Australia Weather News

There are forces at work keeping Mark Gresser in Tibooburra.

Walking on foot from Western Australia all the way to the remote town in the north-west corner of New South Wales turned out to be the easy part — leaving is proving more difficult.

Record-breaking heat and drought-quenching rains have forced the adventurer into an unexpected break in his journey from the most westerly point of Australia to the most easterly point.

Luckily, the remote outback town has welcomed him in as one of its own.

"I'm starting to feel like a local," Mr Gresser said.

"I have received nothing but care and support [here]."

From coast to coast

Mr Gresser set out from Steep Point in Western Australia in July 2025 to walk more than 5,300 kilometres to Cape Byron in New South Wales.

He is walking solo and self-supported with a cart that weighs up to 200 kilograms loaded with his food, water, first aid and camping equipment.

His goal is to raise money for youth mental health organisation Batyr to address a growing mental health crisis, particularly for young people.

"That drew me into wanting to contribute something more directly to Australia's youth," Mr Gresser said.

"[It was] also the idea of going through my own process of seeing a psychologist and learning about thought management and anxiety management.

"A lot of what I learned, I wish I knew when I was younger."

His journey has taken him through dust storms, thunderstorms and blistering heat, walking between 30km to 35km a day and raising more than $44,000.

Heat, rain and rescue

Mr Gresser rolled into Tibooburra in the early hours of Australia Day, initially planning to stay for a couple of days.

The owner of the local roadhouse, Vicki Jackson, remembered him looking weary and dirty when he crossed the threshold of her store.

"He mentioned that he walked … down the [Strzelecki Desert] and across the Merty Merty big sand hills and Cameron Corner and into Tibooburra," Ms Jackson said.

"I thought, 'Oh my goodness me, no wonder he looks tired.'

"I thought, 'Yes, he deserves a shower and a sleep'."

Ms Jackson offered Mr Gresser some country hospitality, giving him one of her units to stay in while he was in town.

He had initially only planned to stay for a couple of days, but then a searing heatwave swept in.

The town logged temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius for six consecutive days, breaking the temperature record on January 28 with 48.7 degrees Celsius.

"I'd walked through really hot weather, but this was just on another level and it would have been probably very incredibly unhealthy to be out there," Mr Gresser said.

"I decided just to sit out the week and wait for the real harsh heatwave to pass."

He tried to set off again in early February for Wanaaring, some 200km away, but he walked into a thunderstorm.

"I was thinking I would just walk through it, but then it was just an absolute direct hit … there was tens of lightning strikes all around me hitting the ground … within a few hundred metres," Mr Gresser said.

With his cart stuck in the mud, Mr Gresser was forced to call for help.

"I knew by the sound of his voice that, 'Yes, he's sort of gone to his limit,'" Ms Jackson said.

"For him to recognise [the need to call for help] is a big step."

Mr Gresser returned to Tibooburra and to another wait, this time for the roads to dry out.

After two weeks, the road seemed ready for him and he began preparing for his second departure attempt.

But when the day finally came, he saw more rain on its way on the weather radar.

"I woke up, looked at the forecast and just thought, 'No, it's just dumb,"' he said.

"I knew I wouldn't have gotten across."

An outback family

More than 200mm of rainfall has inundated the region around Corner Country since then.

And with more severe weather and flooding forecast for outback NSW, Queensland and South Australia, it is anyone's guess when Mr Gresser will make another attempt to leave Tibooburra. 

But for the time being, he has ingratiated himself with the community, helping Ms Jackson in the local store, cleaning up sheds and filling up sandbags.

He even celebrated his 40th birthday with locals at the pub.

The adventurer has compared his experience of hospitality in the town to that of Muslim countries while travelling overseas, where he was welcomed with open arms to share meals and a home.

"There was a time I used to say, 'This would never happen in Australia, this sort of level of care and love that you receive as a stranger,'" Mr Gresser said.

But he said he had never spent much time in regional or rural Australia.

"I'm from Perth, born and bred in the city, [and] haven't explored widely across Australia," he said.

"So, for me, it has been an introduction to life in regional Australia.

"[I'm] getting a sense of how it is to live in Australia from a fresh perspective, from a regional perspective, that's been a highlight."

As for the residents of Tibooburra, their support will extend beyond the town's boundaries.

"[It will be] a bit sad [to see him go] … but he's got to finish it," Ms Jackson said.

"He's got a few followers here already in Tibooburra, so we'll definitely follow his journey to the end."