Long distance bicycle touring safety on the road and rail trails

[dsilkroad]

Hi I am new to the forum and reasonably new to bicycle touring. I live in central Queensland near Rockhampton.
I am finding it very difficult to go for longer rides above 40km and stay on (safe) roads. I mean; I am finding back roads with reasonably low volume traffic and wide enough emergency lanes to ride, but these roads are not long enough to take me to my destination. Every destination I go to I end up having to ride for long stretches on bending, narrow, busy highways with dips and crests and no room between the road and the grass on the side. Sometimes I have only 30 cm between the white line at the edge of the road and the grass; and I will be riding with cars flying at 100km/h just one metre away from me.
When I look extensively on google maps I cannot find alternatives therefore I am forced to using the major roads (major roads up here do not have emergency lanes or shoulder except from the one major highway (Bruce Highway)appart from that you are riding 1 metre away from cars or constantly riding into the grass next to the road to increase the distance from cars).
Sometimes I use the trails / tracks along railway tracks. These tracks are used by railway companies like Aurizon for their 4x4 utes and company cars to service their railway lines.
These can be pretty good if you happen to be travelling along a route that has a railway alongside it; however I was told that those tracks near railways, are property of the railway company and I might be told to not use them. In fact I was told already once but I abbused it a bit because I had an alternative to ride on a safe road but instead I kept riding on the track adjacent to the railroad into a busy railway yard where they change drivers and stuff.

My newbie questions are: What are experienced bike tourers doing when they need to travel and there does not seem to be quiet roads on their route? Is having cars flying past you just 1 or maybe 2 meters away acceptable by most seasoned tourers? (I sure dont feel comfortable with that hence I always end up giving way to cars into the grass).
I am contemplating travel at night; when there is very little to NO traffic at all on these roads and if I hear/ see a car I just get completly off the road and into the grass way before the car approaches me (even if I have very good lights on the bike). Any one doing this while touring?
Also what are your thoughts / experiences on using tracks adjacent to railways ? Any one using them often ? Are they public tracks or private property?
Any info from Australia wide experience is greatly appreciated especially info from people who travelled between Brisbane and Cairns and Longreach.
Thank you for reading

[iNGE]

Though I do not have any experience cycling in OZ, yet, my suggestion would be to use a dedicated cycle app (android eg Osmand) or create your own tracks 1st on your computer via eg garmin Basecamp so you can see all those very nice, not busy, gravel roads and make a track only cycling on those roads.

If you want to use any other cycling apps - look at eg: Komoot, RidewithgGPS, Maps.me, Cyclewayz

[dsilkroad]

Thanks for the info. Some great route planning apps those ones.
Maybe I'll start cycling at night when there is less traffic; I think it feels safer in my mind to travel at night.
If I am riding in featureless highway just to get to a beautiful region I don't might riding at night and fast; if I am in a beautiful region it's a different story (I want to see everything in peace)

[iNGE]

You're welcome!

I am sure you could create a track towards your destination on gravel or low volume traffic roads - start looking on the internet for tracks where you would like to go to to give you a headstart on creating your own.

[kicyclist]

Hi dsilkroad & welcome,
Night riding comes with its own risks & rewards. There may be fewer cars but those drivers can be more likely tired or worse. Trucks drivers may less expect cyclists to be on the road.
Dusk& dawn you may see more wildlife.
Having said that I like part of my distance cycling to be at night.
Pre dawn until late morning, say around 4-11am by the clock are my most productive cycling hours.
Summer heat is less, UV is lower and breezes are usually lighter.