Torquay father achieves ‘Forrest Gump’-like feat

A TORQUAY resident with an urge to overcome obstacles has thrown himself in the deep end by walking 700 kilometres in three weeks.

Luke Stronach walked on average 35 kilometres a day to complete his gargantuan task of travelling from Torquay to Thredbo by foot with a 25-kilogram backpack full of supplies weighing him down.

“I’ve always looked at life in months rather than years,” Mr Stronach said when asked why he undertook the walk.

“So, when I got to my 500th month, which translates to 41 years and eight months, about half my life expectancy, I told myself I was going to do something big to represent that milestone in my life.

“Funnily enough you can find a lot of adventure just by leaving your front door and that’s what I did. I just started walking like Forrest Gump.”

Mr Stronach estimated he walked almost 10 to 11 hours a day along Australia’s eastern coast.

The father-of-two began his route walking up the Bellarine towards Queenscliff and then over to Sorrento on the ferry.

He then cut up towards the high country through towns like Traralgon, Koo Wee Rup, Heyfield and Bairnsdale before completing his final leg through the State Forest to Omeo and then on to Thredbo where he met up with his wife and two children.

“Every day was a challenge, but I wanted to see if I could accomplish this mission both mentally and physically,” Mr Stronach said.

“It was a pretty big undertaking to do solo, but it was amazing. I learnt a lot of lessons from it. It wasn’t a mid-life crisis or anything, but it was worth it for sure.

“It was an eight-hour drive back, but you also realise how far you can get in 20 days. A long, long way.”

Mr Stronach encountered nine snakes, one wild dog, five emus, 30 leaches, two goannas, three blue tongue lizards, eight brumbies and a “cheeky turtle” while taking 850,000 steps in total with 3,700m of elevation.

He also swallowed four flies, cried twice, and lost six kilograms in weight. However, the best bit was sharing the journey with 10 mates across different legs along the way before walking the last leg with his family.

Luke said doesn’t know if he will undertake a walk like this in the future but remains hungry for more adventure whether it’s an expedition across New Zealand or taking a kayak up a river in the Northern Territory, but for now he’s enjoying time with his family.