CYCLING AUSTRALIA’S OUTBACK

Renting a bike: Numerous companies rent motorcycles in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and other cities. Type “Australia motorcycle rentals” into a search engine. About the outback: www .australia.com/about/australiaslandscapes/outback-australia.aspx. Silverton: Film location for “Mad Max 2.” www.silverton.org.au. Taronga Western Plains Zoo: “Zoofari” stays cost $220 per person per night and include meals. taronga.org.au/taronga-westernplains-zoo. lenging, but typical of the outback, along roads with few gas stations and more than a few kangaroos, sheep and goats.

When we finally coasted into the zoo, we were welcomed with traditions from a different continent: an epic African feast. We ate in an open-air dining area in the style of a Zulu hut with a fire roaring just outside.

We slept in four-star tents with heated-tile floors, bathrooms and windows providing a view of giraffes, zebras and wallabies grazing in a field. Apart from our chatter, the silence was broken only by the occasional animal cry.

The zoo staff organized behind-the-scenes tours and animal viewings with special hand-feedings of giraffes and tigers.

It was an interesting end to an amazing trip and provided a well-earned rest before the long journey back to Sydney. Australia’s outback is so massive that we could scratch only the surface in seven days. We’re already planning to hit the road again for another adventure.