one woman's motorcycle journey of discovery

"As my journey progressed, the many coincidences which I grew to accept as being a natural occurrence of each day, only fed my positive attitude. No harm ever came to me and so I did not expect it to. My intuition, no longer being constrained by conformity, was allowed to develop. I learnt to trust in it, as it never failed me."   Heather Ellis

one woman's motorcycle journey of discovery is the extraordinary story of Heather Ellis - a young Australian woman who alone and against all odds rode a large off-road motorcycle to some of the world’s most remote, beautiful and dangerous places.

"Coming to me ‘out-of-the-blue’, I could not ignore the innate calling to explore and discover. I was 28 years old and had reached that point in life when I questioned its purpose. It was then that the idea to ride a motorcycle through Africa and beyond came to me.

I had ridden motorcycles since childhood.  Even so, embarking on a motorcycle travel odyssey alone was still a crazy idea. But I felt inexorably that this was what I was meant to do. It was this inner drive which gave me the courage to follow my dream.

It is said fear is our greatest traitor, and the fact that only a few of the millions ever follow their dream is testament to it. Doubts only breed hesitation which leads to inaction. What are we doing here anyway? - spending our lives where today is the same as tomorrow in our quest for more. What have we really got to lose by following our dreams?

I bought a new Yamaha TT600 and a year later in 1993 resigned from my job as a radiation safety technician at a uranium mine in Kakadu, NT Australia and headed to Perth to board a cargo ship to South Africa. A work mate joined me for a few months leaving Africa from Kenya.

Covering more than 88,000kms riding through Africa to London and then back to Australia via Central Asia over nearly four years, I am one of only a few women motorcycle travellers to journey so far.

I was befriended by armed bandits; rode through a civil war; got lost in a desert; worked as a London motorcycle courier; risked being thrown in prison... and being shot at. Worst of all though, I survived near death due to illness, but giving up was never an option.

My motorcycle journey was as much about some of the world’s most remote, beautiful and dangerous places as it was about having the courage to do it alone. Through the coincidences, chance meetings and unbelievable adventures that occured with frequent (almost daily) regularity, my belief in spirit was also awakened.

The story of my journey is an inspiring read that is interwoven with messages which are revealed through the experiences of a woman travelling alone. It is a story that will have many questioning their own life purpose and what it is, that is really holding them back."

one woman’s motorcycle journey of discovery available late 2012.