Imagine walking across the continent on your own and carrying everything you need to survive in a hand cart.
That’s what 22-year-old Bailey Myers is doing to raise money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF).
The Worimi man is embarking on the journey of a lifetime, crossing from coast to coast.
“I will be walking from Perth to Newcastle over the next five to seven months," he told NITV.
"I will be touching the coast here at North Mullaloo beach then I will be making my way back."
"It will be approximately over 5000 kilometres and I will be doing it alone with my trusty cart here,” he said.
With his walk, he is aiming to fundraise $20,000 for the foundation, saying it does incredible work for our youth in communities across Australia.
"The ILF does incredible work through elevating our Indigenous youth through education, through connection to culture.
"I would implore everyone to donate where you can. Five dollars could mean so much,” he said.
His only companion
Bailey Myer's trusty cart is decorated with hand prints from Indigenous students at Callaghan College, Waratah Campus Credit: NITV: Kearyn Cox
Weighing 56 kilograms, it took him months of work to build, and it's fitted with everything he needs to survive on the road: clothes, safety maintenance gear, containers for his water bottles, and all the food he will need.
"It has abilities to wash up. The idea is for it to be a self-sufficient machine so I don’t have to rely on anybody out there.
I will be trying to live off the land as much as I can out there.
“I will be trying to live off the land, I have a book that takes me through a lot of the wild parts of Australia."
The Newcastle-born man says he's put his cart to use on the east coast, and hopes that it will do the job on the other side of the country.
“I keep reminding myself that I will be able to handle any situation that comes my way and if I can’t handle the situation then I have modern technology to keep me out of it."
He has started his journey in Perth and will be trekking his way to Kalgoorlie, across the Nullarbor Plain into South Australia, up into Queensland, then finally concluding the trip in his hometown of Newcastle in New South Wales.
