed will say that is, its greatest feature.

Bike Leichhardt Touring Group member Patsy Quealy agrees. Recently back from the month long 2500km ride on her Vivente touring rig Patsy said, “I’ve just crossed the Nullarbor on a solo tour, I initially had some concerns about being on my own, but far out it was fantastic, so simple … I really recommend this as a solo tour.”

Originally planned for 2020 Quealy and her husband got as far as Adelaide when borders were closed saying, “This time my husband decided to do something else, so I thought well why not, I’ll just do it myself!” saying her only concern was “a truck taking me out.”

“Failing To Prepare Is Preparing To Fail” — Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin’s quote has it perfect! If you haven’t made the right preparations for your journey, you are unlikely to succeed. Patsy did just that, but luck wasn’t always on her side.

Approximately 4 weeks before departure while on a training ride to Windsor, her bike fell on top of her at an escalator. No serious injuries thankfully, but her bike seat ended up with 3 slashes in it, and this presented additional health challenges during the Perth to Kalgoorlie track.

Accommodation

Quealy preferred to stay in pre-booked motels wherever possible saying, “I also camped sometimes at ‘truckstops’, including once where I pitched my tent in the covered little community information ‘hut’ to try to avoid a wet tent from dew in the morning.”

The Nullarbor

The Nullarbor is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia. Patsy describes it as, “a long ride” with “ flat, sealed surfaces all the time.”

So, not somewhere you would expect to see a lot of vegetation or animals. Although, “two types of lizards, the Shingle Back Lizard and the Thorny Devil,” were spotted said Patsy. “I only saw one kangaroo on the Nullarbor. There were some magnificent trees to start with and then mainly shrubby vegetation,” she continued while adding “I was surprised that I didn’t see any sandy deserts.”

A prime mover and road train parked (Photo courtesy Patsy Quealy)

Bike riders need their space when larger vehicles are passing closely as it can create wind turbulence that can make them lose their balance. It also allows bicycle riders some room to swerve if they come across some debris or a hazard on the road. Patsy was not always afforded this space.

According to Quealy there were a few potential danger zones to be aware of between the Western Australian and South Australian borders, “there was no shoulder on the road, so about six times a day I would need to edge off the road and stop for a brief moment to let trucks pass safely."

The loads on some trucks are so wide you need to get off the road. (Photo Courtesy: Patsy Quealy).

“There was no shoulder on the road!”

"The road trains were about 50m long with up to 4 ‘carriages’ connected. A few trucks whizzed by closely and rattled my balance at times. Most people gave a wide berth when passing me. I had one vehicle pass and the driver gave me the finger sign (for no apparent reason that I could work out), and one person stopped and clapped me on, whilst some people stopped and asked if I needed water. Most people were so pleasant.”

Small Shoulder (Photo courtesy: Patsy Quealy)

Routine to average 100 km a day

It’s essential to know the sunrise and sunset times. It’s dangerous to be riding at dusk or in the dark because that’s when the animals come out and are harder to see.

Patsy had a consistent regime ensuring her safety while enabling her to reach an average of around 100 km a day.

“I used to stir around 5.30 a.m., have breakfast, pack up and, get on the road by about 7 a.m.

On the road I would also often listen to Radio 702, and audiobooks from Borrow Box, but would sometimes turn off everything and just ride.

Generally, the night before I’d look at the planned route for the next day in Komoot and save this for the next day's navigation.”

Balladonia to Caiguna 146.6 km

The stretch from Balladonia to Caiguna (146.6 km) is one of the longest stretches of straight road anywhere in the world. It is known as the "90 Miles Straight".

By riding through such an isolated place at a moderate speed, exposed to all of the elements in wind and temperature and geology, it is not hard to appreciate how vast and varied the continent of Australia really is and was just the inspiration that took Patsy all the way to Caiguna.

