It’s taken Ivor Houston six months and more than five million steps to complete his walking trek across Australia to raise funds for refugee displacement - a cause he says is close to his heart.
When SBS News spoke to Mr Houston over the phone while he was on the home stretch, his words were punctuated by heavy breathing as he trudged along Sydney's Great Western Highway to his final destination: Bondi Beach.
“I would just tell myself, ‘one step at a time’, and now I think anything is possible,” he said.
The 22-year-old reached Bondi on Sunday morning after his inspirational 4,000 kilometre journey from the Indian Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Mr Houston follows in
the footsteps of Clinton Pryor
, who walked from Perth to Parliament House in Canberra in 2017 to demand justice for First Nations people.
Ivor Houston reaches Australia's longest straight road in Western Australia. Source: Supplied/Ivor Houston
Mr Pryor, a Wajuk, Balardung, Kija and a Yulparitja man from Western Australiawas heralded as 'the Spirit Walker' andwas on a mission to tell Australia's political leaders about the injustices First Nations people faced across the nation.
The purpose of Mr Houston's trekking adventure was to raise funds for a volunteer-run refugee centre in his hometown in the Blue Mountains.
“There’s some kind of parallel to me walking long distances … but in no way am I anything compared to [refugees and asylum seekers] because they have families, the elderly, the young, they don't have good footwear, they don't have any kind of safety equipment, they don't have food security," he said.
“Here I am in a country where I’ve never once felt scared for my life.”
The route Ivor took from the Indian ocean to the south Pacific. Source: Google Maps
There were difficult points in the trip, Mr Houston said, noting the brutal days he trudged across the wide expanse of the Nullarbor Plain with no trees to seek shade.
But despite the struggles he faced along the way, he never once thought to stop.
“The walk is not about me, it’s not about the adventure. I’m just the one moving my feet and being the medium for people to be drawn to the awareness I’m raising,” he said.
Mr Houston said his plan to bolster funds for the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group (BMRSG) came to him after a refugee family lived with him 18 months ago.
For most of the journey, Ivor lived out of his tent and the essentials he brought with him. Source: Supplied/Ivor Houston
“We’ve lived with them and breathed with them. We’re now family, and they’re supported by Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group,” he said.
“Seeing how much [BMRSG] have supported them emotionally, financially, it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
So far Mr Houston has raised more than $16,790 for the BMRSG, and $7,025 for Act for Peace, smashing his initial goal of $20,000.
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This farming experiment is helping refugees put down roots in Australia“The money will wholeheartedly go to the families and refugees that have fled their country due to persecution or conflict and improve their lives," he said.
“To have this kind of support really touches me I'm very just thrilled and honoured that I've been able to kind of make a bit of an impact.”
Getting to a Sydney signpost made Ivor feel like he was making real ground on his journey back home. Source: Supplied/Ivor Houston
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill told SBS News that Mr Houston had “inspired our entire community”.
“Ivor was able to traverse our country without being shot at, without risk of being taken prisoner, and he eloquently compares that to the plight of those escaping tyranny to try and come to freedom," he said.
The mayor called on the federal government to follow in Mr Houston's footsteps and show “deep compassion and empathy” for refugees and asylum seekers remaining in offshore detention.
“It's about time Australia woke up to itself and change the appalling policies of offshore detention, and started showing the same compassion and empathy that Ivor showed.”
Ivor's drone footage captured the sunrise as he neared Port Augusta in South Australia. Source: Supplied/Ivor Houston
928,382 refugees have arrived in Australia since 1901 according to the Refugee Council of Australia, and there are still 2,052 people in detention according to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
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Four detained asylum seekers granted bridging visas in Melbourne“I’m incredibly proud to be Australian because of the experience I had, and for being so safe. I wish we could show the world that this is how we live,” Mr Houston said.
“Let’s tackle this issue all together with justice and compassion because we're all here for a certain amount of time and it's all just by chance. Let’s work together and make the most of it.”
FAQs
Ivor Houston wanted to make a difference to the lives of refugees, so he packed some essentials and travelled 4,000 km from Perth to Sydney on foot. After six months, he's now home.
Who was the first man to walk around Australia? ›
100 years ago #Today, Aidan de Brune completed his walk around Australia's perimeter, becoming the first person in recorded history to walk around the perimeter of Australia, unaccompanied and unassisted.
