General News
10 March, 2026
Cycling veteran rolls back into Horsham
A 79-year-old world traveller, Armando Basile, rolled into Horsham again on Tuesday, March 3, continuing a remarkable bike journey that has taken him across Australia and around the world while carrying all his possessions.
Mr Basile said Horsham remained one of his regular stopping points on his long-distance rides.
He said he had travelled “nine times from Melbourne to Darwin or Darwin to Melbourne” and planned his route depending on where he was coming from.
“When coming from the USA, I go from Melbourne to Darwin,” he said.
“When coming from Asia, I go from Darwin to Melbourne.”
Mr Basile said Horsham was always part of his trip.
“Every time I stop in Horsham,” he said.
Along the way, he keeps life simple, stopping wherever he can for the night.
“I stop at a rest area, a servo, or a bush,” he said.
“I sleep in my tent.”
Mr Basile said his cycling journey had now reached an extraordinary 1,530,000 kilometres, built up over years of riding every day.
“I cycle every day,” he said.
“I cycled 30,000 last year.”
Even at this age, Mr Basile said he was still enjoying every moment of the adventure and looking ahead to another milestone.
“I’m 79 now, and I'm happy that next year I will be 80," he said.
He said this year’s birthday was especially memorable, spending it at Uluru.
“This year my birthday was in Uluru,” he said.
Mr Basile also shared a more recent stop from the road, saying he stayed in Dimboola the night before arriving in Horsham.
“Last night in Dimboola at the Victoria Hotel, I met a lady from Germany,” he said.
“I eat schnitzel, chicken and chips with Coca-Cola, and I loved eating it.”
Mr Basile said he had carefully recorded his life on the road, keeping a written account of each day’s journey.
“I have 50 diaries at home, and I wrote every day’s journey in it,” he said.
“And also note down my kilometres in it.”
His latest stop in Horsham adds another chapter to a journey that shows there are no signs of slowing down.