Anyone long term Cycling Across Australia witha bicycle?

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Mate it's good to dream ,But reality is you have no idea how tough conditions are here in Australia and thinking about finding gold with a coin detector forget it ,many unprepared people like you end up causing a search party either snake bit ,lost or many other things ,Stay at home and put the money towards your kids.
 
Goldfreak said:
madtuna said:
A wonderful dream, however I think mine has a greater chance of being realized and it involves the pinhead in the blue dress off the Ford ads, the Trivago girl and an assortment of fruits and food stuffs.

60 to 80 oz? try aiming for 6 to 8 and you may just scrape it in (but not with you current detector) after months of in the field experience learning the machine and learning to read the ground here and researching where to go.

You want a life changing event for your family? It will be, unfortunately not for the better.
You have the same condition of a mate of mine. He has a thing for the girl in the ford ad too. Not to encourage your fantasies mad tuna but here you go.https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/10082/1503098715_ngaire-dawn-fair-1.jpg
Her new hair cut makes her look like a little boy , so thinking she is still hot posses some moral questions imo. :lol:
 
Mate it's good to dream but I don't think you have any idea of the conditions here in Australia and thinking of doing what your saying and then thinking of finding gold with a coin detector ,keep watching TV and spend the money on your kids.
 
Jaros said:
Gotta keep the blood pessure down as 2 weeks ago passed out walking into the kitchen. Lay there in a shivering cold sweat with the Cocker licking my face. Spent the night in hospital with a blood pressure high of 92. Scary. :eek:

Yeah that BP can really mess up ya day, you need to get out and have some chill out time,

J.
 
aussiefarmer said:
Goldfreak said:
madtuna said:
A wonderful dream, however I think mine has a greater chance of being realized and it involves the pinhead in the blue dress off the Ford ads, the Trivago girl and an assortment of fruits and food stuffs.

60 to 80 oz? try aiming for 6 to 8 and you may just scrape it in (but not with you current detector) after months of in the field experience learning the machine and learning to read the ground here and researching where to go.

You want a life changing event for your family? It will be, unfortunately not for the better.
You have the same condition of a mate of mine. He has a thing for the girl in the ford ad too. Not to encourage your fantasies mad tuna but here you go.https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/10082/1503098715_ngaire-dawn-fair-1.jpg
Her new hair cut makes her look like a little boy , so thinking she is still hot posses some moral questions imo. :lol:
If this is what a male looks like many of us will have to re evaluate our preference.
1503140137_images_10.jpg
 
Tathradj said:
My Brother with the 1st Bega Venturers rode from Bega to Perth
on Tandem bikes back in the early 1980's.

It took us 37 days of riding broken up with 7 days off during the total time. Averaged 140K's a day. :p After the first few days we all settled in and spending day after day riding wasn't a problem.
 
DTC if your still reading and still keen then I think some further advice is needed to clarify what you are proposing is a pipe dream. I'm not trying to be rude in saying what I have to say, I'm just giving you the dose of reality needed before you waste your time and money.

Firstly there's the vastness. You may be able to cycle from one side of the country to the other but its seriously unlikely. I'm not saying distance is the issue it's the fact that the elements, the dangers and the risk is just too great. Most people would not attempt it without a dedicated off road vehicle and a lot of financial support, not to mention safety first like Eperb, satellite phones, refrigeration, cooling and heating. If you get stuck, bitten by snake or spider, abducted or lost you would very likely end up dead.

So that in mind if you chose one particular area then you have to consider just how close to civilization and populated areas you would base yourself. The closer to populated areas the less chance of gold. The more remote the more difficult to live and survive. Water is not in high abundance and during the time you propose even boiling water becomes risky due to the fire hazard. I simply cannot see how you would stockpile enough water without spending a ridiculous amount of time cycling in and out of areas where it's available.

But let's consider for a moment you negate those issues next you have to find the gold. Most areas require a decent PI detector. If you decided to go the vlf route remember that not only did the old timers work the ground to death over a century ago, the last 35 years or so have seen the same ground with blokes detecting from basic vlfs right up to the best PI machines available today. 30 years ago you might have had a shot...but it's 2017 and not only have the machines worked it long and hard every detectorist in the country has google earth, geovic, and trove access at their fingertips. That makes very large areas very small indeed.

Lastly let's say you did find that elusive patch or patches that brought you in the 80 ounces you needed. You would still need to find a gold buyer and get the money out of the country. Sounds simple but the reality is this is so much harder than it sounds. Not to mention the risk you take carrying around a small fortune in untraceable and very valuable commodity.

Personally I think your chances of making it past immigration on a tourist visa with your plan are a lot slimmer than you might believe, but I'm no expert. As others have said if it were so easy then we would have all packed in the 9 to 5 and go detecting, not for the thrill but the financial gain. I doubt there's too many members here doing better than 60k every 3 months doing whatever to make a dollar.

I think if you really want to find out the reality then call up the detecting retailers or tour operators and ask. I'm sure they will set you straight.

Pound for pound I think importing aussie baby formula into China might be the golden goose your searching for, turning tin cans into gold far easier and much lower risk to your person if you were genuinely looking for good returns, if your work ethic is as you say then I can't see why you couldn't rake it in.

Whatever you decide if your not put off I wish you luck. You will need it. If you decide to come out on holidays to enjoy our wonderful gold fields for enjoyment not profit then I think most every one would welcome you with open arms and be more helpful and considerate.

Cheers.
 
What concerns me, is that you may need to cycle many hundreds of km off the bitumen to get to good country. And although you have trailer for your bike, how much water can you carry?
Say you find a patch 300km off the road, and the nearest water source is a another 100km or more away? Its really is a logistic cal nightmare, and I think if you are planning on cycling and detetecting for 3 months, your returns will be very modest.
Good luck.
 