“As I had a favourable westerly tailwind, rather than camp halfway, I decided to ride all the way to Caiguna. I then continued further east to the Cocklebiddy Roadhouse. Totalling 180kms in only 8.5 hours and averaging 21.7km/hour," said Patsy.

Border Village Cocklebiddy – Eucla 271.9km

“Eucla is where you see the white beaches, beautiful water and a sand-filled old telegraph station (they had to move the whole town further up at one point!),” Queally said.

Kalgoorlie mining pits (Photo Courtesy: Patsy Quealy)

Kalgoorlie to Norseman 187.3km

Patsy stayed at Widgiemooltha at the Roadhouse Tavern. There she met a cyclist who had biked from France and was en route to Sydney. Widgiemooltha to Norseman was 91kms.

Kalgoorlie was a needed rest break and not for the typical reasons as Patsy explained, “The slashes in my bike seat (from the escalator incident at Central Station one month prior) had ‘rubbed a hole in my butt in those first 4 days of riding. I’d taped kitchen sponges to my seat but in the end, a large band aid was the solution to stop the rubbing.”

The Old Telegraph Station being buried slowly by the large sand dunes. Pic: 1988 ( Source: Aussie Towns)

Border Village to Nullarbor Roadhouse 186km

Despite high winds from Border Village onwards, Patsy continued another 186km to the Nullarbor Roadhouse, averaging 17km/hr over 11 hours. Exhausted and looking forward to a comfortable stay she was disappointed to find, “Once arrived I found that there were no rooms left at the Roadhouse, uhg! So, I had to camp there.”

Nullarbor Roadhouse – Yalata – Nundroo 144km

Yalata was under re-construction. Despite planning to stay overnight Patsy continued for another 144km to Nundroo.

" The small South Australian town of Penong created a museum on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain by rescuing and restoring broken-down windmills." (Source:The Drone Way: Ben Stamatovich)

Penong – Ceduna 73km

Official end of the Nullarbor

73km – and Patsy made another tasty discovery, “the big thing at Ceduna is the oysters! They are just soooo good! Just bought them straight at the supermarket for $15/dozen.”

Ceduna – Streaky Bay 123.1 km

Patsy ran into a little trouble with her bike saying, “At Streaky Bay my bike started to feel like a slug and I realized the rack was starting to come out, so it was pushing down on the tyre. As luck would have it, a fellow camper fixed it for me! It seems that a screw had already fallen out and this chap had to drill out something in order to resolve the situation. This generous camper suggested I go out for a walk to the beach while he worked on it for about 1.5 hours! "

Patsy Quealy’s gear. (Photo: Courtesy Patsy Quealy)

Patsy completed her 2,500km solo ride on 31^st August 2023. “Whoo hoo, I’ve finished my Nullarbor ride. Finished a day or two early, the ferry from the Eyre Peninsular to Yorke Peninsular is out so I’m on the bus instead,” she said.

“cycling is my happy place, like most of us who cycle,” and so despite all the ups and downs she had to face it is easy to see why she finished with more passion than ever.

The Nullarbor is an amazing place perfect for all kinds of adventures. If you’re up to it, cycling is one you could try!

We recommend always doing your prep work first. Patsy has provided her tips below.

Preparation and Tips

Bike

A Vivente touring bike
Wide touring handlebars
Rearview mirror
Lights
Back mud guard
Front disc brakes
Rack
Handlebar bag
Back paniers
Large round duffle bag sitting across the back rack, with elastic straps.

Carried

Carrying approx. 25kg of weight, including the following, plus 4-6 litres of water at any time:

New bike tent (Big Agnes), blow-up mattress and blow-up pillow
Camping gas canister and cooker
Food (breakfast muesli, dehydrated food items, crispbread biscuits, powdered milk), plus and ‘all-in-one’ coffee plunger/cup and plunger coffee
Tools/Spares (3 tubes, spare spokes and tool, chain break tool and chain link, spare cable)
Small first aid kit
“layers” of clothes (it could be cool/cold at night)

Prep and Planning