The walk was founded by Lisa Cartledge of Beechworth. It is her aim to raise awareness of suicide and to foster open discussion of what is aptly called “the elephant in the room.”

She said walking was an ideal opportunity to release some “feel-good” brain chemicals and at the same time have a talk to other people who are participating.

The route is set to cover about 700 kilometres and a core group of people, including Mrs Cartledge, will cover the entire distance. Others are invited to register online and show their support on various parts of the journey. 

The walkers will stop at Riverina towns including:

Participants will walk in the Easter Parade in Beechworth before heading to Sydney. 

“We want to encourage people to come together and walk with us and talk and build awareness around suicide,” she said. 

Mrs Cartledge said suicide touched rural and regional communities and it was important to feature these townships and communities in the walk. 

The walkers will cover 30km to 35km each day and Mrs Cartledge said many had been in training. Her training has included plenty of walking and trips to the gym to prepare for the event.