Route Far Southern Coast of Australia (4000km)

Question: Help an inexperienced bike packer with his route (even the smallest bits help), expectation management, and general biking tips for these lengthy trips (let's talk about gear specifics another time).  

Introduction: Hey folks, in mid-March, I’m going on my first bikepacking trip across the Eastern and Far Southern Coast of Australia. This huge route of over 4000km should take me about 2,5 months. This will be my first long-haul trip on a bike ever (current record 150 km hahaha). I’m a Dutchie, so I have been cycling short distances my whole life. I wanted to do something different in my first year as a graduate; this seemed like the perfect plan. Trust me, I know I’m going to hell and back doing 4000km as my first ride. But since Australia, and this route, is totally unknown to me, I’ll gladly take some feedback from the more experienced folks (e.g. things I might have missed along the way, detours not worthy enough, some parts of the journey too dangerous, even nice restaurants/hostels along the way can help etc.). 

Specifics: on a touring bike, mostly hostels/hotel stays, planning to book same-day, depending on where I end.

Route:

1. Amsterdam to Melbourne via Shanghai (420 single)
2. Melbourne (get bike ready, last changes possible in Adelaide)
3. Train to Adelaide
4. Adelaide to Coorong National Park 
5. Coorong National Park to Port Campbell 
   1. Option A: Coast – Kingston, Robe, Beachport, Portland, Warrnambool, Port Campbell. 
   2. Option B: Inland (Wine Region) – Coorong, Naracoorta Caves NP, Coonawarra, Mount Gambier, Beachport, Portland, Warrnambool, Port Campbell. 
6. Port Campbell, Starting the Great Ocean Rd.  
7. Great Ocean Rd to Geelong (Maits Rainforest, Twelve Apostles, Erskine Falls, Bells Olympic Beach) 

Tasmania Detour – 600km, 8 days detour

1. Geelong – Ferry to Tasmania (detour length unknown) (600km, 8 days detour) 
2. Bus to Hobart
3. Great Eastern Drive
4. Overnight ferry back to Geelong 
5. Geelong ferry to Mornington Peninsula
6. Mornington Penunsula hug Princess Highway to Lake Entrace. (help pls, not much interesting information to find abt this route.) 
7. Lake Entrance to Eden. 
8. Eden to Batemans Bay (Sapphire Coast) 

Canberra Detour – 440km, 3-4 days detour

1. Batemans Bay – Clyde Mountain – Braidwood – Canberra
2. Canberra – Kiama, (Attack of the Buns Wilderness Route: Canberra → Tallaganda (conservation area)→ Braidwood → Wog Wog → Nowra → Kangeroo Valley → Berry → Kiama (https://bikepacking.com/routes/attack-of-the-buns/)
3. Kiama – Sydney 
4. Sydney (rest)
5. Sydney – Train to Blue Mountains (Katoomba) 
6. Katoomba – Sydney 
7. Sydney (rest)
8. Sydney – Swansea start Fernleigh Track to Newcastle
9. Newcastle – Hawks Nest (hug coastline) 
10. Bombah Point Ferry (cash only) – Myall Lakes National Park
11. Myall Lakes National Park via Yagon to Boomerang Beach (maybe via Seal Rocks) 
12. Tuncurry, Crowdy Bay/Northhaven, Port Macquarie. 
13. Other Route: Inland Farmland ride via Comboyne Plateau (if too much coast) 
14. Port Macquarie – Urunga 

Waterfall Way Detour – 360km 3-4 days. 

1. Enter Waterfall Way, Dorrigo, Ebor, Return to Dorrigo, Megan, Ulong, Coramba, Nana Glen, Glenreagh, Grafton. 
2. Grafton, Maclean, Yamba ferry to Iluka (via serendepity trail, Bundjalung, to Esk, The Gap), Evans Head, Broadwater, Keith Hall (Burns Point Ferry), Lennox Head 
3. Lennox Head, Byron Bay Rd, Byron Bay 
4. Byron, Brunswick Heads, Pottsville, Kingscliff, Coolangatta (Kirra/Snapper Rocks), Gold Coast. 
5. Coolangatta, Burleigh, Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, Southport, Paradise Point → Eagleby, Logan, Brisbane (river paths). 

Possible Noosa Detour – 200km, 3 days. 

Total biking distance: ~4,240 km (approx)

Total riding days: ~48 days

Total rest / transport days: ~15 days

Estimated total trip time: ~63 days

Sources: Mostly Reddit, Google Searches, Bike Blogs, ChatGPT for comparisons and distance/time calculations.