How Do Moto Overlanders In Oz Carry Enough Supplies For Going Bush?

I watch quite a few Aussie 4x4 overlanding videos on YouTube, and I've noticed every one of them is centered around rigs stuffed to brimming with spare parts, fuel, food, water, camping kit, and medical kit, often enough for weeks of self-sustained travel. Seeing as how such vast vast vast spaces of Oz wilderness are largely unpeopled and similarly un-infrastructured, this makes perfect sense.

However, I have to wonder how motorbike overlanders equip themselves Down Under for the same kinds of adventures. A moto simply doesn't have the space to carry a 4x4-sized load of spare and emergency everything--in fact even if one were to pull along a trailer for all that stuff the load would be so monstrous the bike would be rendered useless.

Yet, clearly, Australia is a motorbike overlander's paradise, which is a very large part of why my family and I are gearing up to split half or more of each year living there.

When I Google terms such as "Australian dual sport motorcycle tour" and similar I'm rewarded with the websites of some very professional outfits offering wonderfully scouted routes...and promises of 4x4 chase trucks to carry all the necessary and the just-might-become-necessary gear alike. But surely your average bloke and his friends aren't always hiring such companies every time they want to go bush, right?

So how's it being done, all these Aussie and Kiwi riders surviving their epic moto treks across the 'Strayan wilderness?

Check out Motobikin website. Some great info and videos there.

Here is a thread I put up 10 years ago. Mostly still relevant, just variations on the theme. I carry a small first aid kit (not sure it is in there) and a Garmin inReach EXPLORER+ these days and am not using a backpack (on my back). With a fuel range around 500km, bladders or small fuel containers only required for the big trips like Anne Beadell Hwy or similar.
Apart from Canning Stock Route and a few other journeys, most motorcycle expeditions are within 2-3 days ride of a shop. Even CSR has Kunawaritji servo and shop within 3 days if you are in a hurry.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/gear-taken-on-my-two-and-a-half-week-ride-to-the-ocr.615698/

Some pics here of outback camping trip vehicles I use to drive, for 12 years.
1st off was just backpacker type camping, fairly rough, mix of the odd camping ground/showers and rough camping/no showers or dunnies. 5 years.

Then created my own outfit with the mountain bikes ontop. Cycling/4x4 camping trips for 7 years. Perth-Alice-Darwin-Broome-Perth. All the big name places like Kakadu-Ularu ect.

In the packpacker trips you can see the big green bus. Held 26 people. 1 engle fridge, 4 eskies, 1 x 2ft long fluro light for the kitchen which was a 2 burner gas stove and a fire to cook camp oven roasts etc each night. No other lights, no generators, no fancy stuff at all. Truck held 12 tents, 26 people and their luggage, food etc enough for 4-5 days between shops. Packing was an artform.

My Stretched Toyota, held 13 people, 13 mountain bikes, spares, trailer for camping gear, food 1 fridge 2 eskies. I was able to carry more spares than in the previous rigs as I had a trailer. This would include sapre hubs and bearings, even a spare front main leaf spring as they were known to break (Mitchal Falls rd !)
Restocking for food would be after say 4-5 days.

With bikes it is another thing altogether. Much harder to refine things down to escentuals. Im probably still refining it.

In summary, I am always amazed at how much stuff people take. How the guys doing motorbike outback supported trips do it is fascinating to me. Never joined one to see.

Tips,,,, cryovac meat, dehydrated vegies, trial and error. The older you get, the more sensible it is to travel with someone else.


Never buy an OKA !!

My first ever trip across the real Gunbarrel back when Midnight oils Diesel and Dust came out. The girlfriends father came in his troopy, just in case. The HQ made it no probs.

ADV Posties!

Useful visuals, thanx so much!

Asking questions, like what towns/places can you get supplies at. planning, how many days between supplies will determine how much you need to take plus some for the unexpected. Stopping some place for a healthy meal before heading to remote locations with your light weight travel meals. Always carry sufficient water.

Got to love the HQ panel van there Ross!

But how? This is one of my greatest concerns. The bush is vast, the temps are high, and dualsport riding is sweaty work: all this adds up to huge water loss from every pore of one's body with no way to immediately refill one's rotopax or whatever. I mean, under certain conditions it's possible to lose over a gallon of water a day through sweating.

Water is heavy, and since luggage space is already so limited...

3/4 litres water in a backpack, 1.5 to 2 l in each pannier, maybe 4-5 litres in the roll-top bag on the seat behind you, just spread it around to minimize risk of loss.

Or be like me, run down a skippy, slash the neck and drink from the jugular....mmmmm

I know roos are a pest Down There, but...

I think you will find 95% of stuff jammed into those 4x4s in the videos you have seen are usually luxuries not necessities. you be better off looking at hiking type videos for tips on what to take.

"rigs stuffed to brimming with spare parts, fuel, food, water, camping kit, and medical kit, often enough for weeks of self-sustained travel."

For some that's an end in itself.
It's very easy to over prepare for a trip into the outback, or even just to the bush nearer the coast, or the beach..
Lots of guys get a lot of pleasure in prepping their rig with everything up to and including a kitchen sink.

Have a read of Len Beadell or Ernest Giles for tales of outback travel in other times. Both wrote very readable books.

I would not cook on the back of the bike like these guys did. Can just see it now, bump, spill, flames, fuck !!
Yeh, HQ was rough but good.

True story RE HQ. Ended up living in Melbourne after crossing the desert. Just after Docker River on the track, a slight nose dive coming down a dune through sand all over the front of the car. As you can see I was meticulous about cleaning it, not. After 6 months in Melbourne's rain I had grass growing in the bottom of the windscreen. I never trimmed it. Got some looks I tell you.
Sorry for derail. Just remembered it.

Actually, full bathroom facilities, as far as I can tell.

I do admit to having had more than a few laughs at how much "house-on-wheels" a lot of folks in those vids seem to take pride in. And I also admit to having more than a few times snorted in scorn at what many of those folks call "adventure travel." I mean, heating and air con and stereo systems, you know...

Indeed, I have recognized that camper trailers as large as the trucks pulling them are a BIG business in 'Straya, sheesh.

Our concept of 'being prepared' is interesting and diverse. On one hand is the scenario just mentioned and on the other is a walkabout, where a prepubescent teen wanders into the bush with nothing for a six month stint. Who's better prepared?

Some back packs carry a 3 litre bladder. If adjusted correctly the pack will rest on your luggage.

I’ll keep that in mind next time I launch over a dune

You only need 3 things as a necessity. Water, letting someone know your timetable/route & communication i.e. InReach, Satt Phone etc.

After that fit on what you can in priority, fuel, food, cooking, comfort.

To start off with it’s not called overlanding in Australia, it’s called garn f’r a ride.
As in “I’m garn f’r a ride mate, I’ll be back in a bit.”
There are plenty of small towns and roadhouses in “outback” Australia so unless you are planning to go really remote you are never much more than a days ride from somewhere to get fuel food and water.
I generally carry a couple of days water and food and just stock up again whenever I get fuel. I also carry water purification tablets just in case bit have only ever user them once or twice.
I can fit everything I need in 2 35l soft panniers and a small tank bag.
I also have a couple of litres of water in a camel back so I can drink while riding as well as a fuel bladder for the long stretches. (Normally stowed empty and rolled up)
Don’t take too much notice of the 4wd heroes, most of what they carry they can live without.