During July and August of 2022, Mike and I rode from tropical Darwin to chilly Melbourne, averaging a little over 100km per day through mostly desert. We generally stayed in tents at night, cooking and sleeping in designated rest areas or at the infrequent roadhouses, always making sure to carry enough food and water to last several days at a time. Along the way we encountered king brown snakes, road trains, kangaroos, glorious night skies, wedge-tailed eagles, amazing hospitality, camels, headwinds, extreme heat, a mouse plague, tailwinds, freezing (yes, literally freezing) nights, grey nomads, flies....so many flies, pink lakes, galahs, flat tyres, emerald-green budgies, food bombs and so much more.

As well as providing us with an unforgettable experience we were able to raise enough money to provide 63 much-needed Buffalo bikes to families in Low-Income Countries. These bikes are much more than the playthings Mike and I enjoy. They are the time machines that allow children to get to and from distant schools - and still have time to study or play. They are the load carriers for parents working hard to take their produce to markets to take care of their families. They are the water bearers for communities who have yet to gain access to improved sanitation in their homes. They are the means by which healthcare workers can spread their knowledge, expertise and care, to otherwise inaccessible villages. They are all this and more.

Each and every bike can be life-changing. The cost of delivering one fit-for-purpose, specially-designed Buffalo Bike in 2022 was £120, which equated to about AU$215 or a little over RM600.  World Bicycle Relief continue to provide bikes as well as create and maintain the infrastructure necessary to ensure their work is not ephemeral. £50 is enough to provide a full set of mechanics tools, and £20  purchases a new wheelset.

Stay rubber side down!

David