Arriving in Australia just five years ago , Amanda Phoenix had left her “ boring , cyclical life ” in Canada , to seek adventure . She found it and much more and is now becoming a fresh driving force in the Australian motorcycle industry .
“ I sold everything I had ,” shrugs Amanda . “ I bought a one-way ticket to Melbourne .”
Amanda laughs that it was a plan that would last one year , a holiday , and has become a five-year stay , an adventure . But it seems that Amanda ’ s story has always been one of adventure , of rapid change , of challenge .
Learning to ride motorcycles began with a couple of Kawasaki Ninja ’ s , 250 ’ s , the perfect learner bikes , bright green quintessential Kawasaki . One was destroyed in a hit and run just 28 days after purchase . A handful of bikes later and Amanda ’ s current ride is a 2017 BMW S1000RR … oh , and a Husqvarna FE450 … and a KTM RC390 . You see Amanda is a rider and being on a bike means a change of personae , a chance for Amanda to become someone different , come out of her shell , be brave , full of ‘ positive energy and confidence ’.
“ Riding was never really a mode of transport for me ,” she explains , it ’ s apparent that riding does something to her even when just commuting . “ I ’ ve always loved the idea of motorbikes , even when I was on bicycle training wheels , I ’ d pretend to pull the throttle and make exhaust noises .”
Infectiously Amanda chuckles and you can ’ t help but laugh with her , you get the impression that here is a young ambitious woman who is still exploring life , seeking answers . Two bike rides provided a chance to explore , the environment in which she rode yet more importantly her very being . Amanda began to discover who she was and what she wanted from life , a transition from reserved to confident and outgoing .
Waiting for her application of Australian Permanent Residency to be approved Amanda concluded that living in Melbourne wasn ’ t discovering what it meant to be Australian . Sure , Melbourne is multicultural , dynamic , the ‘ world ’ s most liveable city ’ however , it is not the real Australia . Amanda needed to discover what the real Australia was , what did it mean to be Australian .
“ I hadn ’ t really left Melbourne ,” she admits . Worrying that her residency would be rejected ( Australia does seem to have a strange selection process ) she packed a few changes of cloths , camping gear , spare fuel cans and set off on a 2007 Suzuki GSXR … the ultimate adventure bike ? “ Discomfort is temporary ,” she grins . “ There ’ s great story waiting on the other side .”
And so , there was a story , not the beginning nor end , just a chapter that changed the context of what it meant to Amanda Phoenix . Taking off on a sports bike to lap the least populated continent on Earth ( yes , we know about
TRAVERSE 28