Who is the Australian runner from Perth to Sydney? ›
Nedd Brockmann is a 23-year-old electrician who has just run 3,953 km (2,456 miles) from Perth's Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia to Sydney's Bondi Beach in the east in a staggering 46 days and 12 hours. His unbelievable feat has inspired the nation and raised A$2.5m (£1.4m; $1.6m) for charity.
Who is a famous person who migrated to Australia? ›
Some well-known people in Australia who have come from a refugee background are: Anh Do (Comedian/ Author) Les Murray (Sport - football) Frank Lowy (Property owner)
Has anyone walked across Australia? ›
Only seven people are known to have completed such walks alone, passing through all mainland states and territories, without a support vehicle. These include Aidan de Brune, Nobby Young, Colin Ricketts, Andrew 'Cad' Cadigan, Scott Loxley, Mike Pauly, and Terra Roam.
Who walked from Perth to Sydney? ›
And for good reason: depending on how one travels, this great land Down Under spans about 20,000 kilometres. Dan Watson, however, considered it — but decided a walk from Perth to his hometown of Sydney was probably enough. And doing it to raise money for SANE and Cancer Council NSW was as good enough reason as any.
Who was the man who ran around Australia? ›
Sean Bell hits the ground running on his record-breaking lap around Australia. On Sunday 10 March, 26-year-old Melbourne endurance athlete Sean Bell took off on a record-breaking run around the country to raise $1.4 million for Make-A-Wish Australia.
Who is the guy running from WA to Sydney? ›
Chris Turnbull wanted to run from Perth to Sydney for many reasons, from the challenge to simply having fun. So he did, and set a record time. Chris Turnbull recently completed a run from Perth to Sydney – a distance of 3856km – in record time. Why would anyone take on such a mammoth run?
Who was the Australian runner with no legs? ›
Pistorius was born without a fibula bone in either of his lower legs. His legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old, and six months after that he learned to walk on fiberglass pegs. His parents, the owners of a zinc-mining business, encouraged him to participate in sports.
Who ran Perth to Sydney in 43 days? ›
Back in 1999, Frenchman Serge Girard covered the distance in 47 days, while in 2005, German runner Achim Heukemes ran from Fremantle to Sydney in just 43 days.
Anh Do is a Vietnamese-born Australian comedian, author, and artist who came to Australia as a refugee in 1980. He is best known for his memoir "The Happiest Refugee," which tells the story of his family's escape from Vietnam and their struggles to settle in Australia.
Who is a very important person from Australia? ›
FAMOUS AUSTRALIANS
| Name | Fame |
|---|
| Marshall, Barry | Nobel Laureate [Medicine] |
| Updated ! Mawson, Sir Douglas | Antarctic explorer |
| Melba, Dame Nellie | Opera singer, soprano |
| New ! Menzies, Sir Robert | Longest serving Prime Minister |
34 more rowsJan 18, 2024
When refugees arrive in Australia through the Humanitarian Program, they arrive as permanent residents and can immediately access income support payments in the same way as any other Australian permanent resident.
Is Australia bigger than the USA? ›
Australia is the planet's sixth largest country after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil.
Has anyone ever walked all the way around the world? ›
Dave Kunst became the first man independently verified to have walked around the world, covering four continents. His brother, John Kunst, accompanied him for two years from his starting point in Waseca, Minnesota, until he was killed by bandits in Afghanistan. Kunst continued the walk in his brother's honor.
Who was the woman who walked across Australia? ›
Robyn Davidson is an Australian writer best known for her 1980 book Tracks, about her 2,700 km (1,700 miles) trek across the deserts of Western Australia using camels. Her career of travelling and writing about her travels has spanned 40 years. Her memoir, Unfinished Woman was published in late 2023.
Who were the first people to walk Australia? ›
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first peoples of Australia, meaning they were here for thousands of years prior to colonisation.
When did people first walk on Australia? ›
One of the most important claimed potential early sites is in northern Australia, at Madjedbebe, a rock shelter in Arnhem Land. Human presence here was recently declared at more than 65,000 years ago. This 65,000-year date has rapidly become accepted as the age for colonisation of Australia.
Who was the first person to use Australia? ›
This was the only map made by Flinders where he used the name "Australia or Terra Australis" for the title instead of New Holland the name of the continent that James Cook had used in 1770 and Abel Tasman had coined a Dutch version of in 1644, and the first known time he used the word Australia.
Who were the first humans to arrive in Australia? ›
'Out of Africa' stated that the first humans to arrive in Australia came from a recent migration of hom*o sapiens through South-east Asia. These people belonged to a single genetic lineage and were the descendants of a population that originated in Africa.
