A Darwin beach will serve as the finish line for two French Canadians from Montreal who have been touring Australia on pushbikes for the last six months, with the plan to dip their wheels in the Top End’s ocean to mark the end of the gruelling tour.

The two friends, 56-year-old Danny and 50-year-old Hugo, are expected to arrive in Darwin on May 10 after travelling more than 11,300 km.

Their “Southern Cross expedition to Australia” started in November 2022, beginning from Cairns passing along the coast all the way to Perth, and then to Port Augusta to Uluru, with the final leg ending in Darwin.

Danny Desrosiers said the plan for the ‘trip of a lifetime’ was hatched ten years ago when Hugo on his 40th birthday said that he would like to celebrate his 50th birthday touring Australia on his bicycle.

“Three years ago, we talked about this mad project and decided to team up to realise this dream scheme. We had no bicycles at that time and no experience whatsoever in bike touring. We haven’t done anything like that, not even in Canada,” Mr Desrosiers said.

“The project was to ride East to West and South to North of the country, in a sort of a cross shape (Southern Cross) and have our bicycle wheels take a dip into the oceans at the four corners of Australia.”

He said that cycling around Australia, in total autonomy with all the travel gear on their bikes has given them an unequalled sense of the place, and its people, and is the ultimate way to experience and understand Australia.

“Heat, sweat, deserts, and hundreds of meetings with Australians from all over the country has developed a close connection and respect for Australians and the country’s landscapes.”

Exploring Australia by bike offers travellers a chance to understand the country’s culture by visiting Indigenous communities, and gain glimpses of life on cattle stations and in remote outposts and country towns.