Terra Roam is set to speak at The Curious Rabbit about new book Are Ya Right Mate? Photos: Supplied.
Terra Roam took a psychologist’s advice to walk daily and turned it into an epic healing journey around Australia, spanning four-and-a-half years.
Terra is in Wagga to share stories about the incredible feat of becoming the first Australian explorer to walk around the continent, covering 17,200 km as a non-binary woman without support.
“I was suicidal and attempted to take my own life,” Terra told Region. “I found an excellent psychologist, and in our first session, her homework for me was to walk daily.
“I ended up walking around Australia… not what she had in mind. She suggested the walk so I could be out in nature, sunshine and fresh air.”
Born and raised in Newcastle, Terra has led an itinerant life since 1991, travelling and engaging in various work and volunteer activities.
Just before the walking journey, Terra was suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. And the prescription of daily walks soon turned to Australia’s sprawling, uncharted, rugged and breathtaking terrain, discovering healing and a new purpose in life.
Terra Roam walked 17,200 km for suicide prevention.
The new author’s adventures – facing wild dogs, dust storms, exhaustion and an alleged attempted murder by a truck driver – could easily be turned into a Netflix series.
“There were scary moments,” Terra explained. “The dogs were pretty scary, but that was temporary.
“I had a truck driver try to kill me up on the Barkly Highway (NT). I thought: ‘I don’t want to be here anymore, but I have to get off this highway.’
“That night, I went into hiding in the bush… I intended to stay there until my rations ran out or someone came to find me.
“I couldn’t sleep that night; the PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] hit, and I was in a mental shock.”
Terra had moments of wanting to quit.
That same night, Terra finished reading the Dalai Lama’s The Art of Happiness, and had the epiphany that this was not the end of the walk.
“He mentions the purpose of our lives is to reduce suffering and increase happiness,” Terra said.
“Every time I read another line, chapter, or quote – tips and tricks for peace, harmony, and compassion – I thought: ‘This is not the end of this walk.’
“I’m out here to reduce people’s suffering and increase happiness.”
At times the ‘roadside counsellor’ felt emotionally and physically exhausted, crying at night and deciding to quit, even imagining taking a bus or hitching a ride.
“It’s my choice to be here… it’s too hard. I quit.”
But the following mornings, without fail, Terra would wake up with more energy and continue the journey.
“And always, on those occasions, the first people I would meet the next day represented the people I was walking for,” Terra said.
“They reminded me that I needed to be out there, walking and finding the strength to keep going to help more people.”
Terra took six weeks to write Are Ya Right Mate?
After taking one month off to recover from the trauma, Terra continued the walking journey.
When asked about the spiritual connection with Australia after completing the walk, Terra said: “I felt a sense of accomplishment, but I didn’t feel a sense of completion.
“The spiritual connection with many places in Australia was very special.
“One of the most remarkable outcomes of the walk around Australia was the connection with the spirits of the ancestors and the land.”
During the quest to heal, Terra was often asked about a potential book. So the solo explorer turned this transformative journey of suicide prevention into stories of healing and hope, Are Ya Right Mate?
It took Terra six weeks to write down the experiences and memories in 89,000 words.
“I promised a book for five years, but it wasn’t until I was in the right, safe mental health space that I could go back, revisit everything from the walk, and put it into book form,” Terra said.
“It’s a collection of short stories. It answers the questions people asked as I walked around Australia and can serve as a how-to guide.
“I discussed my mental health journey – how I got where I was before I started walking – to help other people reach out and seek the help I did.
“If anyone wants to go out… they can walk across the continent or use it as a guide for their first overnight walk.”
The Author Talk With Terra Roam will be at The Curious Rabbit tonight from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. Click here to get your tickets.
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