To make the most of our time in isolation (AKA La Trobe University Working From Home, or #LTUWFH), the LASEM MOVE team have been logging their collected walking, running and riding kilometres in the clubs section of the Strava app, with the aim of making it (virtually) around Australia.
As at May 10, we had accumulated 6694km. This has seen us (virtually) travel the scenic route around Tassie and up the east coast to Evans Landing QLD, before heading back west to arrive at Burketown QLD. We are now on our way to Darwin.
Week 1 and 2 (and a half)
Between April 11 and April 27, the LASEM team took off at rate of knots and covered 3679.35 Kilometres (April 20-26 stats breakdown: 315.3km cycling, 667.36km running and 265.56 walking). Virtually speaking, this took the team around Tasmania.
We arrived in Devonport and headed east to arrive on the beautiful east coast of Tassie. We made our way down the winding roads and then into Hobart. We briefly stopped in Queenstown, the home of Australia’s only gravel football ground (yes, you heard right, a gravel football ground) and continued on our way back to Devonport.
Devonport
Population: 23,046
Famous people: David Foster – World champion woodchopper, Joseph Lyons – Former Australian Prime Minister, Matthew Richardson
Week 3 and 4
By May 10 the team accumulated a further 3015.15kms (since starting the challenge, a staggering 6694.5kms travelled!) and caught some sun at Evans landing, QLD.
Evans Landing
Population: Unknown
History: The town is named after geologist Harry Evans, who found the bauxite deposits (a sedimentary rock with high aluminium content), which put the town on the map, literally.
Week 5
By May 17, the LASEM MOVES team had covered 8599.53km (May 11-May 15 stats breakdown: 611.38km cycling, 696.09km running and 297.53km walking) and reached Limmen National Park (the 3rd largest National Park in the Northern Territory – a major attraction in the park are the ‘Lost Cities’—sandstone rock formations resembling tall apartment blocks), via Burketown, QLD (an isolated outback town and coastal locality in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia, 898 km west of Cairns).
Burketown
Population: 238
Interesting fact: Burketown is the barramundi capital of Australia and hosts the World Barramundi Fishing Competition during the Easter holidays each year.
Week 6
Darwin is our next target. Watch this space to see if the LASEM MOVES team makes it!