Andy reaches WA border after year on the road

ANDY has reached the Western Australian border, and after a year on the road it seems the hardest part of his Walk Against Gambling is just beginning.

Resting at Border Roadhouse on the edge of the Nullarbor, Andy says he can now literally walk across the border from South Australia into Western Australia.

The border marks the beginning of travel in the fourth Australian state in Andy and Scrubby’s Big WAG (Walk Against Gambling).

He has now travelled a total of 4700 km since leaving Coffs Harbour more than a year ago.

Since the Nullarbor Roadhouse he has clocked up another 190 km of remote journey with long distances with nothing but roadhouses breaking up the seemingly endless scrub.

But he says that after eight-day stretches without a bed or shower, a roadhouse becomes a very welcome sight.

And for Andy, “resting” only means finding a roadhouse with a motel room, a washing machine, a hot shower and somewhere to dry out his tent – in order to get ready for the next gruelling part of the walk.

He admits the physical challenge is taking its toll.

The Eyre Highway is one lane each way, with gravel rather than a proper shoulder along much of the road. Every time a car or truck approaches, Andy has to pull his heavily loaded cart onto the gravel before heaving it back onto the road. This happens every few minutes.

He said the camber of the road makes it even harder, constantly tipping the cart towards the roadside so it is leaning over by about 10 degrees.

“I’ve got a permanent bruise where the bar of the cart hits me,” Andy explained, as he works to keep the cart steady.

And then there is the isolation with nothing except roadhouses that are “little more than a service station or motel in the middle of nowhere”.

But he said the roadhouse was a very welcome sight after eight days with nothing.

“I had a lovely steak there last night. Until then, all I’d eaten is cold instant noodles and Man Shakes,” Andy said.

The landscape itself is another challenge, with seemingly endless scrub and straight roads which eventually gave way to the spectacular cliffs of the Great Australian Bight which Andy described as “amazing”.

There is one member of the team, however, who is conspicuously absent from this stage of the journey.

Scrubby is safely back in Coffs Harbour with Andy’s friend Jen.

Andy had originally planned to take his canine companion across the Nullarbor, but decided the risks from dingoes, fox bait and the terrain were too great.

“I’m absolutely missing Scrubby,” he said.

But while the conditions are confronting, the people he meets along the way keep him going.

Drivers regularly stop to check on him, offer water or supplies, and make donations to Lifeline.

One recent encounter with a young woman named Lullaby, who stopped to check on Andy’s wellbeing, said she had “a special place in her heart for Lifeline in our region,” Andy said.

“She had been in Lismore during the 2022 floods and was now travelling Australia to get her life back.”

Those encounters are an important part of what Andy is trying to achieve.

People often ask what he is doing, and sometimes the conversations turn to gambling or other forms of addiction. Andy says these opportunities to explain gambling harm and raise awareness have been valuable.

“Through those connections, that’s where I connect with people that may have family members or friends who are impacted by gambling harm,” he said.

Gambling harm, he says, reaches far beyond the person experiencing it, with research indicating that, on average, around 20 other people can be affected.

A year after setting out from Coffs Harbour, those connections have grown well beyond roadside conversations with more than 3,000 Facebook followers and $20,000 raised for Lifeline.

Importantly, he says the journey has given him access to people who can potentially influence the future of gambling reform.

“I started out from Coffs Harbour as a nobody. I’ve been going for a year now and I’ve made all these connections with important people who can make changes,” he said.

Among those he has connected with are gambling harm campaigner Tim Costello and Senator for the ACT, David Pocock.

“I’m not chasing the pollies now – they are starting to connect with me. People know me now and know that I won’t be going quiet on this issue.”

Notably, independent federal MP Kate Chaney in Western Australia has already reached out to Andy, saying she wants to meet him when he reaches Perth.

The growing network is already helping Andy look beyond the walk itself.

He is currently running a pilot for a campaign called “No Bet November” through his Facebook page, with the aim of developing it into a larger, potentially national campaign next year – something he hopes could eventually grow in the same way as Dry July.

But for now, the greatest challenge lies in completing the legendary ‘90 Mile Straight’ – around 147 kilometres of almost dead-straight road along the Eyre highway.

“It’s a far greater mental challenge than the rest of the walk,” he said.

But after a year on the road, Andy has also discovered that the journey has become a way of making sure gambling harm stays in the conversation – which has been his main intention.

You can follow Andy’s journey on Facebook at Andy and Scubby’s Big Wag.

By Leigh WATSON