Bikers' Bookshelf

In 2014 Jill Maden returns to Australia to finish the trip she started in 2010 (as described in Excess Baggage). She rides a Postie Bike from Brisbane to Adelaide via the epic Birdsville Track. Then, on a Honda CB125e, she rides across the vast Nullarbor Desert to Perth, and onwards to Darwin. With a minuscule budget, badly injured hands and a top speed of just 80 km/h, she slowly makes her way through Australia’s immense landscape.

Hampered by gale force winds, dust storms, torturous heat and near-death experiences, Jill begins to wonder if she has bitten off more than she can chew. Written with humour, honesty and eloquence, this is not just the tale of a woman’s foolhardy attempt to ride around Australia on tiny, low-powered motorcycles, but a unique insight into the country’s exquisite natural beauty, its historical development and the warmth and generosity of its people.