Book Review of King of the Cape by Roy Kunda

The Northern tip of Australia is a much dreamed about destination for many Australians. The sport of adventure riding is becoming more popular today than any time previously. Therefore, more and more people want to do the trip on a motor bike. Finding good stories about motor bike touring in Australia and specifically about Cape York isn’t easy. This blog post is a book review of King of the Cape by Roy Kunda. The book provides an interesting and entertaining description of riding a motor bike to the Northern Tip of Australia, Cape York. For another story about Cape York you may also like to consider the following review Dirt and Dust by Amelia Olsen

Book Review

In this book review of King of the Cape by Roy Kunda, I provide an objective overview of the story and how it made me feel.  This book is written by an adventure rider for adventure riders. It explores not only the Cape York experience, but what it takes to ride an adventure bike in Australia. Roy Kunda pulls no punches in his explanation of the difficulties of riding in this unique part of world.

He provides advice drawn from over 30 years experience and backs this up with real stories from his years leading adventure tours.  It is full of tips and tricks to improve your riding, while describing one of the best adventure riding destinations in Australia, Cape York.

The process of planning and preparing for a multi day ride can be daunting. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to plan and ride an adventure bike to the Northern tip of Australia, then this book is a must read for you.  Roy is a thirty year plus veteran of adventure motor cycle riding in Australia and around the world. He shares his stories and advice on everything from multi day planning to Barramundi fishing.

What makes this book a great asset for any would be adventurer, is that the advice is as useful for the novice and as it is for the experienced rider. There are a selection of stories that add context and drive the messages home in very practical ways. The stories are relevant, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic but always entertaining.

King of the Cape

Roy and his partner Renae own and run “Cape York Motorcycle Adventures” and have done so for over 30 years. They know Cape York and her secrets inside and out.  Roy provides practical lessons on everything from bike choice, maintenance, planning your trip. He also provides excellent advice on riding safely, knowing your limits and what gear you must absolutely take on such an adventure. He also provides practical tips on how to catch fish.

The lessons are simple and they contain Roy’s philosophy on adventure riding. These lessons include stopping, taking your time and really immersing yourself in your adventure. He talks about the importance of meeting people and of building relationships that can last a life time. There’s a strong emphasis on riding your own adventure. He emphasises making sure you ride within your capabilities and every now and then pushing yourself beyond your limits to make you a better rider.

Who is the book targeted to?

This book would be ideal for anyone contemplating getting into adventure motorcycling riding. Especially, if you’re thinking of riding to the Northern Tip of Australia or even contemplating the big lap. I thought it was going to be my guide book to the Cape, sort of like a “Lonely Planet”.  Instead, it was a self help book for adventure riders, and a guide for me to create my own adventure and improve my riding.

It was difficult not to laugh at some of the experiences and misfortunes of others, not because their misfortune was something to laugh at, but because it was something that I personally had experienced and learnt from.

This book is great for the novice rider who is buying his/her first bike and for the old guy like myself getting back into it after years of couch surfing. For the experienced guys/girls there are awesome stories and useful planning tips.

Where is it published?

King of the Cape was published by Ultimate World Publishing, Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australian in 2020. For those that know their way around a library the ISBN 978-1-922372-56-7. 

Where can I buy it?

This book can be purchased through Amazon at the link provided below. If you purchase through this link I will receive a small commission. This does not in anyway influence my comments or criticism of the book. I believe in trying to be objective so that you can rely on my evaluation when making a purchase.