On Sunday May 4, three intrepid travellers set off on a great adventure – to cycle from Brisbane to Broome.   Jon, his father Steve, and stepbrother Nick aimed to complete the 4500km charity bike ride in 10 weeks while promoting the work of Plan and the importance of sustainable community development.  Their fundraising target is $10,000 and they are now more than halfway to reaching this goal. 

Although setting off as a trio, they are now down to double trouble, as Nick left the trip to return home to his family after covering the first 1000kms. 

The cyclists have crossed from Queensland to the Northern Territory, and recently made it the Western Australian border. 

Throughout the trip, Jon and Steve have been travelling with no support vehicle.  They have faced heat, rain, wind, punctures, overtaking trucks and the occasional crashlanding.  But they have been made very welcome everywhere they stop and have met some great characters on the road. 

The most difficult and rewarding leg of their journey is the 660km of dirt, sand and gravel along the Gibb River road in the Kimberley.  This last leg is the climax of their trip, which culminates in Broome on July 16.

Of the group’s motivations Jon said

‘Dad has always wanted to visit the Kimberley region near Broome. When I returned from a cycling trip in South-East Asia in late 2006 I asked him 'why not ride there?'  I was surprised a few months later when he asked me to join him – he had decided to do it and had already started training.

As such a ride is likely to attract some attention, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make a difference.  After some thought and research, I decided that supporting Plan would be a great way to help children, families and communities, just like those I had seen in South-East Asia.’