Cold Beer and Crocodiles

I knew that after reading Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country, anything that followed most likely would be a let down. Nonetheless, I picked up Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A Bicycle Journey into Australia by Roff Smith. I was keen to to continue reading about traveling, particularly in advance of my trip to Australia, and this seemed like a good book to keep the wheel turning.

In the book, author Roff Smith details his bike ride around Australia from Sydney, north along the coast to Cairns, and then on across Queensland, the Northern Territory and into Western Australia. He follows the coast south to Perth before continuing along the southern shore through South Australia and New South Wales, along with a brief stop over on Tasmania, before arriving back in Sydney.

And truthfully, it’s one helluva journey.

I found the writing in Cold Beer and Crocodiles to be a bit bland at times, but the story was so fascinating that I couldn’t help but zip through the pages. The adventures and difficulties that Smith works through as he cycles through Australia are nothing short of amazing. And really, I’m quite envious of his efforts as I know it’s a journey that I could never make as it’s just a touch short of suicidal in my mind.

I really quite enjoyed Cold Beer and Crocodiles and would recommend it for anyone looking to pick up an adventure travel book, and especially for those heading off to Australia for their own adventure. It’s a great story, particularly highlighting the friendliness of the Australian people, and one that I’d be remiss in not suggesting to someone before such a trip. It’s a great story about traveling through Australia, and certainly worth a look.