Crocodile Trophy Adventure Holidays 2008
10 days no telefon, no newspaper, no TV, no bad news

You don’t want to struggle on a mountainbike but you would like to enjoy the unforgetable feeling of a Croccole Trophy?
No problem – just book the “Crocodile Trophy Adventure Holidays”!
You will be part of the longest and hardest mountainbike-stagerace, discovering areas of Australia which are partly closed for tourists and you will come home with impressions from a unique Adventure Holidays. During the race you spend the nights same as all the particpants in tents but you will cover the race distance in a Fourwheel Drive vehicle (max, four people incl. driver – per vehicle). Each participants has to take out a travel insurance (return transport) himself. We garantie a unforgetable time in one of the most fascinating parts of our world.
During the Crocodile Trophy sightseeing tours will be organized away from the race course.

Dates:
17. 10. – 01. 11. 2008

Flights from Vienna:     
China Airlines Wien – Tapei – Brisbane (oder Sydney) – Tapei - Wien
Virgin Airline   Brisbane  – Cairns - Brisbane (oder Sydney)

Price:                                  
Per person with four people in one vehicle - Euro  3.890,--                                      
Extra charge for two people in one vehicle - Euro     950,--
Extra charge for single room four night - Euro     380,--
Extra charge for single use in tent - Euro     200,--
Extra charge per person for a driver  - Euro     250,--
Extra chrage for Business Class without domesticflight - Euro  1.550,--   

Inclusive services:

Program of the event

Cairns is the Gateway to Far NorthQueensland and to the Great Barriere Reef. With 130.000 residents has Cairns everything what usually only big multiculturel cities can offer.
A large modere marina is the showpiece of the town. The Esplanade with a wonderful swimmingpool small Bistro’s, Café’s and Hostals is the colorfull heart of the city. The northerly beaches probably are the most beautiful one’s in Australia.

21.10. Tuesday           
1. stage Mareeba - Irvinebank

The fourteenth Crocodile Trophy 2008 will start on the 21st of October in Mareeba 65 Km west of Cairns. Mareeba is the “Capital of the  Tablelands”,  one of the most fertile regions of Australia.  Mangos, avocados, Macademias, coffee, tee and many more fruits and crops are growing here. After 1320 km we arrive on the 30st of October  at the  finish the in Cap Tribulation,  located next to  one of  the most beautiful beaches at the Pacific Ocean.
For the circuit of the 14th Crocodile Trophy we picked the most interesting and most beautiful sections of previous years.
The first stage will start at 11 am in Mareeba and lead  through the centre of the city. The  riders and vehicles will  be accommpanied by the local police. Until Marreba we are riding on asphalt roads which is ideal for the riders to warm up. After that roads are leading along large fruit plantations before it really starts. – 20 km on steep and stony uphill and downhill sections up to Stanery Hill ( a old abondend mine). Until Irvinebank the roads are wide and slightly hilly.
In Irvinebank the „Crococdile Trophy Village“ will be set up across the local Pub,  the “Irvinebank Tavern”. 
Possible sighteeing trips!
Driving across the “Atherton Tablelands” , to Lake Tinnaroo and Lake Barrine to the 1000 years old Curtain Figg Tree. A visit to one out of the 61 vulcanic craters in the Mount Hypipamee National Park – contune to the stage finsih in Irvinebank.

22.10. Wednesday 
2. stage Irvinebank - Koombooloomba

On the next morning we leave Irvinebank southwards on a small steep and stony road up to 800  above metre sea level. At “Inner Hot Springs” (hot springs) we turn right and follow the Kennedy Hwy for 20 km on asphalt roads to the first feedingstation in Ravenshoe. The last 34 km are leading through the beautiful Rainforest of the “Tully Gorge Nationalpark” on a hilly course.
The Crcoodile Trophy Village“ will be located at the Koombooloomba Dam,  a wonderful reservoir surrounded from rainforest with crystal clear water for swimming.
Possible sighteeing trips! A stop at Ravenshoe and wimming in the hot springs at “Inner Hotsprings”. Walk through the rainforest and “Tully Falls”.

