Is it possible for a middle-aged, out-of-practice cycle-tourer to ride a fully loaded bike between two of Australia's finest buildings - Parliament House in Canberra and the Opera House in Sydney - in less than one week?

I'm about to find out.

The plan is to start riding this coming Sunday (4 days away) and arrive in Sydney by the following Saturday in time to rendezvous for a lift back to Canberra.

Although I'm excited at the opportunity to do a reasonably long ride, the question is will the body, accustomed to a sedentary pace, make the distance?

Guaranteed, this tour will not be fast. It is about 22 years since I've ridden a fully loaded bike for more than 1 day, so 'slow and steady' will be my mantra for this trip.

The Canberra to Sydney route I've chosen (there are quite a few options), will sample not just two of Australia's great cities, but pass through a diverse range of Australian landscapes, habitats, cities, towns and villages in a relatively short distance.

I hope the ride will be an interesting re-introduction to multi-day cycletouring for me, and I also hope the 'House-to-House' will provide an informative journal about an exciting, accessible and varied Australian cycle-tour route for readers.

Why sitting on a thorn?
No...not to stop this ageing rider dozing off! It is about the bike. This trip will be my first multi-day tour on the Thorn Sherpa touring bike. The trip will also be a tour try-out for the bike. I'll let you know how it (and I) handle the forthcoming encounter with real cycling.