Ed and Seb, with the help of a mate Dave and a support crew, are walking from Brisbane to Melbourne to raise money and awareness for Camp Quality, to help kids face cancer.

They left Brisbane on the 23rd July, and on Day 6 of their 70 day quest (yesterday) the Lismore App caught up with Seb and Ed at Lennox Head.

“It is a long walk, but it's really enjoyable. There’s beautiful weather and the coastline is just stunning up here. It's amazing,” said Seb.

The gents are averaging 40 to 50kms a day, and staying in a range of accommodation from army barracks to friends and volunteers houses on the way, and even some camping.

Seb, a Firefighter, and Ed, in the Armed Forces, are very thankful for their support crew that is made up of friends and volunteers who lug the luggage and set up camp while the men are treading the pavement.

Seb explains how the initial idea came about, “I came up for a planning night at Camp Quality and at dinner and I leaned over to Dave (in the Navy) said, Hey, mate do you want to do a big walk with me. And he said, yep. And I said, you don’t know where we are going yet!

“He basically got on board,and within a couple of minutes, we had gone from walking Sydney to Canberra, to Brisbane to Melbourne to raise money.”

Dave knew Ed through the armed forces and other Camp Quality initiatives. When Dave and Seb rang Ed, the reply came back, “ It was a no-brainer for me to do something like this - it's the kind of crazy adventure I'm into.”

Training was necessary, so they fit it into their busy schedules and did what they could to prepare, “At the start of the year, one of the army physical training instructors, who specialises in ultra-marathons and Ironman events, did up a training program.

“The training has helped a little bit. But to be honest, you can’t train for everything. Like getting your feet used to the constant impact every day, they were really, really sore at the end of the first couple of days. 

“That could also be due to our old shoes copping a pounding during training so they weren't as cushiony as our new shoes certainly are.

“We estimate that we will go through about six pairs of shoes.”

Ed says, “We've already got some pretty decent blisters,” and Seb adds, “I'm in the process of losing a couple of toenails by the end of today (Sunday).”

The hard parts are painful, but Seb says, “It pales in significance when we've seen what kids with cancer and families go through. So, to be honest, it's a really small price to pay.”

“We've also had some amazing highlights along the way - people that we’ve met and they ask, what are you doing? We say we're walking to Melbourne for kids and Camp Quality. 

“They learn more about Camp Quality, tell us a little about their stories - just some beautiful people we have met along the way complete strangers, some who have donated large amounts of money, which is awesome.”

Ed tells me a little about Seb, “Well, Seb is a firefighter, and he turned 52 the other day. He has a heart of gold. He's been volunteering with camp quality for over 25 years now. He’d give you the shirt off his back if he could. 

“We are lucky enough that for his birthday, we were walking through some of his favourite parts of Australia, Northern New South Wales, Byron, the Surf Coast because he's a surfer and loves it up here whenever he can get away from Canberra.”

Then it was Seb's turn to talk about Ed, “I like to call Ed the George Clooney of our team. And he has a massive heart of gold and just being one of the most kind and respectful blokes I've ever met. 

“His ability with the logistical planning before this walk and during this walk has made it so much easier for everyone involved.

“He's always the first when we're walking past a group to say hi and gets people chatting to us.”

Anyone is welcome to join them on part of their trip, if it's for 5 minutes or 5 kilometres. And if you happen to see them when you are driving past, give them a honk and a wave!

Today, they will be travelling from East Wardell south. You can find them on their tracker.

You can check out more information on the men and their mission on their website, or donate to their cause here.

We wish them well on their adventure.