Photos: Dave Acree
As a country, Australia has a colonial history of exploration. There are very few parts of the world that remain unexplored, but that’s not to say we aren’t able to find our own adventure and our own challenges. As bikes change and their range expands, the options for two-wheeled adventure continues to open up. And there is plenty right in our own backyard.
While wrapped up in an urban environment, the glimpse of an escape into the wilderness via social media is immediately engaging. A well-framed image on Instagram, with a cyclist astride their bike looking into the distance, or laying their steed down for effect as the dirt road stretches ahead of them, can put us right in that place. We want to be there. We want to be them. We want that experience to be our own.
So many achievable opportunities are right next to our capital cities. From the Blue Mountains behind Sydney, or the Yarra Ranges outside of Melbourne, or the D’Aigular Range close to Brisbane – adventure is on our doorstep. So where do you go if you really want to challenge yourself, and take a journey into the wild – within relative safety anyway. The answer is easy – go north.
Tropical North Queensland is an adventure playground. With package adventure deals of bungee jumping, jet boating, reef dives and more right on the coast, things get a little more interesting north of Cairns or inland on the Atherton Tablelands.