Riding Motorcycles in Australia

Riding In Australia

Geography

The only problem you will encounter when deciding to make a trip to Australia is where to go! Australia offers you such variety: desert, tropical rainforest, mountain ranges, beaches and just about anything your imagination conjures.

Clubman Motorcycle Rentals is located in Sydney, an excellent starting point for any trip in Australia. Sydney is Australia's largest and oldest city, with a population of around 4 million. Set on the world's finest natural harbour, it is a cosmopolitan metropolis and international gateway to Australia. Just 65 kms west of Sydney the Blue Mountains form part of the Great Dividing Range, a mountain range which runs almost the entire length of Australia's east coast. Beyond the Great Divide you will find that the landscape gradually becomes harsher and a lot drier and eventually this becomes desert. South west of Sydney you will find farm lands and some of our better vineyards. South from Sydney you can travel along the east coast to Melbourne and then along the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. This trip is truly spectacular, 300 kms of twisting and winding road dotted with pretty little holiday towns, breathtaking cliff-top views, lush forests and dramatic coastal formations including the awesome Twelve Apostles which rise above the pounding surf near Port Campbell. The island of Tasmania is an overnight ferry ride from Melbourne and in the summer offers magic riding through some of Australia's most beautiful World Heritage listed national parks with open grasslands, rainforests, lakes and gorges. Travelling north of Sydney will take you to the Gold Coast and then Brisbane and up onto the Barrier Reef coastal towns of Gladstone, Townsville and eventually Cairns. Of course you can't forget Ayers Rock (Uluru) or the opal mining towns of Central Australia. The key thing to remember when planning your trip is our climate and Australia's size!

A little geography
Australia is almost as large as all of Europe put together, and a good deal larger than Texas. Motorcyclists on an extended trip around the continent with a diversion into the centre of Australia generally ride over 20,000 kms! The most direct route from Sydney to Perth in Western Australia is 4,450 kms. Sydney to Melbourne is 1,000 kms and a trip north from Sydney to Cairns via Brisbane is 2,500 kms. If you wanted to ride from Perth to Darwin, you could travel via Broome and this would be 4,200 kms. Sydney to Ayers Rock is 2,875kms, and continuing onto Darwin would show 4,034km on the odometer. This should give you some idea of the distances you can travel in Australia.
Of course you could just ride to Palm Beach in Sydney for the day ... around 80 km return.

Climate

You will find the climate varies in Australia just as much as the geography. The climatic conditions vary greatly throughout the year and will depend on the area you are travelling through. Beware of travelling through the outback during the high summer.

Spring: September to November

Autumn: March to May

Summer: December to February

Winter: June to August

Clubman Motorcycle Rentals does not recommend travel in Central and Northern Australia during the summer months, as the conditions are extreme..

Ideally Central and Northern Australia should be travelled to during the winter months, when daytime temperatures range from 25 to 30 degrees C. Night time is much cooler, often dropping to zero. The area north of The Tropic of Capricorn is subject to monsoon conditions, with a wet and dry season. The Wet (November to March) is subject to daily storms and occasional cyclones. This heavy rainfall makes travel on unsurfaced roads hazardous if not impossible. The warmer months are perfect for travel in the coastal areas of NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the Southern coast and areas of South Australia and Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia. Sydney of course is perfect all year round and one of the great things about Australia is that you can ride a motorcycle 365 days a year.

Road Conditions

Australia has a network of sealed Highways and Motorways linking our major cities. The more populated the area, the better the road conditions. Generally these areas have sealed roads, which can vary from well maintained highways to narrow sealed country roads. For the dirt bike enthusiast the secondary roads in Central Australia are almost all dirt. Fire trails and dirt roads through the Great Dividing Range are easily accessed from Sydney. Whether you choose a road or dirt bike, there is plenty to choose from.

Clubman Motorcycle Rentals recommends that you avoid riding a motorcycle between sunset and sunrise, particularly at twilight, due to the abundance of Australian native wildlife - for instance kangaroos and wombats. And when camping, beware the dropbears.

Motorcycle Insurance

Insurance is included in the rental fee paid and covers both the rider and pillion in the case of an accident. The excess is only payable if the accident is the fault of the rider of the motorcycle. As a motorcycle rental company we cover you for full accident insurance with the excess being payable, rider at fault. In the event the rider is not the cause of the accident, an accident report is required by our insurance company and no excess is payable. Please note that theft insurance is not available for motorcycle rentals, therefore if the motorcycle is stolen, the renter will be responsible. However Clubman Motorcycle Rentals will supply security locks and cables as required.

Personal Injury/Travel Insurance

Clubman Motorcycle Rentals recommends you obtain this type of insurance before leaving your country. These policies generally cover you for medical expenses incurred whilst travelling and theft of money, passport etc.

Motorcycle Licence Requirements

An International Licence is the most convenient and popular method of riding legally in Australia and is available for short term visitors and holiday tourists. International Licences are valid for three months from the date of entry into Australia. We will accept a licence from your own country, providing it clearly defines in English, the right of the holder to ride a Motorcycle.

Third Party Personal

This is a component of motor vehicle registration in Australia. If you are involved in a accident whilst riding in Australia and you are at fault, then you are protected from claims against you by the compulsory Third party insurance. This insurance will cover you for any injury caused by you to another person in the event of an accident.
You must never ride or drive an unregistered vehicle whilst travelling in Australia.

Language

The official language spoken in Australia is English. For non English speakers, our multicultural society has enabled the development of a very accessible telephone interpreting service, which is available from any telephone within Australia.

If there is something we haven't covered for you, please just ask us and we will help you. Please note that the insurance comments are a guide only and not legal advice. We suggest you obtain further information from insurance companies at home regarding personal and travel insurance.

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