67-Year-Old Rides Electric Bike 11,000km Across Australia

When Ed Darmanin rolled out of Sydney in June on his electric motorcycle, he planned an 18,000-kilometer lap around Australia with no support vehicle. What he got instead was a masterclass in why preparation beats perfection every time.

Just 1,300 kilometers in, a routine check near Biloela revealed his rear subframe had cracked from fatigue. Instead of ending the trip, Ed improvised—using hardware store parts to limp to his scheduled talk in Yeppoon, then enlisting two Coast Guard volunteers to help him properly repair and reinforce the frame.

The fix held for the next 9,000 kilometers, including carrying his son Evan across Far North Queensland. Eight weeks later, Ed has just passed Broome on Australia's west coast, proving that electric vehicles can handle one of the world's most challenging road trips.

The charging infrastructure along Australia's east coast worked smoothly, with fast chargers at predictable intervals from Sydney to Cairns. But the Northern Territory and remote Queensland tested every ounce of Ed's planning skills.

Through the Gulf Country, Ed rode 1,200 kilometers without a single fast charger. He plugged into caravan park outlets and hotel sockets, even charging at a Georgetown caravan park while playing nine holes of golf with his son as they waited for the battery to fill.

In the Kimberley region, a Chargefox unit cut out five times before finally charging to 95 percent. At Fitzroy Crossing, Ed—a licensed electrician—built his own adapter to charge from a three-phase socket right next to the fuel pumps.

Why This Inspires

Ed's journey isn't just about proving electric motorcycles can go the distance. It's about showing that new technology doesn't need to be perfect to be practical—it needs people willing to problem-solve when things go wrong.

At a charging stop in Mackay, local EV enthusiast Arthur Hunt arranged for Ed to meet Glenn George, who drove an electric vehicle around Australia in 2011 in a converted 1950s MG. Both men were 67 when they attempted their journeys, separated by fifteen years of electric vehicle progress.

The trip has generated nearly 500,000 social media views, an ABC Radio interview, and international coverage from Hungary. Strangers have defended Ed's journey against online critics at two in the morning, creating an impromptu community around his electric adventure.

None of this went exactly to plan, but that was always the point. Real progress happens in the messy middle—between the cracked frames, failed chargers, and 35-degree heat that slows battery charging to a crawl.

Ed's still riding, one improvised charge at a time, proving that the future of transportation is already here—it just needs people brave enough to take it for a spin around Australia.