A book read when she was 13 years old was the inspiration for Terra Lalirra’s trek across the country.
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Tracks appealed to Ms Lalirra’s love of nature and solitude.
When she felt the burgeoning pull of mental illness take hold in 2010, and after a suicide attempt, Ms Lalirra decided it was time to take action.
“I love the idea of being in the outback and being alone,” she said.
“I felt pulled towards that.”
She has been walking across Australia to raise money and awareness for Lifeline.
“I’d been sick for a long time but didn’t know what it was,” she said.
“If I didn’t want to call someone at 3am, Lifeline was there.”
Ms Lalirra started with small half-day or day walks then extended them to multiple days or weeks in preparation.
She started The Happy Walk on September 10, 2013 on World Suicide Prevention Day.
Her journey started in Tasmania then the bottom of Australia, from Perth to Darwin and she is now in the Riverina.
Ms Lalirra’s travels brought her to Wagga this week, bringing her to 9700km, and she will head to Narrandera and Junee later in the week.
She has 6300 kilometres left and hopes to finish the walk in November at Lifeline’s headquarters in Canberra.
Follow her journey on social media by searching for The Happy Walk on Facebook or Instagram.
You can donate to Lifeline by visiting Ms Lalirra’s website http://www.thehappywalk.com/.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact:
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
MensLine Australia – 1300 78 99 78
