About

Join Australian motorcycle adventurer, author and speaker, Heather Ellis, for an online illustrated discussion about her book Ubuntu: One Woman’s Motorcycle Odyssey Across Africa. At the age of 28, while sitting in a friend’s backyard in the remote mining township of Jabiru, Heather has a light-bulb moment: she is going to ride a motorcycle across Africa. Despite never having done any long-distance motorcycle travel, nor any travel in Africa, the idea felt right. One year later, she was unloading her Yamaha TT600 at the docks in Durban, South Africa. Her travels take her to the dizzying heights of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Rwenzori Mountains to the deserts of northern Kenya. Everywhere she goes, Heather is aided by locals and travellers alike, who take her into their homes and hearts, helping her to truly understand the spirit of ubuntu — a Bantu word meaning ‘I am because you are’. Heather’s second book Timeless On The Silk Road, released in April 2019, continues with her motorcycle journey from London to Hanoi. Infused with a deep spiritual power, it is a story about courage, hardship and immense natural beauty that leaves the reader considering their own ‘time less’ journey called life. Ubuntu is one of the books selected on Members Book Club reading list for ‘The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire’. Booking essential / Free for Members / $5 Non-Members / Book online or call (07) 3840 7278 to secure your place. This event is hosted online via Zoom. If you're new to Zoom and have any questions, please get in touch with us. The link to join the event will be sent to the email address you booked with one hour prior to the start of the session. ‘Heather Ellis writes about her most daring adventures and deepest struggles with humour, heart, guts and grace. I was enthralled by every page.’ — Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild ‘It’s more than just a long motorcycle trip…’ —Tony Wheeler, author, travel writer and co-founder of Lonely Planet