Bike riding isn't just a means of transport for two retirees, it is an obsession.

Rail trails, back roads, national parks and alpine roads are all a reason for Fred and Bev Hillier to get on their bikes and ride.

Loaded up with 20kg of clothes, food, spare batteries and cooking utensils, the retirees from Moombi near Tamworth cruised into Baradine on their e-bikes last month for a short visit.

“Bev and I are not new to bike riding because since 20014 we've been cycling in Europe every year,” Fred explained. “When we were there in 2019, we cycled four thousand kilometres in five months going from Zurich into the World War I battlefields of the Somme, Germany and the Czech Republic. 

“But because of Covid we've never been back. It is difficult at our age, I’m 82 and Bev’s a bit younger, so it's hard to get travel insurance and so we now ride in Australia. We bought a couple of new bikes and we are giving them a test run through the Warrumbungles. 

“We rode from Coonabarabran to Baradine because we know the Pilliga Forest pretty well and over the years had a lot of contact with the late David Johnston. So, this visit is a bit of a trip down memory lane, meeting his family and finding out how he went in his later years.”  

Born in Sydney, Fred served a toolmaking apprenticeship, studied production engineering and then became an engineering surveyor, a job that took him into the bush where he remained. Over the years the cycling duo have battled gruelling heat, sub-zero temperatures and language and security fears on their pedalling adventures overseas.

“Bev and I have been travelling together for forty-five years; it is good to have a companion to do things with,” Fred said. “I introduced Bev to camping when we bought a VW beetle and went to Munich in the middle of winter and then headed to Bagdad, but we only got as far as Damascus. We travelled around the Middle East and lived in England for a while.  We have travelled from Istanbul to Wales and from Morocco to Sweden, but the pandemic put a dampener on all that.

“Since we started bike riding, we have ridden the Iron Curtain Trail, which retraces the physical border stretching from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea dividing Eastern and Western Europe. We have done the Amber Trail, a trans-national bike trail running through Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. So, we've had a lot of experiences.  

“But in Australia the bike riding conditions are different, it is a long way between towns and you have to carry more food, more water and you are on a lot of busy roads. The roads are often rough with potholes so we ride bikes with bigger wheels. In Europe we rode small fold-up bikes but they are too small for the roads here.

“However, there are some fantastic rail trails in Australia. We recently rode the Brisbane Valley rail trail, which runs for 161 kilometres. 

“One of the advantages of travelling on a bike is that it brings you back to earth; you can’t carry much. You can certainly smell the dead kangaroos along the way and what amazes me is the amount of rubbish on the sides of the roads; all the cans.

“From my point of view, we have mucked-up the planet. There is so much greed, people are not going to stop polluting and I fear it is not going to be very nice place to live in years to come. You really have to get out of the car and get a bit of physical exercise and don't use fossil fuel if you can help it. 

“Our children used to tell people they have weird parents, but now they are just like us; they love bike riding too! 

There is no doubt about it, bike riding just gets in your blood.”