23. 10. Thursday                   
3. stage  Koombooloomba - Gunnawarra           
The „PowelineTrack“ is probably the most difficult test for the riders. Extremely steep, stony climbs and downhills over approx. 40 km make the heart beat of the riders go faster. Some parts of the section are in such a bad condition that  even the strongest riders have to walk. Several Crocodile Trophy’s have been lost or won on this stage over the past years. Twenty km later we pass Glen Ruth,  a absolutely wonderful cattle and horse station and shortly after the second feedingstation  the riders are supplied with refreshing  drinks and food. The second half of the stage is quite flat with wide gravelroads, that lead  along cattle farms. The finish is set up only 1.5 km off the principal highway and located beside a beautiful lagoon.
We have a open air shower for six people and  we pump the water out of a river or Lake. To clean the bikes we use another waterpump with a hose. The “Crocodile Trophy Restaurant” keeps eight people busy and they make sure that riders and accompanying people have all they need to be comfortable. At the “Croco Bar” you can get ice-cold Beer and softdrink as well as wine.  Diesel aggregates supply electricity for the whole camp. Telstra Australia provides a communication centre during the event, which makes it easy to keep in touch with the world. Free Internet - access and free phonecalls with Satellite phones.

Possible sighteeing trips! Visit at the „Blencoe Falls“ with breathtaking canyons ans swimming in the “Herberton River” – continue to the stage finish at Gunnawarra Station a big Cattle Station.

 24. 10. Friday              
4. stage Gunnawarra - Chillagoe           
Gunnawarra is the most southerly point of this year´s Trophy – from here the route leads directly north towards Mount Garnet, a small village with a touch of civilization - after that we follow the old Lappa Railroad through small Canyons,a  partly sandy or stony section.
The abondoned railway was built last century during the “Gold rush”. We arrive in Lappa after 83 km - a Ghost town with 5 unoccupied houses and a trainstation. We leave Lappa and continue  west on an asphalt Hwy to Almaden  (50 inhabitants a coffee shop and a payphone) from here to the finish the road changes from gravel to asphalt.
From Almaden onwards we see less woodland ,the landscape begins to become dryer. Chillagoe will host the Crocodile Trophy for the twelfth time. The Crococdile Trophy Village will be set up on the local Campground - we spend two night in this town. After three days in the Outback, Chillage offers once again “luxury” a pub, a shop, a butcher and a fillingstation. On the campground we have a a swimming pool, two coin laundries, 6 Motelrooms and a number of cabins.
Chillagoe is surrounded by magnificant rockformations and not far from the town we find a large swimming hole -  a “Billabong” - where the Crococdile Trophy people always engage themselves passionately and compete with local Aborigine- kids.
Possible sighteeing trips! Trip to „Undara Volcanic Nationalpark” – visit at the world longest underground Lava tubes. – continue the the stage finish at Chillagoe on the Crocodile Trophy route.

 25. 10. Saturday        
5. stage  Chillagoe - Chillagoe                             
Chillagoe - Chillagoe is the easierst stage for us, we don’t have much work to mark the circuit.  We start at the campground, ride to Bulwarra Station  - turn around and use the same road back to Chillagoe.
Possible sighteeing trips! Picnic at Elisabeth Gorge a hidden small Waterfall. This dreamlike place far away from the civilisation reminds us of a Hollywood filmset

26. 10. Sunday             
6. stage Chillagoe - Mt. Mulgrave      
After two days of recovery we use the “Development Road” to Mount Mulgrave - from time to time the road is as wide as real highway. Mount Mulgrave is without  doubt the hottest stage finish of the race each year, but fortunately situated at the Mitchell River and trees protect riders and  tents from the direct solar radiation. A big campfire, a sky full of stars and a guitar player singing county songs provide  an unforgetable and romantic atmosphere.

27. 10. Monday            
7. stage  Mt. Mulgrave - Laura
Towards Laura we have again more trees and bushes which gives the riders a little bit more shade. Until  Palmerville Station the the roads are very winding and hilly, but on good and hard surface. After the Palmer river crossing we enter the Cookshire region, from now on the
roads are  rougher with several small Creek crossings. The road to Laure leads along a beautiful mountain range which belongs to the Quinken Aborigines. In the eaerlier years of the Crocodile Trophy we had the permission to used the Old Laura Trail through the fascinating and normally impassable Aborigines country. After three years we changed the circuit because we couldn’t guarantee for the security of the riders and our staff on those rough and dangerous tracks. The Fairlight Station after about 80 Km looks like a filmset from a Hollywood Western. At this time of the year they have several hundred Cows on their property when we pass by. Th e last 20 Km to Laura we follow the promising “Cooktown Hwy” the road is similar to  corrugated iron and on top of it  on gravel.
 
Most of the 80 inhabitants from Laura are Aborigines. We will spend the night at the Laura Roadhouse Campground. The village lives manly from the the truckdrivers and Adventures, who stop and rest at Laura on their way up to the Cap York. There is one pub, a service station, a payphone, two smal shops and a postoffice. Worth seeing is definitely the “Rock Art Painting” not far from  town. The owner of the Roadhouse and the campground is a good friend of us since the early days of the event.  He used to live in several Aborigines Resorts for many years.

