Indian Ocean Drive

[Knox_Harrington]

Howdy folks. Long time lurker here. I'm wondering if anyone has any recent experience riding on Indian Ocean Drive?

A friend and I are looking to tour up to Geraldton in May and we've had a bit of back and forth about the safest way to get there. I've read Aushiker's 2009 blog, however that was written before the road was complete. I expect the traffic will be heavier in 2016 now that it connects all the way to Perth. The lack of truck traffic is attractive, however the lack of shoulder past Lancelin is a worry.

I was super excited about hitting the road until the unfortunate events of the Indi-Pac a couple of weeks ago. My excitement has been somewhat tempered having read the countless tales of woe from Aussie cyclists who've ridden our country roads.

[beth_Streeter]

Hi, i just saw this post now as i'm planning to to the same trip but to Kalbarri and was wondering if you ever ended up doing the ride? If so, how was it?

[clog]

Hi,

I rode it about 4 weeks ago.
I would not recommend it. A lot of fast traffic and a lot of caravans that do not slow down.
There is a bit of a shoulder for most of the way but not everywhere.
In some places there is none at all.
I had a few scary incidents where people were overtaking caravans where there was no shoulder.
A lot of the time I was in the gravel to keep some distance between me and the traffic.
If you must do it have at the very least a mirror to see traffic from behind.
I rely on that and the noise from the traffic to get out of the way.
However with a headwind you do not hear the traffic and with their speed they are on to you in a flash.
Then you have the idiots who like to give you a scare by going very close to you and blowing their horn.
In my opinion take the bus.

Cheers

[Knox_Harrington]

Yeah nah. After giving it some serious thought, my friend and I decided it seemed a bit too risky/unpleasant. 110km/h speed limit, long turns, hill crests, Perth drivers and no shoulder was a bit too much to ask. There has been a lot of bad press about that stretch of road since my original post too. Many of the crashes seem to be caused by driver impatience...

Its a shame because it's a nice stretch of coastline with some cool little towns to visit.

In the end we caught the train down to Bunbury then rode to Bridgetown via Busselton, Margaret River and Nannup. It was an awesome little trip and went off without a hitch.

[Thoglette]

As a long term visitor to Guilderton I cannot recommend riding the IOD. It's challenging enough in a car.

This thread suggests some alternatives.