IT'S a long way from Darwin to Melbourne, especially by bike.

But that's exactly what 19 students from Ballarat's Damascus College are doing.

And they plan to complete the gruelling 3775km in just 11 days of cycling, starting on November 23 and finishing on December 9.

Mark McLean, the teacher in charge of the expedition, called Road Rage, says there is one aim for the year eight to 12 students taking on the challenge.

"The number one reason is to spread the word about greenhouse emissions to rage for the environment and that climate change is a real issue and there are things the average person can do to make a difference," Mark says.

"Along the route they will visit towns to talk about the environment and raise money for global sustainable energy and food programs.

"These are normal kids who are aware of what is going on in the world and want to do something about it."

Unlike most of us who merely turn off a light or reduce car use, these students have gone one step further and created a solar-powered trike or three-wheeled bike for the expedition.

The recumbent bike is capable of doing 115km/h, but Mark says the students, who will take shifts of about one hour each, will have a limit of 90km/h.

"Because it's recumbent you sit back in a shell, so there's no wind resistance," Mark says. "It's a weird feeling because it's enclosed."

The bike is the result of an 11-year program by the school, called the Energy Breakthrough Team, which is an offshoot of the science and technology class that sees students take part in out-of-hours activities focused on the environment.

"We started the program about 11 years ago to focus on avoiding energy waste," Mark says. "But in the last decade, with climate change, it's become a much more important issue."

Mark says there is nothing else like the school program "in the world", as the Road Rage expedition will feature buses armed with solar-powered satellite tracking, live Google map plotting and 16 different sensors that provide wireless radio feedback, technology used in Formula One racing.

"It's like a NASA desk. I sometimes chuckle at how crazy and advanced this whole project is," Mark says.

Year 12 student Ben Curtis, who will be taking part in Road Rage, says he first joined the Energy Breakthrough Team in year 7, where he's developed friendships.

"It's opened my eyes to a lot of different things. It's given me opportunities to do different stuff, like the bike ride, and I've learnt about problems in the environment," Ben says.

"Everyone knows about it (climate change), but it's just a matter of doing something about it."

Damascus College students will arrive at Melbourne's Parliament House on December 9. Details: click here.