Departing Tassie 30th June and arriving back on 12th July 2018

Hey guys, as you may have spotted on our facebook post, we have nailed down dates and destinations for our Winter Getaway ride in July this year.

You know it’s going to be cold, grey, bleak and generally pretty ordinary weather-wise here in Tasmania at the end of June.  So, what better time to pack up the bike and join us for an adventure into the magnificent Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

We will have 11 days on the road plus an overnighter on the Spirit of Tasmania at either end to get us to and from the Mainland.  Of course, if you live on the Mainland we’ll arrange to meet you in Melbourne on the 1st of July.

Overview of route:

We plan to head straight for the Vic/SA boarder on day 1.  Fair bit of highway riding unfortunately but we figured we’d just hook in and get it done so we have more time in the Ranges.

Day 2 will also be a bit of a transport leg, but it will be through some really interesting country off the highways.  We will have plenty of breaks for leg stretching and coffee and you can ride at your own pace.  Our sweep rider will make sure no-one gets left behind.

Day 3 will see us in the Flinders Ranges proper.  We plan to set up camp for 2 nights at Wilpena Pound.  This will allow you freedom to explore in smaller groups.  Stay on the sealed roads if you want, or for the more adventurous head off into some hidden gorges.

Day 5 will see us travel north to Arkaroola Village where we’ll again set up camp for 2 nights.  More exploring – as little or as much as you feel like!

Day 7 and we’ll be starting to head back out of the Flinders, more magic scenery and brilliant roads.

Days 8 to 11 will be making our way back to Melbourne.  Still lots to see as we try to steer clear of the major highways.

Accommodation:

We plan on staying at Country Hotels/Pubs, particularly in Victoria where it’s bound to be darn cold.  Most probably twin share type rooms, with a view to keeping the costs down.  In the Flinders Ranges we will be camping.  Touring Basecamp (@touringbasecamp) will be looking after us while we’re camping, so don’t panic, we won’t be roughing it and you definitely won’t go hungry!

Backup/Support Vehicle:

Touring Basecamp will also be our tour support on this trip.  Wayne and Melanie have a purpose built ‘toy hauler’ (it’s huge!!!!) equipped with water tanks, fridges (because cold beer is an absolute essential at the end of each day), cooking facilities, emergency fuel supplies, air compressor, tool kit and so much more.  They have the capacity to carry all of your extra luggage (we all know most pillion passengers don’t like to travel light) such as swags and hairdryers and can even accommodate a broken-down bike if necessary.  And we’ll be camping at caravan parks so facilities won’t be an issue.  All meals while we’re camping will be supplied by Touring Basecamp.

What Type of Bike?

We reckon you can ride this trip on just about anything.  There will be some gravel riding so a full-on race rocket might not be appropriate but it’s entirely up to you.  Our route will be perfectly doable on a normal road bike.  If you want to explore dry creek beds and gnarly back tracks an adventure bike might be the weapon of choice.

Limited Numbers:

We have had to limit the number of guests to 20 for this trip.  Carrying of food (and beer) provisions for any more than this for several days would stretch our resources too far.  We have also taken into account the safety considerations that may affect a larger group as well as the logistics of finding hotel accommodation along the route.

Pillion Riders:

Absolutely!  Bring them along, an adventure ride like this will be ideal with a friend.  Wife, husband, partner whatever, throw your extra luggage in the support vehicle and enjoy the ride.

Haven’t got a bike?

Don’t own a bike or don’t want to ride your limited edition gold plated street racer up a gravel road?  No problem – we have a fleet of GS BMW’s available for hire.  The hire rates are on this website.  Don’t mess about though, I suspect they will be snapped up.

What will this trip cost?

We are about to head over and check out the proposed overnight stops and camping areas first hand to make sure they will be up to scratch so we haven’t got firm prices just yet.

However, we think around $1,250 per head will be where we end up.  That will include your accommodation, 4 nights camping (which includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and a 6 pack of beer each day), support vehicle and guides.

On top of that you will have to buy fuel (3,500km trip) maybe a tank per day, say $400.

Plus meals for 7 days, say another $350.

Spirit of Tasmania return fare – single rider plus bike about $350 return.

All up for a solo rider it will cost about $2,350.  NOTE – THIS IS AN ESTIMATE AT THIS TIME.

More accurate prices will be posted ASAP.

So there you have it.  This is going to be an awesome ride.  You don’t have to worry about arranging anything.  Guys, girls, couples, whatever!  We will make sure you are looked after every step of the way.

Get in touch with us via our Facebook page and secure your place on this trip.

Keep it shiny side up!