Now, he’s travelling to spread awareness of these crippling illnesses.

Currently without work, ‘Walking Stick Mick’ has taken his message from Victoria all the way to Griffith, and says that in his journeys, meeting new people, he has “developed empathy for fellow sufferers.”

Mr O’Connor lost his job four years ago after being caught drinking.

He was forced to resign, and in his hometown, Colac, Victoria, Mr O’Connor learned that “word gets around quickly”, making it difficult to find work – becoming “unemployable”.

For last four years, Mr O’Connor has found odd jobs, yet anxiety consumed him so overwhelmingly that he constantly made excuses to avoid his job.

“Going on the dole is absolutely against my principles,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Given the reasons for why I’m unemployable, I don’t feel that it’s right – it’s my own stupid fault.

“It wouldn’t be fair for the tax payer to support me whether they wanted to or not.”

Mr O’Connor then found inspiration in Grant ‘John’ Cadoret, “The Highway Man”, and he became determined to do as he did.

He travelled from Colac to Deniliquin, pushing his trolley during his walks.

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Once he made it to Deniliquin however, he was offered full-time work in his home town – in Apollo Bay.

“I have to get back before early August,” he said.

And, rather than follow the tracks that took him the way up there, he decided to go on a different way “just to see a different part of the countryside.”

He continued his aim of raising awareness of depression, anxiety and substance abuse along the way however.

“I don’t raise funds, but I’m out there raising awareness.

“But I encourage people to jump online [to my facebook page] and to donate to either Beyond Blue or the Black Dog Institute.”

About his journey, Mr O’Connor said:

“It’s a life of absolute freedom – just like The Highway Man – I wake up in the morning and make the decision, ‘Am I going to walk today?’

“It’s a beautiful journey,” he said.

Mr O’Connor has been on the road eight weeks and says “there’s been barely any depressing moments.”

“Depression never really goes away – you think you’ve got it beat and then something happens and you end up right back to square one.”

So far, Mr O’Connor has journeyed from Colac to Ballarat, Daylesford, Heathcote, then took the Newell Highway, Ardlethan, Griffith.

He’s now heading back south to his hometown – through Darlington Point, Hay, Deniliquin, back to Victoria.

Mr O’Connor says he has “met some wonderful people, and some beautiful people.”

“The media tends to fill one’s mind with doom and gloom, and I found myself believing that the world is full of bad things and bad people, but I’ve managed to disprove that theory – there are hundreds of beautiful people out there.

“You just have to go out and find them.

“And the willingness to help out a complete stranger – that’s the true Aussie spirit.

“We live in a really beautiful country.”