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King of the Desert: One man's world-record motorcycle crossing of Australia's ten deadly deserts
Nick Arley, a 55-year-old public servant from Canberra, sets out on a motorcycling odyssey to break a Guinness World Record crossing all ten of Australia's deserts.
Nick Arley's motorcycling journey began racing around paddocks on an old Honda. From the moment he first rode a motorbike at age eleven it was destined to become a lifelong obsession. Speed and adventure were never far from his mind. The working week was all suits and ties, nine-to-five; but, come the weekend, things were very different.
The desert started calling, the bikes got bigger and the rides longer, evolving into multi-state odysseys crossing the country. The danger was real, with exceptional skill and planning required, but these were the foundation for his greatest the fastest crossing of all ten Australian deserts, unaccompanied, on a motorcycle.
Chasing a Guinness World Record and needing to cover 5500 kilometres over less than twenty-nine days, Nick, with just his Suzuki motorbike for company, set off on an insane trek across Australia's ten harsh and isolated deserts, pushing himself physically, mentally and emotionally, completely alone and unassisted.
This is the raw, vivid and gripping story of Nick's quest to become King of the Desert.
'Wow what an amazing and truly inspiring story to read about Nick Arley's motorcycle challenge to ride across the ten Australian deadly deserts in a remarkable record-breaking time of only 14 days and 5484 Kilometres. This story is a must read as it is thoroughly entertaining and helps to understand the tricky conditions and some of the history in central Australia that most have never seen or encountered. It shows Nick is a highly experienced rider who researched and prepared himself and his bike for this trip in many professional ways then stuck to the plan with remarkable precision. Congratulations, Nick Arley, you are now the Official King of the Australian Deserts.' Wayne M. Gardner AM
'Nick Arley's incredible accomplishment rates up there with those of the great motorised round-Australia adventurers. A must read.' John Smailes, author of Phillip Island
Nick Arley's motorcycling journey began racing around paddocks on an old Honda. From the moment he first rode a motorbike at age eleven it was destined to become a lifelong obsession. Speed and adventure were never far from his mind. The working week was all suits and ties, nine-to-five; but, come the weekend, things were very different.
The desert started calling, the bikes got bigger and the rides longer, evolving into multi-state odysseys crossing the country. The danger was real, with exceptional skill and planning required, but these were the foundation for his greatest the fastest crossing of all ten Australian deserts, unaccompanied, on a motorcycle.
Chasing a Guinness World Record and needing to cover 5500 kilometres over less than twenty-nine days, Nick, with just his Suzuki motorbike for company, set off on an insane trek across Australia's ten harsh and isolated deserts, pushing himself physically, mentally and emotionally, completely alone and unassisted.
This is the raw, vivid and gripping story of Nick's quest to become King of the Desert.
'Wow what an amazing and truly inspiring story to read about Nick Arley's motorcycle challenge to ride across the ten Australian deadly deserts in a remarkable record-breaking time of only 14 days and 5484 Kilometres. This story is a must read as it is thoroughly entertaining and helps to understand the tricky conditions and some of the history in central Australia that most have never seen or encountered. It shows Nick is a highly experienced rider who researched and prepared himself and his bike for this trip in many professional ways then stuck to the plan with remarkable precision. Congratulations, Nick Arley, you are now the Official King of the Australian Deserts.' Wayne M. Gardner AM
'Nick Arley's incredible accomplishment rates up there with those of the great motorised round-Australia adventurers. A must read.' John Smailes, author of Phillip Island
277 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 15, 2025
A wonderful short read. A documentary on a world record, not waxing poetic
October 27, 2025
Good read about an incredible trip. I would have liked a bit more detail about the landscape and riding experience but he was a man on a mission.
May 25, 2026
Wow! Amazing! I’ve been on some of those roads in a 4WD bit doing it on a bike unsupported is something else. Congratulations! A humble recounting of a truly amazing experience and achievement.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews