Episode 151: Mark Gresser

Trek 4 Youth Mental Health. Expedition Across Australia

I’m thrilled to be welcoming Mark Gresser for the second time on the podcast. Some of you might remember Mark from one of the very first episodes, where we spoke about his enormous journey cycling all the way from his driveway in Perth to Paris. Yes, 29,000 kilometres by bike, crossing Australia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Europe.

When we last caught up, Mark had been home for a few years, and he hinted that something new was brewing. I could feel that familiar spark of adventure still burning strongly within him, even if his bike was quite literally still packed in the box it came home in.

Well, turns out I was right and what he’s doing now is even bigger, bolder and more physically demanding than that first bike adventure.

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From Two Wheels to Two Feet

Mark is currently in the middle of a human-powered expedition walking across Australia, coast to coast, from Steep Point in Western Australia to Cape Byron in New South Wales. For those good with georgraphy you will recognise them as the most westerly and easterly points of the continent. When he first mapped it out, it looked like the distance would be around 5,300 km, but in true Mark fashion it’s shaping up to be closer to 6,000 kilometres on foot.

Mark will be dragging everything he needs, food, water and gear, behind him in a custom-built cart that has weighed over 170kgs at times. Imagine pushing that through 40-degree heat, soft sand, corrugations, red dust and some of the most remote land anywhere in the world.

If you’ve followed Mark online, you’ll know he doesn’t shy away from showing the reality of this mission. There are days of brutal heat, exhaustion, and problem-solving on the fly. Such as when he discovered all the dehydrated food he had prepared for the trip had turned rancid and became totally inedible! But there are also moments of pure magic, the kind only adventure gives us. Mark shares more about the landscapes he has been in, the big Australian skies, and the unexpected kindness of strangers on remote roads.

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Why Walk? Why Now?

During our conversation, Mark shared that the idea of walking across Australia didn’t come from years of planning or a long-held dream. It arrived as a sudden image that of a figure walking across a map of Australia. This reminded me of the genesis of his previous bike adventure where he had imagined a person on a bicycle making its way around the world. Mark couldn’t shake that image off. The unknown is something he’s drawn to, and while there are countless established long-distance trails around the world he could have chosen to hike on, he wanted something less documented and less predictable.

But what really gives this journey its heart is its purpose. Mark is walking to raise funds and awareness for youth mental health, supporting the charity Batyr, an organisation breaking down stigma and educating young people with real stories and real tools. After experiencing his own mental ill health several years ago, including a frightening episode of hypermania that completely derailed his professional life and self -confidence, Mark realised how important early support and open conversations are.

When he returned to Australia from his huge cycle journey, he had been driven to work towards setting off to cycle the length of Africa. But he put that all on hold, because as he put it, he needed to first understand his own mental health and learn healthy ways to manage it before throwing himself back into big adventures. And that honesty is powerful. So many of us avoid the difficult inner work, or bury it under busyness or distraction, whereas Mark chose to face it headon.

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Real Talk About Adventure and Mental Health

Something we discussed very candidly in this episode is how often adventure is portrayed as endless sunshine and summit moments, when the truth is messier. Whether you’re on a bike, on foot, or simply navigating everyday life, there are hard moments, doubts, fear, and struggle.

Mark’s willingness to bring people along for the emotional as well as physical journey is something Ireally admire. He shared with vulnerable honesty about his own experiences with anxiety and I have no doubt they’ll help people out there going through something similar.

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Tune In & Support the Journey

I think you’ll find this episode inspiring as well as incredibly thought-provoking. If you love hearing from people who embrace the unknown elements of adventure then you’ll love Mark’s story.

🚶 Follow Mark’s progress via his website – Trek4YouthMentalhealth
💛 Support his fundraiser for batyr and youth mental health

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Adventure doesn’t always look like a mountain summit or a finish line photo. Sometimes it looks like putting one foot in front of the other across thousands of kilometres of desert, inching your way centimetre by centimetre through deep sand at times, fuelled by purpose and a curiosity by what it is you can achieve.

The Seek Travel Ride podcast