Possible sighteeing trips! Visiting the „Split Rock Art Galleries” more than thousand years old worth seeing Aborigines rockpaintings about 12 km south of Laura.

28. 10. Tuesday           
8. stage  Laura - Cooktown  
The corrugation from yesterday was  only a taste of what the “Battlecamp” road to Cooktown is like. For some of the riders this stage is the most difficult one, because  the continuous shaking puts an enormous strain on the body. Mostly for the bottocks and the wrists. You have to keep up the speed on those roads otherwise you would be standing still. The landscape compensates for all the suffering - on top of it all  the Grassy, with a breathtaking 360 degrees panoramic view over Cooktown, and the ocean is waiting at the end of this stage. There is still a lot of hard work ahead for the riders until they get there. Not only the corrugation,  no there are Rivercrossings and the sandy section at the “Battle Camp” - a historical place where 500 Aborigines attacked in 1873 during the Palmerriver Goldrush golddiggers and police officers and won their last battle.
After 75 Km we cross the Black Mountain Range with a length of approx. 7 km and 5-6% gradient. We cross several rivers and finally arrive at the Hope Vale - Cooktown junction. He the landscape has  a totally new face. It is  a wide open country side with palmtrees, sugarcane plantations and a beautiful asphalt road to Cooktown.
A lovely small town with 1800 residents,  located by the ocean. Incredible to imagine that during the “goldrush” around 1874, more than 30.000 people lived here in Cooktown . The town then had   94 Pubs and the same number of brothels.

Before the bikers get a chance to enjoy the beautiful view,  they have to suffer throug a  one Kilometer up a  30% steep hill all the way to  the top  and then climb  50 steps to the lighthouse. More than 200 years ago - in 1770 - Captain Cook stood  at this palce after he had stranded with his ship, the Endavour.
The Souvereign is a 4 star Hotel with Restaurant, furthermore you find in Cooktown a few Bistro’s and Pubs but all of them have early closing times.

The „Crocodile Trophy Village“ will be set up at the exclusive “Holiday Park” with two swimmingpools comfortable cabins and Motelrooms.
 

30. 10. Wednesday
9. stage  Cooktown - Ayton  
 The second last stage through the CREB Track every year  is chosen as the most beautiful stage from the riders, even though the track provides extremely high demands to riders, staff and vehicles. The breathtaking Creb-track with his numerous river- and creekcrossings in a tropic rainforest, lets everyone forget how hard this part is.  The last and hardest section of that day is called Zick Zack track, because this track hasn’t been used for several years. Two years ago we made it passable with chainsaw , shovel and pickaxe.
The “Roaring Mag” crossing in the middle of a wild untouched and fascinating surrounding, will always be an unforgettable adventure. A steep and challenging downhill to the last barrier releases the riders from all suffering - from then on it is only a 18 km flat road from Wujal Wujal along the Bloomfield to the finish in Ayton.
 
The “Crocodile Trophy Village“ will set up at the Ayton sportground for the last time this year. We donate all  food and drinks we have left to the local Aborigines Community Wujal Wujal.
Possible sighteeing trips! The stage to Ayton leads southerly along the cost through rainforest and is probably the most spectacular stage of the Crocodile Trophy 2008. We will visit Wujal Wujal a Aborigines Community after 70 km  - afterwards we will picnic at the “Bloomfield River Waterfalls”.

30. 10. Thursday
10. stage Ayton  - Cap Tribulation

The 48 Km to Cap Trbulation along the coast is a neutralized ride, only during the last 12 Km to the beach in Cap Tribulation, the riders can arrange the winner of the day among them.
The beach road with 700 metres high mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other side is a must for all Queensland tourists.
The overjoyed „Survivors” of the hardest Mountainbike race in the world, fling around each others necks having crossed the finishline in front of a breathtaking scenery.
  The Crocodile Trophy comes to an end with a dinner and winners-celebration at the “Coconut Beach Resort” right on the Beachfront, with live-music, dance and entertainment. To recover from all the strain and suffering, will spend the night at the fantastic “Coconut Beach Rainforest Resort”
On the 31st. of October we are driving back to Cairns and spend the night at the “Cairns International”.

Additional services
Extenting your stay or Stopover in Sydney and Tapei: on request
Nnumber of participants:20 Personen (maximum)
Travel insurance: Each participant is obliged to take out a travel insurance (return transport). We recommend a full coverag einsurance.