Octogenarian Odyssey 4.0: Pedaling the Perimeter of Australia

At 83 years old, Robert D. Fletcher set out on one of the most ambitious journeys of his life - cycling 14,500 kilometres around the entire perimeter of Australia.

Over five and a half months, he crossed the vast emptiness of the outback, rode through Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, and experienced everything from freezing desert nights to endless coastal roads lined with spectacular beaches.

Supported by his wife Gloria, her sister Johana, and fellow riders along different sections of the journey, Robert travelled through legendary places including Mount Isa, Longreach, Darwin, Broome, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Along the way came road trains, bush camping, caravan parks, isolation, fierce headwinds, wildlife, the Nullarbor Plain, towering cliffs, world-famous wine regions, and the unforgettable beauty of the Great Ocean Road.

But this is far more than a cycling story.

It is a story about resilience, curiosity, aging without limits, and discovering that the world still holds endless surprises waiting around the next bend in the road.

Filled with humour, hardship, friendship, and unforgettable landscapes, this inspiring journey challenges the idea that adventure belongs only to the young.