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After the Easter break, in about ten days, I’m planning to start a cycle tour from Canberra to Brisbane. 

I’ve had a long term goal to cycle tour from my home in Canberra to all Australian state capitals before I turn 70. I only have a couple of years before that milestone age, so I need to get on my bike and start pedalling! 

I retired a couple of years ago, but I am very keen to maintain my connection to the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (a not-for-profit charity) which I worked with for 7 years. 

I’m especially keen to help The Foundation raise funds for the merit based scholarships which are the core to the very high standards which it has sustained in its leadership development programs for over 30 years. So this ride is also a fundraising ride.

I expect the ride will take about three weeks and cover 1400 km.

The parts of the ride I am most looking forward to will be visiting my 93 year old mother in Orange NSW;  and seeing rels and friends in the towns of Barraba and Tamworth in northern NSW.  

This area is where I was born and grew up.  The Barraba area is home to many generations of my family and it’s a very special place to me. My home patch. “Country Roads Take Me …”

The ride route north will be inland and something like:

Canberra-Gunning-Crookwell-Blayney-Orange-Wellington-Gulgong-Werris Creek-Tamworth-Barraba-Warialda-Inverell-Glen Innes-Tenterfield-Stanthorpe-Warwick-Toowoomba-Brisbane.

Enroute I’m also looking forward to meeting alumni of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF). Through the ARLF I was privileged to meet many wonderful, accomplished and inspiring rural and regional people, and quite a few live in the areas I plan to cycle through.

The areas include Central West NSW, Upper Hunter, Liverpool Plains, Nandewar, The Northern Tablelands and The Darling Downs.

I’d like to acknowledge that I’ll be passing through the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal, Wiradjuri,  Kamilaroi, Barranggam, Bundjalung, Yuggera and Turrbal people on this ride. I pay respect to generations past, current and future who care for this country.