In a matter of hours I will put months of preparation, anticipation and good old fashioned  dreaming into reality. I am attempting (let's be realistic) to ride a Push Bike from the West coast of Australia to Melbourne, starting 1st April 2018. (This is not an April Fool's joke). The distance is approximately 3400km which will take approximately 4-6 weeks. As an absolute amateur of the cycle world, this pretender only applied himself to the art of cycling approximately 3 months ago. I have taught myself the basics and learned some valuable lessons along the way. 1. Don't trust google maps (pushing a bike without any water through hot soft sand for 4km is not much fun). 2.Don't run out of water!But this is not about the don'ts, this is about the DO! I will head east to Kalgoorlie, mainly because it has a brilliant name but also because I've heard they do a brilliant sausage roll. Then take the road south to Norseman and on to ........The infamous NULLARBOR! This stretch of land covers about 1700km and will by far be the toughest part of the journey. But also the part I am most excited about! Carrying enough water to get to the next water stop is a major issue (See valuable lesson 2). The longest distance with no water is roughly 200km. Also there's the world's longest straightest road, 146km of same same should be exciting...I am looking forward to sharing my days with the camels, wombats and kangaroos. But probably more likely, road trains, tourists and road kill. Onwards then to Adelaide, across South Australia, on to Melbourne and journey's end. Whilst on this mammoth journey, I would like to raise some funds for my chosen charity Cruse Bereavement Care. Cruse is a UK national charity founded in 1959 and do not charge for their services. After a bereavement many of us need help to cope with grief. Cruse is there to offer emotional and practical support at what can be a very difficult time. In Chesterfield Derbyshire, Cruse has a number of trained volunteers who give their time for free and help bereaved people of all ages in a variety of ways. These include one to one meetings, support groups and providing leaflets and books. Cruse estimate the cost of providing a one to one session is approximately £35. Any donation will go direct to Cruse Chesterfield. Although this is a plan conceived and undertaken in Australia, all paid for with hard earned Australian dollars, I haven't forgotten where I am from. I am aware of the risks of a journey like this but I have sufficient confidence in my own ability. Except a dodgy left knee! Please give generously, put some fire in my belly and pray for a westerly!

Thanks again, Hen x

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.