Trek 4 Youth Mental Health

Trek 4 Youth Mental Health My name is Mark. Iā€™m walking solo and self-supported across central Australia. This is where YOU and the charity batyr come in!
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Along the way, I am offering support to the mental health challenges facing our youth.

(This is when it really hits home that the walk is over...)THAT'S A WRAP on the seventeenth and final stage of the journ...
08/06/2026

(This is when it really hits home that the walk is over...)

THAT'S A WRAP on the seventeenth and final stage of the journey. Creating this post meant transferring into a spreadsheet the details from the last of the walking tracks I'd recorded on my watch. Upon completing the spreadsheet, I was cautiously excited as I scrolled to the top where the calculation for my total kilometres sat, and there it was: just tipped over the 6,000-kilometre mark with a sum of 6,023 km. The next step was transferring the key details (walking day # and date, kilometres walked, accommodation type and coordinates) into the spreadsheet that informs the interactive map of my walk (accessible at trek4youthmentalhealth.com/route). How satisfying it is to see the completed line, especially when I look back at my very first progress post šŸ¤©!

āœ…ļø Across 331 days between 6 July 2025 and 1 June 2026 (of which 223 were walking days), I walked 6,023 kilometres between the furthest west (Steep Point, Western Australia) and furthest east (Cape Byron, New South Wales) points of the Australian mainland, via the geographic centre (Lambert's Centre).

šŸ’› It's getting closer to the time I officially close the fundraising side of this adventure, but not before I visit batyr headquarters to meet the team, join in on one of their school programmes, and participate in their Giving Day (June 11) activities - all happening in Sydney this week! If you'd like to support the journey and batyr, you can follow the link in my comment to the donation portal, where 100% donations go directly to the charity. Thank you so much to all those who have contributed!

19 (FINAL) MOMENTS:1. Camp life. Gonna miss it.2. Spot the blue motorbikes (of the Blue Motorcycle mental health project...
06/06/2026

19 (FINAL) MOMENTS:

1. Camp life. Gonna miss it.

2. Spot the blue motorbikes (of the Blue Motorcycle mental health project).

3. Going with the flow: invited to stay on a farm > invited to dinner > invited to pre-dinner fishing as the sun sets = perfect first day in Killarney.

4. Falls Drive. Spectacular.

5. Is this the perfect spot for my (future) tiny house?

6. Reminded of my idea to follow the entire Darling-Murray system from source to sea. I'd start here.

7. Through stunning hills on my way towards Kyogle. Hot days are just a memory.

8. Woodenbong burger treat.

9. Bed time in the bush. Shorter days welcome longer sleeps.

10. Message from the motorbike/art gallery in Grevillia. You got this!

11. Flood legacy in Lismore. So many ruined buildings. So many courageous people still in recovery mode.

12. Angel atop the highest point of Ballina Shire at (where I was treated to a few ethereal/life-changing days/nights before stepping into Byron Bay).

13. Walking into my arrival event .

14. Facing the crowd, feeling very blessed to have such warm support.

15. Meeting kind supporters, letting tears flow when they sought release. So many special moments.

16. Addressing the crowd, and, by extension, everyone (whether online or in person) who has been a part of this journey. Thank you šŸ¤—

17. The start of the end.

18. I did it šŸŽ‰.

19. Cape Byron's guiding light. Time to find another.

02/06/2026

YESTERDAY MORNING I woke up to my alarm, donned my fifth pair of trail shoes for the last time and walked up the hill to the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. Nearly 11 months earlier I'd set out from Steep Point in Western Australia, the most westerly point of the mainland. In between I've seen an incredibly beautiful country, met a swathe of interesting and kind people, found a loving online community, and had a transformative personal journey. More on all of that to come. For now, I've got the Pacific Ocean to sit in front of and breathe deeply as feelings joy, accomplishment and gratitude sink in.

šŸ’› If you'd like to support the journey and batyr, you can follow the link in my comment to the donation portal, where 100% donations go directly to the charity. Thank you so much to all those who have contributed!

31/05/2026

IT'S BEEN A very big couple of days, and the busyness will continue for some time yet. This is a quick update before I find some time to properly process/present what is going on, and what I've experienced over the last year or so; while also remaining present here in Byron Bay. This is my (and anyone in my family's) first time in Byron Bay, and it's pretty magic, especially in this fresh sunshine. Throwing out the biggest thank you I can muster to everyone who made it to the arrival event, and to everyone online who have been following along and offering endless deep love and support.

29/05/2026

WELL, IT'S HERE: tomorrow is the day I walk into Byron Bay. If today is anything to go by (I got teary when I saw the ocean) it might get a bit emotional. Thanks Isobel and for covering the story as I passed through Lismore.

šŸ’› If you'd like to support the journey and batyr, you can follow the link in my comment to the donation portal, where 100% donations go directly to the charity. Thank you so much to all those who have contributed!

29/05/2026

Speak to a Byron Bay local right now and they'll tell you how grey and rainy it's been lately (it's turned around today though, just in time formy arrival!). Similar weather made it over the hills into the Kyogle area, bringing me a drenching. It was fine though - I wasn't cold, so being wet is a very trivial matter, and occasionally quite nice. Kyogle feels like a hop, skip and a jump to the coast. The butterflies are carrying me there.

šŸ’› If you'd like to support the journey and batyr, you can follow the link in my comment to the donation portal, where 100% donations go directly to the charity. Thank you so much to all those who have contributed!!


26/05/2026

MEET JASON. I met Jason in Broken Hill when I drove down from Tibooburra (while waiting for the Cut Line to dry out) to complete a few errands and explore the town. I was collecting meaningful gemstones in Jason's store (which also contains Jason's incredible artwork) when we started chatting. Jason soon invited me to his home to have dinner with his beautiful family. Understanding the key role that sharing our experiences with the struggles we go through during life plays in removing the stigma associated with talking about mental ill health, Jason bravely sat down with me in front of my camera. The important lesson he shares is that when we feel things aren't going well, the best next step is to talk to someone about it.

šŸ’› For a list of (Australian) mental health helplines (e.g. Lifeline 13 11 14), check out "healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-helplines".

THAT'S A WRAP on the sixteenth stage of the journey. The days are cooling down, the season changing. And I've only a sma...
25/05/2026

THAT'S A WRAP on the sixteenth stage of the journey. The days are cooling down, the season changing. And I've only a small way to go before my walk comes to end.

šŸ’› If you'd like to support the journey and batyr, you can follow the link in my comment to the donation portal, where 100% donations go directly to the charity. Thank you so much to all those who have contributed!

Address

London

Website

https://www.batyr.com.au/trek4youthmentalhealth

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