Gamini completes epic bike ride across Australia
05 May 2025
For most people, crossing Australia by plane feels like a very long way. Clearly Gamini Chandrasekara is not most people.
The Melbourne 63-year-old has just completed an almost 5000km journey, from Australia's west to east coast, on his bike.
Gamini set off from Perth on 22 March and he rolled into Brisbane’s City Botanic Gardens, where he was applauded by family and other supporters, on Saturday afternoon (3 May).
The drizzle and warm welcome at the finish line were a far cry from the tough conditions Gamini faced on most of his ride.
“The heat has been the worst thing, and the flies are very hard … and some hills,” Gamini says, remembering one tough day near Port Augusta he rode uphill constantly for 20km.
The outback roads and unpredictable wildlife also posed extra challenges. Gamini was chased by a mob of inquisitive emus.
“I’ve seen a lot of wild goats, kangaroos, pigs, lots of emus,” he says.
“In some areas the roads are not very good, with no side space and with the passing trucks it can be very dangerous.”
His route took him across WA and the Nullarbor Plain, across South Australia and into north-western corner of NSW, and then into Queensland for the home run.
Gamini cycled cycle about 100 to 140 km each day – or roughly the distance from Melbourne to Ballarat.
The entire ride took him 42 days, including three rest days.
Each night he would pull up alongside a motorhome that was travelling ahead of him on the same route, driven by his wife and a wider network of family and friends.
They stayed in 38 different campsites and towns where Gamini was often approached by fellow campers who had passed him on the road that day.
“They’d say ‘what are you doing here?’ … one lady was a cancer survivor and she’s following me (on social media) now. Lots of stories they tell me.”
Gamini, a buddhist, says the ride was about challenging himself, setting a positive example and doing “something good for the future”.
He also raised more than $21K for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation to support cancer research.
“I’m very happy … I feel I’m doing something good and I’m giving something back to the world. My effort is having value,” Gamini says.
You can still give via his donate page, or follow and drop a message of support on Gamini’s Instagram (@gaminirides).
Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation CEO Craig Connolly sent a video message for Gamini to watch at the finish line, thanking him for his amazing effort.
"On behalf of everyone at Peter Mac, I’d like to say an enormous thankyou to Gamini,” Mr Connolly says.
“Riding a bike from Perth to Brisbane is an epic challenge to take on. It shows his incredible determination, resilience and inner strength.
“Not only is Gamini providing vital financial support for cancer research at Peter Mac, he’s an inspiration to all”.
This was Gamini’s second major bike ride. In 2018, he ticked off a lifetime goal by riding from Melbourne to Sydney and so he wanted to go for “the big one”.
So what’s next?
“I need a long sleep. My body is OK but I need a rest now,” Gamini says, also noting his family is keen for his next challenge to be a little closer to home.
“I’m thinking I’d like to do some volunteering in palliative care.”
Gamini’s epic bike ride across Australia:
- Gamini had just six tyre punctures in close to 5000km of cycling.
- His longest day in the saddle was 172km and shortest was 74km – but he usually smashed out about 100km by lunchtime.
- He rode across the Nullarbor Plain in 10 days with no rest days
- He kept his energy up by eating lots of fruit, dates and honey and would celebrate milestones with a can of coke and some chocolate.
- He also drank up to two litres of coconut water, a litre of pomegranate juice and four litres of water every day.
Below you can listen to Gamini's ABC radio interview in the home stretch