As if riding around Australia on a postie bike was not enough, 67-year-old Sydneysider Gavin Kleinhans is gearing for another extraordinary journey.
He plans to walk a staggering 1160 kilometres from Bondi to Broken Hill pushing a wheelie bin to raise funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres (also known as Doctors Without Borders).
Born of a desire to raise funds for a worthwhile cause, the walk is also a personal challenge.
The idea was sparked when he was approached by Les Bryce, who runs a group promoting an active lifestyle among retirees.
Les had to give up marathon running due to a neuromuscular condition, but he had always dreamt of pushing a wheelie bin from Turramurra to Temora.
Gavin, inspired by Les's story, decided to emulate that dream and take on an even bigger challenge.
"I have to have something on my horizon," he said.
"I thought, you know what? I'm going to do that but in a different way".
Like Les, Gavin's motivation stems from his desire to challenge himself and inspire others, particularly retirees, to stay active and embrace new experiences.
The journey, set to start on Anzac Day, will take Gavin through the heart of NSW.
Of course, he's had to make some modifications to the half-size wheelie bin.
"I've already replaced the wheels with wider pneumatic ones so that it doesn't rattle along like the traditional wheelie bin does and so it rolls a little easier," he said.
"I'm also contemplating putting a third wheel out front so that I don't have to continually have it tilted toward me.
"The only other thing is that I'm six foot tall and you can end up walking with a bit of a stoop to push this thing, so I might adapt the handle."
To stay safe, he's equipped himself with a Garmin inReach Mini 2, a compact satellite emergency device that also allows for communication via email.
Gavin said he feels in much better physical shape than when he left Sydney to ride around Australia in 2022, a feat that truly tested the big man and small machine.
That, too, was on behalf of MSF. Unfortunately, mechanical issues along the away did not allow him to raise as much as he would have liked.
His route will take him through Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo Narromine, Nyngan and Wilcannia. The longest stretch without services and water will be between Cobar and Emmdale Roadhouse, a distance of 160 kilometres.
He plans to document his journey through video blogs on his YouTube channel - he says it's a way to firmly commit himself to the challenge.
He's encouraging others to follow his progress and support his cause. Join him at www.youtube.com/user/TheKillerRooster/videos
