Two Birders, Two Bikes, One School: Teen duo cycle across Australia to raise funds for Timor-Leste school

Two Victorian teens have cycled through the Pilbara as part of their gap year peddling across Australia fundraising for a school in Timor-Leste, while identifying 700 bird species. Leo Norman, 18, and Cezary Carmichael, 19, set out to ride 15,000km across Australia’s rugged terrain on a mission to raise $100,000 through the charity Spend It Well, all while sharing their passion for bird conservation. Starting in Melbourne on January 1, the boys travelled up the east coast of Australia to Darwin, through to Central Queensland, across to Broome and down through the Pilbara on their way to Perth and the South West. “I wanted to travel around Australia after school for a while and a few years out, we were kind of looking at our bank accounts and realised we couldn’t really afford to do it in a car,” Mr Norman said. “So the bike seemed like the next option and we thought it was possible.” The ambitious duo worked various part-time jobs to live entirely on their savings throughout the challenge, allocating $25 dollars a day for food, accommodation and other necessities. “We’re usually living on a pretty cheap diet of beans, rice and pasta, but it’s been a pretty incredible way to see the country from our bikes,” Mr Carmichael said. “We’re covering about 100km a day, riding through some pretty outback areas where at some points we’d have to carry about 10 litres of water or five to six days of food. “Occasionally, we have run out of food and water in some big stretches, particularly in Queensland where the road was sometimes 40 degrees hot and the tar would drip and run on the side of the road.” While passing through the Pilbara, the boys had to haul five days’ worth of food after being delayed by strong winds and road trains. “But it’s been a fantastic way to see the birdlife and wildlife of Australia,” he said. “We were climbing over these iron stone shale peaks looking for Pilbara grass wrens and a really rare bird called the grey honey eater, which we eventually found just outside of Newman.” The pair’s passion for birds stemmed from their exposure to nature from an early age, enjoying the sights and sounds that come with birdwatching. “Dad’s a zookeeper, so we went camping quite a lot growing up, and over the past 10 years I’ve just grown an interest in birds,” Mr Norman said. “There’s an aspect of competitiveness, where you’re on the hunt to try and see the most number of birds you can in a given year or in a given space is a bit of a challenge as well,” Mr Carmichael said. Braving extreme weather, tumbles and punctured tyres, the pair have documented their journey on social media and have raised nearly $60,000 so far. Funds raised will go towards Builecon School outside Balibo, a three-hour drive from the capital Dili. An Australian engineer raised concerns about the structural integrity of the current building where 134 children are being taught, citing the classroom is at-risk of collapsing. The money will help build a new four-classroom building, refurbish the toilets which are currently unusable and establish a school garden to address malnutrition issues suffered by the children. “The generosity from everyone we’ve met along the way really has been quite surprising and really welcome,” Mr Norman said. “From the first week, people are giving us a place to stay and enjoy drinks or food from our journey, and I think that was one of the main take-aways.” Mr Carmichael said the biggest donation so far had been from a primary school who organised a fundraiser for them. “Particularly coming through Broome and in the Pilbara, people are stopping on the side of the road to give us a cold drink,” he said. “I nearly ran out of water once in the PIlbara, and Shane and Wayne from one of the camps for engineers that maintained their rail service pulled over on the side of the road to give me some water. “They ended up driving back out to where we were camping that night to give us some cold drinks, tea and coffee, and dinner for the night. “So that community support has been really lovely.” You can follow the teens’ adventure on social media Two Birders, Two Bikes, One School, or support their cause by making a donation through Spend It Well.