I knew that after reading Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country, anything that followed most likely would be a let down. Nonetheless, I picked up Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A Bicycle Journey into Australia by Roff Smith. I was keen to to continue reading about traveling, particularly in advance of my trip to Australia, and this seemed like a good book to keep the wheel turning.

In the book, author Roff Smith details his bike ride around Australia from Sydney, north along the coast to Cairns,...

When I planned my trip to Australia I was pretty much a newbie when it came to reading travel books. I was headed to my final of the seven continents, and already held a great appreciation for traveling, but hadn't read much in the way of travel literature. I was hesitant to pick up a book talking about another person's trip somewhere since I didn't want it to influence my own adventure, but I had heard so many good things about this Bill Bryson fellow and his book, In a Sunburned Country.