We had a chat with Terra just as she ended her trek from Perth to Ceduna, a 1920 kilometre “stroll” taking in some of the most remote and isolated places in Australia, sleeping in her tent by the side of the Eyre Highway and making friends along the way, including a woman who decided to leave her husband driving and collecting wood, while she joined Terra for a few kilometres and a chat.

And what better place to take a couple of days to recuperate? According to Wikipedia, Ceduna has a local Aboriginal meaning - Chedoona is said to mean a place to sit down and rest.

Terra has found peace in the isolation of walking from Perth to Melbourne as part of The Happy Walk: A seven year jaunt around the country which will see her cover about 32,000 kilometres.

She’s trying to create more awareness of depression and prevent suicide through understanding, community support and discussion, issues she has extensive knowledge about.

“I’ve been living with depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) since I was six or seven years old, I’m 42 now,” she said.

“In 2010 everything reached a really nasty climax and I tried to kill myself three times. I realised other people’s lives are not like mine. I was living in relative misery compared to most people and felt like dying was better than living. But I was wrong. I didn’t die and thankfully, my attempt to kill myself was thwarted.”

While she may be somewhat isolated on her walk, she’s certainly not alone and relishes in the chance to chat with students at schools, hotels, service stations and farm gates.

“These have been good opportunities for people to talk about how they’re coping with stress and depression,” Terra said. “It’s also a chance for me to tell them about the great work of Lifeline, giving them a card with their number and online chat support services.”

“I’ve come to the realisation that when I’m feeling lonely it’s just exhaustion. I’m not really lonely. There are other people out here and I have supporters on social media. I’m in phone range a lot of the time so I love getting little messages through the day. The truckies are great too, they toot and wave and that puts a little happy bounce in my step as they go past.”

Terra attempts to walk between 30km and 40km a day, beginning at sunrise and finishing just after sunset, but she has pushed to 66km in one trek, combating physical and mental exhaustion.

She walks solo, with ‘Dory’ the wheelbarrow cart she designed, sometimes weighing up to 75 kilograms to transport her tent, sleeping bag, water and other necessities.

Camping in national parks and bush, Terra has been trekking along the south west coast and intends to continue the scenic route along her journey to Melbourne with her next leg to Port Lincoln.

From there she will go to Whyalla, Adelaide and along the Great Ocean Road and Mornington Peninsula to Melbourne.

“I like to follow the tourist routes, as I love visiting all the communities along the way, they have been a huge support so far, some have even invited me into their homes and fed me,” she said.

“Farmers are wonderful, they hear me on the radio or see me on the road so they come over to the fence for a yarn.”

So far Terra has raised $4,300 for Lifeline and worn out three pairs of top-shelf hiking boots.

Her arrival date in Melbourne is November 13 and she will return to the Camden Haven briefly before returning to Perth to walk to Darwin.

The costs of the trip are being funded by Terra, so every dollar donated goes directly back to Lifeline.

“Every dollar donated could be the exact dollar that saves someone’s life.”

Terra’s progress can be followed via thehappywalk.com, and donations are through makingadifference.gofundraise.com.au/page/thehappywalk.

Terra also has a blog on her site and below is an extract from her latest post, including reference to legendary comedy genius and actor, the late Robin Williams.

“It doesn’t seem so long ago when I left the generous hospitality of Eucla’s Nullarbor Nymph, climbing dunes and swimming in the Great Australian Bight but so much has happened since including a marvellous offer to join Shark Cage Diving Calypso Star Charters for a day out with great white sharks fundraising for Lifeline when I get to Port Lincoln. This will be one of the most exciting experiences in my life so far. 

“Border Village gave me a discounted rate for a donga to sleep in for the night and the next morning I caught up with the local cop, Marc, again who wrote about The Happy Walk in his regular community newsletter. 

“Soon out of Border Village I began the spectacular stretch along the Bunda Cliffs, some of the most amazing views in the world. Each night I made camp within sight and sound of the ocean and fell asleep listening to the Southern Ocean crashing against the continent.

“After the Nullarbor Roadhouse I headed directly to the Head of Bight whale watching centre. This is an event I had been looking forward to for years, from the time I started planning crossing Australia. It is only a 26km walk from the roadhouse but I didn’t arrive until mid-afternoon. After a couple of hours watching heaps of mothers and calves I decided to return the next day and watch them for the morning. August is the ultimate time to visit the Head of Bight because there are hundreds of whales in the Bight. From the platforms I spotted at least 40 without the help of the binoculars and they had counted 170 in the area the day I arrived. It is an incredibly moving experience, something few have an opportunity to ever see. The caretakers Terry and Claire are awesome hosts too, great to talk to and very informative. This is somewhere I recommend everyone try to visit in the peak of the whale calving season.

“For part of that week I walked through Yalata Trust Land, land managed by the traditional owners, so I called them and they granted permission to camp within 200m of the road. They also let me camp in the caravan park at the old shut down roadhouse for free. The land has a good feel about it and I felt very safe. I left the plains and open ground entering the hills and sandy bushland settled on ancient dune systems. Very different country from anywhere I had walked through already, it was beautiful.

The many people who have stopped for a chat or make a donation have made the last 2 weeks special. Some have donated food they can’t carry across the quarantine checkpoints, others donated useful equipment like headlamp, first aid kit, batteries, natural insect repellent, a protective amulet and so much more. Eliza from Ceduna even made me a batch of oat biscuits to snack on for the next week.

The passing of Robin Williams, the master comedian, has touched millions of people across the world. We have asked how such a funny guy can be so sad that he lost hope and saw suicide as he only way out. Unfortunately this is not uncommon. In Australia everyday 6-7 people kill themselves because they have lost hope and don’t know where to go for help. It is important to reach out and talk to someone, a loved one, your doctor, calling Lifeline’s 24/7 crisis hotline on 13 11 14.