A word of caution. I would strongly suggest you thoroughly research the immigration and visa issues. I am a resident of Australia, and didn't know, for instance, that a visa is required to visit the country if you are a foreigner. It's easy to get one, apparently -- Machka does hers on-line and I gather it costs nothing.

However, from what I have read for both Australia and NZ, and confirmed by my own experience on entering Canada, you had better have all your documentation for exit flights or ship out of each country that falls within the expected length of the visas, especially if you are arriving by means other than commercial air flight.

In addition, you might have to prove that you have enough cash resources to support yourselves for the duration of your stay. The immigration people also may well want to have every detail, including how you support yourselves, too.

It's not just Australia -- it happens now to me every time I go to Canada after a land entry at Coutts several years ago. Plus, a former poster here messed up his visa arrangements in Australia and has now been banned for three years from entering the country.

While all this might seem melodramatic, it can, I assure you, have an unpleasant effect on your touring plans if you don't get it right.

As to Victoria, I rather like the Goldfields Country. In 2005, I did a three-week ride on what I called my Golden Circle Tour, from Melbourne to the Murray River and back again in a big loop that took in the Goldfields and across to Mildura.

I actually would suggest spending some time in Melbourne. During off-peak, the trains are wonderful for getting you around, but Melbourne itself has something that attacts me in terms of its architecture and art and sculpture; so if you have an interest in such things, Melbourne could be impressive.

I've also never had any real issues riding in Melbourne traffic, and when I was there again several weeks ago after returning from Canada, there did seem to be quite a lot more cyclists about.

I also like the coastal region basically from Frankston right around and down to Wilsons Promontory. Wilson's Prom is one of my favourite destinations in Victoria, and presents some challenging riding. Again, you could possibly catch a train out to Sale and ride south from there. Unfortunately, Wilsons Prom is likely to be very busy at that time of the year, so you should attempt to book a campsite as soon as you can. It's not really practical to ride in and out on the one day.

I live in the Yarra Ranges, and there are all sorts of riding possibilities here, but no real summertime destinations of note except Lake Eildon.

I'm still proudly Tasmanian, and I reiterate what I said in another recent thread that the Central Highlands are an oft-forgotten and very beautiful part of Tasmania; often left off itineraries because it doesn't fit with the coastal circuit everyone on a fly-drive/ship-drive/cycle-touring holiday does. It features myriad lakes and spectacular scenery.

Incidentally, 100 deg C days are not unusual in Tasmania. It's a fallacy that the state is the coldest in Australia. You might have to watch out, however, for bushfires and very strong hot northerly winds into late January. And yes -- it can snow on the top of Mt Wellington, overlooking Hobart, in January, as it did when I provided the MTBs for the mountain climb in a series of The Mole back in the late 1990s.

Another word of caution -- wear sunscreen and lip balm, a lot, if you are in Tasmania. Again, because everyone thinks its cold there, they think they don't have to put on the stuff, and then suffer from acute sunburn. If not creams and balm, at least long cotton trousers and shirts.

In addition, I have ridden the Nullarbor from Norseman to Port Augusta, and while it's not to everyone's taste, I found it excellent, for its solitude, its scenery and its surprises.

The Audax Australia website (www.audax.org.au) has route instructions for what is called a raid from Melbourne to Sydney or vice-versa. It takes the highly scenic and challenging inland route. I've done a five-day dash from Canberra to Melbourne through the Alpine area along much of the same route, and can attest to its challenging nature; but the scenery is also pretty darned good.

As far as Western Australia is concerned, a loop down through Busselton, and on to Albany via the coastal route and Margaret River, then across to Esperance and up to Norseman and back to Perth via Kalgoorlie might be an option. I did an inland diagonal across to the coast and on to Esperance... the inland was a bit boring, but the coast was pretty good, with one significant national park along the way. As to picking up the train, most likely it would be at Kalgoorlie, which is pretty well straight north from Esperance and Norseman.

Of interest, the train line runs 20km or more north of the highway across the Nullarbor, and as such runs through completely different terrain -- desert if you like -- compared with the more coastal scrubland and sea plain. I've not travelled the train, but I was told that many Japanese rode either bicycles or motor cycles along the unsealed service road that parellels it because it presented more challenge than the sealed highway.

I second the comment about getting across the Rottnest Island while in Perth. It's a great place to chill out and has no traffic, some interesting wildlife and isolated coastal areas. The hills east of Perth also add some variety and there are some nice little towns in there, but I don't recall any as being exciting cycling destinations.

Certainly, they don't really measure up compared with the wineries of the Adelaide Hills. Adelaide is also another arty town, known as the City of Churches, and there is (or was) a nice bike path that runs parallel with the River Torrens.

I've done the Great Ocean Road several times on weekends, and haven't really had much hassle. There is a decent shoulder, as I recall, on both sides of the road for a fair percentage of the coastal route. Then the road deviates up into the hills. As Chris L said, the sandstone formations are the most interesting aspect.

Good luck with your arrangements. PM me (or the collective us in Victoria) when you get here and let's see if we can do an Aussie-Canadian version of the BikeForums ride.