FINANCIAL adviser John Vaughan-Fowler is planning to spend his 50th birthday in Melbourne — but he’s got to cycle 2,400 miles first.

The father-of-four, whose sister Susan Santamaria lives in the city, will face extreme temperatures of more than 40C when he rides through the centre of Australia, totally unsupported, in aid of the Parkinson’s Disease Society and the Roald Dahl Foundation.

The country’s unforgiving bush has some of the world’s harshest terrain and is home to killer spiders and snakes.

Undeterred, he is flying to Darwin on Sunday to start his mammoth journey next week.

His aim is to reach Melbourne on December 19 — the day he turns 50.

Mr Vaughan-Fowler, who lives near Bicester, will have a bike trailer carrying essentials such as a tent, sleeping bag, ration packs and – most importantly – water.

He aims to cycle up to 85 miles a day and his only contact with the outside world will be a GPS phone.

He said: “I think we are all prone to staying in our comfort zone and never know how much we can achieve if we just put our minds to it, and that’s what inspired it.

“From what I can gather there will be several hours without seeing a person or thing and at other times there might be road trains or tourists going by.

“In the Northern Territory there are quite a few rest areas, some have water and some don’t.

“If I’m running out of water and see a road train coming I will flag it down and ask for water.

“I take the view that I hope people will be nice.

“My aim is to arrive in Melbourne in Federation Square on December 19 having raised £50,000 for charity.”

Having not ridden a bike since he was in his 20s, Mr Vaughan-Fowler has had a crash course in cycling around Oxfordshire to prepare for the trip.

He also met up with round-the-world cyclist Alastair Humphreys to glean survival tips.

Mr Vaughan-Fowler said: “The problem is, cycling around here is going to be nothing compared to Australia.

“I don’t think people realise the severity of it, and I probably didn’t realise it myself when I came up with this mad idea.

“But at the end of the day I will raise lots of money for charities and if it means I have to put myself out on a limb, so be it.”

To watch his progress or make a donation go to top2bottomdownunder.com