PERTH, Australia - A British man raising money for a leukemia charity has set off on a coast-to-coast ride across Australia on a Victorian-era bicycle that is older than the country.

Leukemia survivor Lloyd Scott dressed up as fictional British supersleuth Sherlock Holmes - complete with tweed coat, deerstalker hat and a fake mustache - and mounted his ancient steed Wednesday for the 2,700-mile trip from Perth to Sydney.

He donned the costume to blend in with his 1885 "penny-farthing" bicycle, which has a giant front wheel and tiny back wheel.

The father of three is making what he hopes will be a six-week trek through mountain ranges and desert plains in a bid to raise $2.7 million for the charity Children With Leukemia.