Feral bulls and crocodiles no barrier for Centrelink cyclist
Queensland media release
Friday, 23 April 2010
Sunshine Coast Centrelink worker, Jacob Cooney, is back on the job after achieving his life dream of cycling around Australia – a 20,000 kilometre trip that saw him ride through some of the country's most inhospitable terrain.
Jacob has always been a keen cyclist since he was a boy and the idea of cycling around Australia first came to him in his late teens.
"I just couldn't get it out of my head but if I mentioned it to anyone they all said I was crazy or 'you'll be taken by crocs' or 'you'll get bored' and even worse, that I'd be killed," Jacob said.
"But I was determined to have a go, so 17 years after I first had the idea and after much planning, on 25 February 2008 I set out from my home to achieve my dream."
Jacob’s wife Honorata is also a keen cyclist and rode with Jacob for the 1st part of the trip to the tip of Queensland, across the Northern Territory and on to the Kimberley in Western Australia.
"We rode through lush rainforests, pedalled up the steep declines of the Great Dividing Range and pushed our way through deep sand and mud," Jacob said.
"At night we camped in our little tent and shared the company of dingoes, snakes, spiders, feral bulls, ants and mosquitoes.
"At times we had to carry our bikes and luggage above our heads to cross the many waist-deep crocodile inhabited creeks— all the while wondering if the jaws of doom would greet us from beneath the murky water.
"We saw a few crocs but came through unscathed.
"But there were many good times— like being greeted by local Aboriginal communities, drinking freely from flowing rivers and taking in the stunning beauty of the Australian environment."
Honorata flew home from Western Australia, leaving Jacob to complete the remaining journey alone.
"I crossed the Nullarbor's 2,000 kilometre expanse, cycled through South Australia's heatwave, before taking on the Great Ocean Road and then the freezing conditions and monstrous hill climbs of Tasmania," Jacob said.
"I was then forced to evade bushfires in northern Victoria and southern NSW before being met by torrential rain and floods in northern NSW— but I knew I was close to home.
"Finally in early January, after 20,100 kilometres of cycling, I rode down my street, knowing my goal to bicycle, self sufficiently and unsupported around Australia, was complete.
"It was a journey filled with episodes of euphoria and great reward as well as intense physical and mental exhaustion, but now it's time to get back to work at Centrelink," Jacob said.
However Jacob's greatest challenge is yet to come – he and Honorata are expecting their 1st child in late May.
"I'd say my most exciting journey is still ahead of me," Jacob said.
For more information, telephone the relevant Centrelink media contact.