King of the Desert: Chasing a Guinness World Record Across Australia’s Harshest Terrain

A year of planning, 5,484km of remote desert tracks and a Guinness World Record attempt. George Lockyer reviews Nick Arley’s account of riding through all ten of Australia’s deserts aboard a Suzuki DR650.

What would possess someone to ride through all 10 of Australia’s deserts in pursuit of a Guinness World Record? According to Nick Arley, it’s the same passion for motorcycles and adventure that has driven riders to tackle seemingly impossible journeys for generations.

Born in the UK before moving to Australia at the age of five, Arley quickly became obsessed with two wheels and off-road riding. His motorcycling journey, documented in King of the Desert, began much like that of many Australian and New Zealand riders — tearing around paddocks on borrowed machinery.

In Arley’s case, those paddocks were in rural New South Wales, where he first rode a friend’s Honda Z50 and Yamaha YZ80G before eventually getting his own Suzuki TC125.

“Having no police station in the bush town of Bribbaree,” he writes, “helped develop my skills early.”

After leaving school and moving to Canberra, Arley discovered a talent for endurance riding through Pony Express cross-country events aboard various Honda XR models. Bigger bikes followed, opening the door to longer adventures both on and off the bitumen.

The seed for his greatest challenge was planted after reading Hunting Fear by Benji Brundin. Inspired by what he described as “an ordinary bloke just like me”, Arley became determined not only to complete Australia’s Ten Deserts Challenge, but to better Brundin’s time of almost 30 days.

The challenge requires riders to traverse all ten recognised Australian deserts — not necessarily in their entirety, but sufficiently to satisfy Guinness World Records requirements. Together, these deserts cover a vast portion of the Australian continent, ranging from the immense Great Victoria Desert at 348,750 square kilometres to the comparatively tiny Pedirka Desert at just 1,250 square kilometres.

Having spent considerable time riding in Australia myself, I can only tip my hat to Arley. Attempting this ride takes serious courage.

After a year of meticulous planning and preparation, his dream finally became reality in 2023. By then he was already a highly experienced desert rider, having completed numerous remote rides both solo and with friends.

Starting in the South Australian town of Maree and finishing at the Aboriginal settlement of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory, the route traced a broad arc through the heart of Australia. Along the way he tackled the entire Canning Stock Route — an adventure many riders would consider a lifetime achievement on its own.

Fourteen days later, after battling wildlife, heat exhaustion, deep sand, towering dunes, brutal corrugations, swollen rivers, road trains and the aches and pains of a 55-year-old body, Arley rolled into Yuendumu having shattered the existing record. The local store manager, Steve, became the official witness to the completion of the ride.

The journey consumed an entire year of Arley’s life. Remarkably, his heavily prepared 2021 Suzuki DR650 — fitted with a 36-litre fuel tank — completed the 5,484km expedition without suffering a single puncture or mechanical failure. It also returned an impressive fuel consumption figure of 17.41km/l.

Arley’s writing style is straightforward and unpretentious, perfectly suited to the story he is telling. The result is an engaging account of a remarkable adventure that should appeal to anyone who enjoys motorcycles, exploration and tales of endurance against the odds.

Contributor

George Lockyer

George has been a long-time contributor to Bike Rider Magazine, although he originally started writing for Australian Road Rider many years ago. George has been travelling the world riding motorcycles for well over 40 years, documenting his journeys along the way. He's also a published writer of a number of books, covering topics from Kiwi Garages to Fire Stations of Aotearoa.