General News
28 July, 2022
Visitor walking from Sydney to Perth
RICHARD Van Pijlen passed through Camperdown as he attempts to walk from Sydney to Perth in the name of a good cause.
RICHARD Van Pijlen passed through Camperdown as he attempts to walk from Sydney to Perth in the name of a good cause.
The direct route from Sydney to Perth falls just shy of 4000 kilometres, but Mr Van Pijlen has undertaken an extended route via Melbourne, which has seen him trekking through the south west this week en routeto Adelaide.
As part of the walk, he is hoping to raise enough money for Landcare Australia to plant one million trees across the country.
The 67-year-old grandfather of eight admits his family were “a bit worried” when he told them of his plan, but supported his vision to leave a better future for the next generation.
“I guess I love adventure,” Mr VanPijlen said.
“I’ve been a painter/decorator for over 50 years and I just felt like getting out of the place and going for a massive walk to meet lots of people from all walks of life."
“It’s been an amazing journey so far.”
He has been on the road for the past three months, and hopes to reach Perth by the end of the year.
While Mr Van Pijlen has a general idea of how the adventure will unfold, he admits an ad hoc approach creates a sense of excitement.
“I just sort of stop on the way – some places I’ll stay for a few days and some days will be more strenuous than others,” he said.
“I have nothing planned; I never know where I will be at the end of the day."
“There have been different challenges along the way."
“Through New South Wales I was up and down hills and here it gets quite cold sometimes.”
Mr Van Pijlen has undertaken the massive task with just the bare necessities, travelling with just a small waterproof trolley not much larger than a pram.
“I’ve slept in cars and under picnic tables – I have a tent, but I haven’t used it much,”he said.
“If I find a shelter, like a public barbecue area, I’m quite happy to put down a plastic sheet and blow up my mattress there."
“I’ve got very little clothes, just two pairs of pants and a few t-shirts, two pairs of shoes, a cooker to make soup or tea if I like.”
Mr Van Pijlen said he had “loved” his time in the south west, braving the elements a worthwhile endeavour among the natural beauty of the landscape.
“What I’ve noticed is the beautiful stone fences, which are beautifully constructed and feel like something I’ve seen in Ireland,”he said.
“There are beautiful houses, cows and horses staring at me, and a beautiful landscape.”
He said while the landscapes had often been breathtaking, it was the people he had enjoyed meeting most during his travels.
“Around a week ago I was having something to eat and a lady asked where I was going to sleep because it would be below zero that night,” Mr Van Pijlen said.
“I looked around the park and there was nothing suitable."
“She said I couldn’t sleep in the park so she invited me to her place to sleep in a beautiful Ford Fairlane she had not driven in five years, it was undercover so she let me sleep in there."
“I was glad I did because it was freezing, and in the morning she made me toast and a cup of tea, and we talked for about two hours.”
To follow along with Mr Van Pijlen’s journey, follow him on Instagram at @freewayricardo.
To donate to Mr Van Pijlen’s cause visit www.gofundme.com/f/walking-syd-perth-and-planting-1000000-trees.