<div>Like many Australians, some of the people nearest and dearest to me have been profoundly impacted by mental health issues, including stints in underfunded and underresourced hospitals. I have also suffered sometimes crippling anxiety and depression at various stages of my life.
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<div>In some regards, Australia is becoming better at tackling mental health issues, and in particular, a lot of the stigma around talking about mental health has started to be broken down, and people are becoming more comfortable about talking about mental health openly. However, <strong>a lot more work needs to be done so that mental health problems can be funded, discussed, and addressed similarly to how physical health issues are treated across our society. </strong>
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<div>Since my good friend Will first convinced me to ride my bike with him from Bendigo to Melbourne with him back in 2015, I have thoroughly enjoyed long rides and have found they give me time to reflect on myself, the world, and to work through my mental health issues. The physical exercise and chance to see the countryside in detail, not really possible by car, helps me "live in the moment" and pulls me away from our "constantly connected" world. I realise this opportunity isn't available to everyone, so when I depart on my next adventure, I want to raise some money for Mind Australia who do fantastic work in supporting Australians who suffer from mental health issues.
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<div>On Thursday 10th March I'll be departing Melbourne to ride the Hunt 1,000. <strong>This is a self-supported 1,017km ride, between Melbourne and Canberra along the Australian Alps. There is 23,996m (the equivalent of more than 2.5 Mt Everests!) of elevation gain across the course. It is mostly off-road on tracks and 4wd tracks, and riders must carry all their own food, water and gear on their bikes.</strong> I've done rides like this before, most notably the Victoria Divide in 2021 and a (mostly) on-road tour to Sydney in 2019. But the Hunt 1,000 will undoubtedly be my biggest challenge yet due to the huge distance, massive amount of climbing, the need to cross various rivers and the roughness of the tracks. However, I'm very committed, I've been training and, I am confident I'll be pulling up on the finish line before a celebratory BBQ in Canberra on Saturday 19th March.
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<div>Do you want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money in aid of Mind Australia Limited and every donation will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.<br /><br /><strong>You can track my and the participants progress along the ride (note riders chose their own departure date - it isn't a race!)  here: <a href="https://hunt1000-2022.maprogress.com/"><a href="https://hunt1000-2022.maprogress.com/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://hunt1000-2022.maprogress.com/</a></a> </strong>
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Riding to my limits for mental health.

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