The Grand Australian Ride is one of the riding projects of Grand Exped. The goals of the project was as below:

1. To ride a motorcycle around Australian Continent and in Tasmania.
2. To ride the full length of A1 or Highway 1.
3. To ride the full route solo.
4. To ride in one attempt.
5. The whole trip will be in 50 Days.
6. Service the motorcycle on service days.
7. To cover the official 15,000+ kms.
8. Not consume any Non Vegetarian Food or Eggs.

The ride was planned in detail keeping in mind all the aspects of the ride. Since Australia is a vast country, the weather conditions range from Hot & Humid, Heavy Rains & Wind, Extreme Heat (upto 40 degrees) to Freezing conditions (Sub Zero temperatures), Black Ice & Fog. All these conditions will be faced in the same trip. Studying the route extensively and carrying the appropriate gear & tools was imperative to the success of his mission of doing such a massive ride solo. During the 12-month period, there is only a very small window when this trip can be done in a single go. Preparations kicked off well in advance in August 2021.

When it came to deciding the motorbike of choice for the ride, a lot of thought and emotions were invested in the decision. Finally I zeroed in on a Royal Enfield Himalayan due to many factors. In matters of the mind, a Royal Enfield Himalayan is a robust bike with a simple mechanism. The bike is heavy and old school (in a good way). With minimal electronics involved there were less things that could go wrong in the outback, saving the trouble of a breakdown. On the other hand, in the matters of the heart – the bike being an Indian brand is close to my heart. Few decades ago someone took Royal Enfield around Australia. At the time the brand was British and the person riding was British. Today the brand is Indian and so is the person riding it.

“Grand Australian Ride” was an amazing and memorable experience to see this country on a motorbike. Originally, I was considering a trip to Leh-Ladakh but due to Covid-19 restrictions, he decided to explore Australia. It was a once in a lifetime kind of experience. There were a lot of take aways from this journey including:

• Anything is possible. 1 km (step) at a time. Just get started.
• Need to pause life (or go for a ride) and look around. The world is beautiful.
• When you believe. Everything falls in its place.

There were obviously ample of challenges along the way which had to be overcome. The ride each day ranged from 300-500 kms with the longest ride being 640 kms. I ran out of fuel several times since the fuel stations were far and apart. Having foreseen this problem, I was carrying extra fuel in jerry cans. I rode through extremely isolated patches of the country where there wouldn’t be a single soul to be seen for kilometres at end. I even stayed at Roadhouses in towns with a population of 8 people!

I supported Sadhguru’s Save Soil Campaign. I carried stickers and printed information about the campaign and spread the word to regional areas. Since I was supporting this campaign, I also pledged to be a vegetarian on the trip. Being vegetarian was a challenge as meat is a significant portion of the diet in Australian Outback.

On completion of “Grand Exped – The Grand Australian Ride”, I returned to the starting point – the local Shiva Vishnu Temple in Melbourne on Day 50. I was received with a magnificent Welcome by my family and friends who were very proud of me achieving this great feat.