SINCE 2016
SINCE 2016
The Hunt
The Hunt
The Hunt
Self-supported bikepacking through Australia’s backcountry.
Self-supported bikepacking through Australia’s backcountry.
Self-supported bikepacking through Australia’s backcountry.
What it is
What it is
The Hunt is a set of self-supported bikepacking rides through remote Australian country. There’s no race, no support vehicle and no prize. You choose your own departure date and aim to arrive at the same place on the same day as everyone else — a grand finish, rather than a grand depart. Then we share a beer.
The Hunt is a set of self-supported bikepacking rides through remote Australian country. There’s no race, no support vehicle and no prize. You choose your own departure date and aim to arrive at the same place on the same day as everyone else — a grand finish, rather than a grand depart. Then we share a beer.
Where it came from
Where it came from
The idea started with the Australian Alps Walking Track. Once I began mapping it, it was obvious that long stretches make no sense on a bike, so it became something else: a cycling version of the Alps traverse, extended to Melbourne, woven from backcountry trails, fire roads and country lanes, with water and resupply worked out along the way.
The idea started with the Australian Alps Walking Track. Once I began mapping it, it was obvious that long stretches make no sense on a bike, so it became something else: a cycling version of the Alps traverse, extended to Melbourne, woven from backcountry trails, fire roads and country lanes, with water and resupply worked out along the way.
In 2016 it was a line on a map and a call-out on social media. Twenty-eight of us set off from Canberra with a week to get to Melbourne. None of us really knew what lay ahead — that was most of the appeal. Less than half made it. It was hard. So we did it again the next year, and it’s grown every year since.
In 2016 it was a line on a map and a call-out on social media. Twenty-eight of us set off from Canberra with a week to get to Melbourne. None of us really knew what lay ahead — that was most of the appeal. Less than half made it. It was hard. So we did it again the next year, and it’s grown every year since.
What it is now
What it is now
Ten editions on, the Hunt 1000 changes every year — new sections, new huts, new ways of being tested — and the alpine weather makes sure no two rides are the same. Riders come from across Australia and from New Zealand, North America and Europe. Around half of those who start, finish. A good number come back for another go.
Ten editions on, the Hunt 1000 changes every year — new sections, new huts, new ways of being tested — and the alpine weather makes sure no two rides are the same. Riders come from across Australia and from New Zealand, North America and Europe. Around half of those who start, finish. A good number come back for another go.
Sydney to Summit ran for three years from the Opera House to the top of Kosciuszko, and is now evolving into a self-guided route. Hunt Tasmania arrives in March 2027.
Sydney to Summit ran for three years from the Opera House to the top of Kosciuszko, and is now evolving into a self-guided route. Hunt Tasmania arrives in March 2027.
— Dan
— Dan