So you have the funds for a detector ? I know you must be a positive person but indulge me. What would it mean for you if you could not find any gold ? If you really mean it when you say do or die I highly recommend not doing it.
 
I would spend some time in a good gold field first. There are many caravan parks that have cheap camp sites and facilities with gold fields all around and importantly people to give you the best chance for finding gold, land you can access etcthe. Once you get a feel for it and know what to do take it from there, no harm done. I know my posts are a mixture of positives and negatives but the way you explain it makes the stakes seem way too high. Finding gold should be a bonus not a need.
 
I dont want to do it in Cold weather, would have to carry more bulky cold weather gear...

It's a desert. In winter it will get sub zero at night. It summer it can hit 50*C. Choose your poison. Wisely.
And streams are nearly as rare as the gold.
 
No it's not a secret or a conspiracy it's unsensational because it's real. Gold is worth a lot because it's rare and hard to gather large amounts. I have some gold here. It looks nice. I can send a pic to prove it. But it took me a very long time and hard digging sampling and walking to accumulate. I actually worked out the hours because like you I was fascinated with the possibility of doing for a living and getting out of my boring job. It works out to be about $ 4 per hour and that's with out deducting food and fuel. I also have a detector but have found even less with it.
 
If you can save enough for a.detector you can earn more by doing what you are doing now. People who make a living have much bigger operations involving large machinery.
 
I guess this is the negative side of the Aussie gold shows.

But saying that I do remember when I first arrived on these shores in the late 90's I bought some gold magazine from the news agents in Katoomba. I sat on the side of the street with my eyes popping out. One of the things that popped into my head was ' you Aussie's are nuts, you'd rather work in an office than pick up the gold'.
Well, a couple of trips to Mitchell creek soon gave me a reality check.
Rather go looking for gemstones. Sapphire and opal is worth more anyway. :p ;)
 
Hey mate, before i start i just want to say i take no responsibility for what you decide to do or the final outcome. With that said i'm also going to be quite frank and don't mean any disrespect with what i'm going to say, but i think i should be frank and honest :) .

So, to start with your video sucks and makes you look like someone with intelligence problems, the way you swing that vlf is amateurish and will find you zilch. You present a plan to everyone that comes across as you know what you are capable of and you are going to do it regardless. your plan borders on craziness but i like the gutsiness and think with a lot of tweaking the trip is quite possible to achieve.

The old timers walked, pushed barrows, and rode bikes, but they also perished in what i would call large numbers. i am an ex shearer, fruit picker and dingo, pig and Roo shooter, i have fished the waterholes through the coopers country and as a kid was one of the first to make our way across the desert from the Birdsville to the Strezleckie tracks navigating by maps, sun sticks and stars with no tracks available. i have worked hard in 40-50 degree temperatures but only 8-10 hr days and rest in between and all the water that is required.

you will need 6 to 8 litres of water per day resting, if you are doing anything strenuous (including bike riding) you would need to almost double that, plus you will need extra for cooking, washing etc. If you do not have enough water, dehydration will kick in pretty quickly, if dehydration sets in you will become tired, vague and finally irrational which leads to poor decision making and ultimately a horrible death. there are multiple ways to supplement your water supply whilst out in the bush, but all the methods require extra gear and time. depending on which part of the country you plan on going to anywhere from Oct to March can be regarded as extreme temperatures and an adequate water supply is essential or you Will die.

The hours you claim you will be working are not feasible, even in winter it gets hot and the kind of work you will need to do to find large amounts of gold is very exhausting. If you do not have sufficient rest breaks and sleep (even with adequate water) you will become lethargic and inattentive which will in turn lead to your demise. An exhausted and inattentive person has a greater risk of tripping (break a leg), falling in mine shafts, becoming disoriented (lost) and treading or sitting on a snake.

Have no doubt, people do find gold in the amounts shown on tv, but they have the right gear, know the area they are working (and the indicators) intimately. they also spend every season prospecting and do face long periods without finding good runs or sometimes, any gold at all. They don't speak up because people will shithawk them or rob them.

Some key things i personally think you need to do before attempting anything like what you are suggesting are as follows.
1. sort out where you want to go
2. go in the cooler months
3. undertake a survival course and first aid course.
4. acquire the necessary gear,e.g maps, compass, gps, plb, communications, and a good first aid and survival pack.
5. organise permissions & permits before departing, possibly all in a good gold producing location and surrounding a central location with a water supply to work out
from.
6. Try to get someone crazy enough to join you for peace of mind and security.
7. Be careful who you befriend and don't go mouthing off about any finds or what your doing etc as there are even loonier people than you out there.
8. have realistic goals like 1 to 2 oz a week if you are lucky and work hard and smart.
9. buy a suitable detector and carry spares of everything ( 1 breakdown will end your show) learn how your detector talks to you before even starting.
10 suck up all the information about your chosen area before coming out here.
11 Do not under any circumstances leave your water containers on the ground, the nasties can smell it and will be attracted to it and bite you.
12 have your water in multiple containers in case you lose or bust one.
13 Always, Always check your shoes clothes and bed before getting in to them.
14 never put any part of your body where you can't see. e,g hands in holes or rock crevices, or feet under bushes etc.

There are a million other things to consider and a million reasons why you should not do it, but you only live once.

Good luck if you make the journey, you will definitely be needing it.
 
I've been sitting here reading for the last 20 min, only for him to be banned TWICE :p
some people are just never going to give up.
some people are never going to listen.
then again, some people are just plain old stupid.

All tho, I did like his ambitions!!!!
 

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