Across Australia by bike

A MAN who gave up his job as a welfare and truancy officer to cycle 2,800 miles from Perth To Sydney made a diary of his daring venture. Gordon Whittaker, 37, of Blackburn, quit the town's Education Department, for the mission.

He has cycled across Europe and America but his latest mission was his most dangerous to date as he rode across miles of isolated, barren Australian terrain with no back-up during a gruelling seven-and-a-half week stint. We are printing excerpts from his dairy in Tuesday Topic this week and next week:

DAY ONE - Stay in an impersonal youth hostel in Perth with six smelly men. An unpolluted, compact city but no real heart. Wonderful cafes. I stay in the "best hotel in the city" according to the guide book but it is a party hostel for the under 25s - booze, fag ends and noise. I moved to another hostel.

DAY EIGHT - My bike is ready. I feel anxious about what lies ahead. Familiarity has gone. Within seven miles I get lost and end up in a cul-de-sac. I get muddled between a highway and a freeway - I can only cycle on one. The bike feels heavy. I stay in a hostel which is a former fire station. Very grubby, so I make a quick exit. The next hostel described in the guide as "ocean view lodge." Why aren't they honest? Why not call it a grey, faceless, communist-style tower block with possible ocean view if staying on the seventh floor. I discover a bath with no plug. A man with a horrible-looking unhealed wound on his face mends a video machine. A long trail of ants make a journey to the kitchen, which I thought was bare - but obviously not

DAY NINE - Fremantle has the oldest buildings in Western Australia. The convicts were sent here from Britain. DAY 10 - A lady takes a photo of me with tyres in the ocean. I explain my venture. She tried to give me her daughter's address in Melbourne. Within seven miles from the start I have a problem with my left pedal. I can't believe it. Good cycle paths. I set up tent. Lots of English here.

DAY 11 - Woke to shrill bird noise all around me. Set off to Bunbury. Get lost again. I meet a man at the hostel who is motorcycling around Australia.

DAY 12 - I eat a loaf a day with banana. Bunbury is famous for dolphins, which come to the shore to play with people. The road is dangerous, traffic busy and three times I was blown off the road on to rough sand by trucks. I don't like it. Stay at great hostel by beach. Man argues with me about England's involvement with Australian affairs. He spoke with hatred. I made my excuses and left.

DAY 13 - Cycle 65 miles following the old coast road. Quiet. Rolling hills among trees and farms. I reach Augusta: a one-street town.

DAY 15 - Cycle 65 miles. Beautiful birds in all shapes and colours: red and green parrots, pelicans, cockatoos. The hostel is an old foresters' complex. The nights are becoming cold. I sit by a log fire and fall asleep. I'm tired.

DAY 16 - I go on a free tour around the forest. I camp with mountain bikers. They treat me to wine and a meal. It would have been a hassle trying to cook my own in virtual darkness. We swapped cycling experiences. DAY 18 - Set off from Walpole and forget my food. See a suspension walkway at the top of magnificent giant trees. Cycle 70 miles to Albany. Hard and never-ending. My feet hurt. Not helped when I find a coin in one of my shoes.

Albany is the oldest European settlement in the state. It was a thriving whaling port until the 1970s. Also the gathering point for the troops from World War II. It is the commercial centre of the southern region.

DAY 20 - Now a 300 mile stretch to Esperance. It should take four to five days but there is little in between. Road trains sneak up on you. They mainly transport wheat from the farms to the port. This is why the bird-life is so good by the road, because of wheat blown from the trains. I stop for lunch. A guy with pot belly and puffing on a cigarette asked me why I'm cycling. I told him about the birds, the sense of achievement, how one's senses are heightened because of the view but I don't think anyone could have convinced him of the merits of cycling. I cycle through the Australian bush near the Sterling Range, a group of big hills which are impressive. I come across a Dutch windmill, a bizarre site in a wilderness. It was opened six years ago as a cafe by a Dutchman. It was beautiful inside. Full of antiques. Arrive at Jerramungup at sunset after cycling 115 miles. I set up tent in the dark

DAY 21 - I leave at 9am. Feeling strong but it doesn't last. Yesterday took its toll. Nothing to see but ribbons of road. I arrive at Ravensthorpe.

DAY 22 - Cycle 115 miles to Esperance in two days. I have 115 miles to go before reaching Esperance. I think about cold Guinness, scones, fresh crusty bread but arrive at service station serving chocolate and crisps. I eat spaghetti at night. I cycle until dusk and set up camp in a gravel pit in the wild. Very aware of all the animal noises and I miss not having a shower and water. DAY 23 - My short ride turns into a five hour ride against the wind. I like it at the end of the day when you feel you have achieved one more step toward a goal. If it was all easy and enjoyable there wouldn't be that satisfaction at the end. It is not just the physical side but the mental side. You play little mind games to keep you busy and I swear when I'm frustrated with my speed. I sometimes miss companionship. Many motorists wave. I waved so much I was losing control of the bike. Now I just nod and smile. I looked around Esperance, a small town by the sea.

DAY 24 - Meet 40-year-old woman planning to walk around world in 12 years. Can't believe what a human being is capable of.

DAY 25 - I arrive at Grasspatch. I feel unsettled in the bush. I hear dogs nearby. Now dark, I decide not to cook and lock myself in my tent and keep quiet. I'm not happy. A big tree root protrudes into the groundsheet.

DAY 26 - I arrive at Northman, famous because a horse accidentally unearthed a large gold nugget with its hoof. That's when the gold rush started here.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.