2018 SWCCF Around Australia Ride
Is a ‘lap of the map’ on your bucket list? If it is, the call has gone out for adventurous motorcyclists like you to take part in the Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation’s third Around Australia Ride in 2018. From Bundaberg to Broome, Mataranka to Mount Gambier and plenty of other places in between, this ride is your best chance to see our country’s most spectacular and remote locations. You’ll do 15,000kms on your bike over 33 days, while helping raise money to cure cancer in Aussie kids.
To understand why the SWCCF is hosting its third adventure ride around the country, a bit of background on the man it’s named after should help.
Steve’s Story
In 2000, just two months after his 19th birthday, Steven Walter from Kirrawee in New South Wales lost his life to cancer. He’d been at war with it since age 11, when he was first diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a bone tumour in his leg.
Steve had cancer, but he wanted to live and always showed the sort of courage that belied the adversity he faced. One of Steve’s passions was riding his dirt bike in enduro competition; he loved the camaraderie of the sport.
Aged nine, Steve began riding at Sutherland Mini Bike Club with big ambitions. He rode in the NSW Enduro Championship Series for Juniors and became the NSW 80cc Junior Enduro Champion.
But his big aim was to ride a four-day event. That was achieved when he rode in the 1998 Australian Four Day Enduro at Oberon and finished with a silver medal – two minutes off gold, all the while secretly knowing his cancer had returned.
When radiotherapy made Steve’s bones brittle, doctors told him he could no longer ride a dirt bike. So he got a Honda CBR600 and rode the tarmac instead, making memories while touring the country with family and friends.
As with many young people faced with adversity at a young age, Steve came to realise that life was not measured by quantity of years, but by quality of living. Before he passed away, he wrote a letter to family and friends asking them to do whatever they could to support research into a cure for childhood cancer so that “one day no other kid has to go through what I went through”.
High Country Road to a Cure
A year after Steve’s passing, the first Honda ‘Snowy Ride’ took place in the Snowy Mountains region of NSW, attracting 1501 riders and raising $110,000 for childhood cancer research. Intended as a one-off, that first Snowy Ride in 2001 was such a success that it’s taken place on the first Saturday in November ever since. To date, more than 40,000 riders and pillions have taken part, raising more than $4 million.
As good as the Snowy Ride is, it wasn’t long before the lure of an extended fundraising ride became too big to ignore. The thinking was that many riders would be keen to fulfil the dream of riding around Australia, but didn’t feel confident enough to do it alone. And so, the SWCCF ‘Around Australia Ride’ was born.
After 18 months of planning, the first Around Australia Ride kicked off in Tenterfield, NSW, on 4 October 2010. A group of 50 riders, ten pillions and ten support crew covered 15,000km over 33 days, travelling through 80 towns and cities. They churned through 50,000 litres of petrol and countless tyres. The oldest rider was 68, the youngest just 28. The largest motorcycle was a Honda Goldwing, the smallest a 650cc Kawasaki KLR single. Three years later, the Foundation was ready for another Around Australia Ride.
In 2013, 35 people stepped up to test themselves against the might of the Australian outback. This time the largest bike was a BMW K1600GT and the smallest a BMW F650GS.
Donna McLean from Canberra took part in the 2010 Around Australia Ride on her Ducati Streetfighter and said a camaraderie quickly developed amongst the whole crew.
“There’s nothing better than getting up every morning for 33 days and getting on your bike,” Donna said. “The best part was the lasting friendships we made - like-minded people riding together for a common cause.”
Glenn Martin, also from Canberra, had been riding for 20 years when he decided the Around Australia Ride was the challenge he’d been looking for. It was a sentimental trip on his 1999 Yamaha Road Star, which ticked over 100,000kms on the odometer while riding south of Perth.
“100,000kms is an achievement a lot of riders don’t see on a single bike. What better way to celebrate it during my 20th year of motorcycling and while riding around Australia,” Glenn said.
Road Trains, Heat and Tutus
One of the biggest challenges singled out by riders on both Around Australia Rides were the massive road trains which rule the highways across the top end.
“Man those things are big!” Glenn laughed. “They are so long and, with the heat mirages in the distance, makes passing 50m long road trains quite challenging!”
Although the 130km zones across the Northern Territory were popular, they did put a dent in fuel economy.
“Those zones were great for chewing up the distances, but also great for chewing up fuel. It became a fine line between speed and conservatism, if there is such a thing,” Glenn recalled.
Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation Founder and Director, Allan McGuirk, led both the 2010 and 2013 rides and described the Port Hedland to Carnarvon stretch in WA as one of the most challenging to navigate, compounded by temperatures that peaked at about 42˚C.
Here, on the longest single ride day - of almost 900kms - the group pulled together, with the more experienced riders encouraging the inexperienced and everyone helping each other get through the day.
“It was a long, hot, hard slog for the riders,” Allan said. “Dehydration and fatigue were the real enemies, but everyone coped by stopping regularly, rehydrating and riding within their means. We were all ready for an early night after an epic day of riding.”
Donna McLean found the trip as much of an education as it was an adventure: “Over the course of the trip we rode in all conditions - wind, rain, heat and cold, but it definitely improved my riding skills.”
Some of the most scenic sections of the ride were between Kununurra and Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia, where the Boab trees dot the landscape.
The five rest days spread throughout the trip provided a chance to recover, do maintenance, and play tourist. Many took helicopter flights over the spectacular Katherine Gorge, while bathing in the hot springs of Mataranka was a welcome relief for tired bodies. Sunset at Cable Beach, WA, was a beautiful highlight, too. Both crews also enjoyed tasting wines, cheese and chocolate in Margaret River, WA, and the Barossa Valley, SA.
Although the rides weren’t without their mishaps, the dedicated support crew, including a qualified paramedic, were on hand to assist with re-fuelling, tyre changes and when bikes just didn’t want to stay upright. For the rider unfortunate enough to have witnesses to a layover, the ‘tutu of shame’ became part of their riding attire the following day. Some were embarrassed, but others obviously embraced the title!
Aussie generosity at its finest
Coming as no surprise was the generosity of the everyday Australians that the Around Australia riders met along the way. From free fuel for the support vehicles in Toowoomba, to the Geraldton Police hosting a BBQ lunch and making a donation, or the generous guests enjoying a drink in the Richmond Hotel in Queensland, there were many examples of people digging deep to support the SWCCF.
Combined with pre-ride fundraising efforts, the 2010 ride raised more than $300,000 for childhood cancer research. In 2013, the smaller group raised a massive $225,000. The funds raised were split between collaborative research programs at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, targeting brain tumours, as well as a study focused on predicting and preventing Leukemia.
Want to ride in 2018?
The next Around Australia Ride is set for May, 2018, and will comprise 33 days, including five rest days. Applications to take part are now open. Approximate costs for a single rider is between $6,500-$8,000, which includes all accommodation and most breakfasts and dinners. Twin share available. Petrol will be an additional cost.
The ride will be led by experienced motorcyclist Paul Riley, of Skill Master Motorcycling Services, who provides motorcycle training from beginner to advanced levels.
To help the Foundation keep Steve’s dream alive, the fundraising commitment for riders is $5,000 and pillions $2,500. All fundraising must be completed prior to the ride.
For further information and to apply, call (02) 9542 5885 or email: [email protected]
Last words from Steve’s mum
“I think that it is testament to the calibre of person Steve was that even those who never met him are touched by his story and want to join with us to find a cure for childhood cancer. Together we remember Steven Jack Walter for his determination, tenacity, sense of humour and love of life.” Susan Walter, AM.
