Mental health advocate Anton Nootenboom is pounding the pavement barefoot as he walks 2600 kilometres between Cairns to Northern Sydney.
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The 34-year-old Dutchman, turned Sydney resident is planning to be home in the northern beaches by October 17 after starting the trek in the top end of the nation on May 5 this year.
Along the way he is raising funds and awareness for men's mental health with funds going to the Gotcha4Life charity.
"I've picked this particular path because it's the most densely populated part of Australia, so I will be able to reach the most amount of people to talk about mental health," he said.
"We are at four months and three weeks now, I'm planning to be back by October 17.
"It's definitely challenging and my feet are incredibly sore, tender and bruised. Right now I am sticking mostly to the highway because it's a smooth surface, even though it's a bit boring."
Mr Nootenboom is hoping the expedition will set a Guinness World Record. He holds another for being the first person to walk to Mount Everest base camp barefoot at 5364 metre elevation in 2019, while raising funds for the Australian Himalayan Foundation.
He has also served in the Dutch army for ten years, toured Afghanistan three times and spent half a decade working in the construction industry.
"The Everest trip was super challenging, it's cold and the rocks really cut into your feet. But this is definitely a lot heavier than that," he said.
"The road conditions are so brutal on your feet, it's day in and day out motivating yourself. But I want to show people that you can do anything you set your mind on.
"We always put these self-limiting thoughts on ourselves when we get uncomfortable. However as soon as you step out of the comfort zone and go against something you fear, you open up a whole new world of opportunities.
"I want to show that you have so much more potential inside you than you sometimes believe. You have everything you need to do anything you want to."
Mr Nootenboom said he will often listen to music, make plans for after his return or let his mind wander while walking.
Mr Nootenboom said men account for seven out of the nine daily suicides in Australia. He says being open and vulnerable is not a weakness.
"Doing the trip is opening up conversations and that's what I want out of the trip. I want to show that talking as a man about emotions has nothing to do with your masculinity," he said.
"I've seen a lot of my army mates struggle with mental health, after moving to Australia it caught up with me and I saw men struggle with this macho culture.
"Now more than ever mental health is a big issue because of the things going on in the world.
"Having emotions and showing them is your biggest strength. It's not weak, but courageous."
Mr Nootenboom said he has so far raised around $38,000 in Australia and 11,000 euros in the Netherlands.
You can donate to Anton's walk here and support mental health charity Gotcha4Life.