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Riding from Gympie to Broome and Back on my Norden 901

Riding from Gympie to Broome and Back on my Norden 901 — 10,250km of Adventure, Friends, Family and Memories!

When you grow up in a family that loves adventure, the question isn’t if you’ll go, it’s when. My dad and I have always believed there’s no better way to explore Australia than on two wheels. So when we started talking about finally riding the Kimberley, a trip we had dreamed about for years, things escalated quickly. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we weren’t just riding the Kimberley’s. We were crossing the Simpson Desert, heading up the Tanami Rd, heading all the way to Broome… and then riding home again through the NT and Central QLD.

10,250 kilometres later, I can safely say it was one of the best adventures of my life… so far!

The Why — Family, Freedom, and Adventure

Dad and I share a deep love for exploration, that feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere, just you, your bike, and the horizon. There’s something powerful about taking on the world that way with people you love and respect. This ride wasn’t about ticking off a map or setting a record. It was about connection, to the land, to each other, and to ourselves.

It was also about the stories that bind us. Dad spent his childhood in some of these outback towns, so seeing them through his eyes, and hearing his memories as we rode past his old house, his first job site, and the open bores of Blackall, added a layer of meaning that made the kilometres feel richer.

The Journey — From Rain to Red Dust

We left Gympie under slippery, foggy skies — the kind of start that keeps you humble. Within hours, we’d lost Dad, ended up in a farmer’s paddock, and gone the long way from Taroom to Injune. By dark, I’d hit a kangaroo. It was wet, chaotic, and absolutely classic for Day One of a big trip.

But things settled. By Day Three, the vibe had shifted. We found our rhythm. Dad stopped rushing, we started laughing, and the roads opened up. Riding side by side with my mate Guy Streeter felt like hanging out with friends, not just clocking kilometres.

The road to Birdsville was a highlight — Dion’s Lookout, Betoota Pub, and long stretches of red dirt that made me fall in love with Queensland all over again. By then, the energy had changed completely. We were finally in the flow of it.

The Simpson Desert — The Heart of the Adventure

The Simpson was the reason we came. It was the challenge we couldn’t resist.

Our first day in the desert was brutal — bogged bikes, endless detours around lakes, and lots of picking up bikes. We quickly realised this wasn’t going to be a one-night crossing. The sand demanded patience, teamwork, and humility.

But by the second day, everything clicked. We dropped tyre pressures, had used a heap of fuel and water, and found our groove. The dunes were massive, but so was our determination. The Norden 901 and I became one, floating up dunes that had stopped me the day before.

We camped under endless stars, ice forming on the bikes overnight, and firelight warming our faces. It was hard and beautiful and real. And when we rolled into Mount Dare on Day Eight, dusty and tired but glowing with pride, it felt like we’d earned every single kilometre.

The Norden 901 — Built for the Big Stuff

People often ask how the bike handled it. Honestly? It was a dream. Sure, the Norden is a big bike, but what you give up in weight, you gain in comfort, carrying ability, and pure FUN.

From corrugated desert tracks to high-speed open roads, it never missed a beat. The suspension soaked up everything we threw at it, and the ergonomics made 10-hour days doable. Even when I was exhausted, the Norden felt like my teammate — solid, capable, and up for anything.

When we hit the Tanami and the long, fast, flowing sections of the Binns Track, the bike just came alive. It ate up the kilometres, carried all my gear, and somehow still made me smile through the bull dust.

The Best Bits — Challenge, Beauty, and Random Magic

The Simpson was my favourite part; not just because of the challenge, but because it forced me to slow down, to be present, and to find joy in every metre of progress.

Broome was magic; warm sand, turquoise water, and the feeling of standing at the top of the country knowing you rode there.

And then there were the in-between moments that only adventure riders understand; the stock routes between Elliott and Hell’s Gate, the random campgrounds where strangers became mates, and the pure satisfaction of watching the landscape change beneath your wheels.

What’s Next

If this trip taught me anything, it’s that there’s always more to explore.

Next up? Saying yes to every opportunity to see more of Australia and the world from the seat of a Husqvarna. Adventure riding has a way of reminding you who you are and what matters most. And as long as there’s a road (or no road at all), I’ll be out there chasing it.

10,250km. Gympie to Broome and back. A father and daughter. A good mate. My incredible Norden 901. And a reminder that the best stories in life start with “why not?”