Walking an ancient Aboriginal desert trail might sound like an unusual way to help homeless people and solve the social housing crisis - but that’s exactly what Lismore local Jonathan Smith has done.

Jonathan has recently spent five days walking the Larapinta Trail near Alice Springs. Now, he hopes to gather support from the local community to raise money for the cause.

He did a ‘Hike for Habitat’ and walked over 80 kilometres with 19 other people – all intent on raising money so Habitat for Humanity can build homes for struggling Australians. 

Dream come true

Walking the trail has been a dream come true for Jonathan. 

“I always wanted to do Larapinta Trail walk,” he said. “But I also wanted to do it with a purpose – not just for pleasure.

“It’s an ancient walking trial on the western side of Alice Springs which crosses geological landscapes - and it’s steeped in Indigenous culture.

“When I went to Alice Springs two years ago, to work on community projects, I camped there and knew I wanted to go back and walk the expansive, diverse and arid country landscape.

Fundraiser for homeless

“When I found out about the ‘Hike for Habitat’ fundraiser for homeless people, it really spoke to me.

“The situation of families not having a decent home to live in is a big concern - and I wanted to do something about it.

“I have a family and I know how hard it is to find accommodation suitable to bring children up in and there are lots of homeless families living in cars and temporary accommodation.

“My goal was to security to them through having a home.”

Habitat for Humanity

Jonathan said the group has so far raised over $86,000, but his personal goal is still to raise at least $3000 for the cause.

“If people donate money to my cause, it will build more homes for Australian families in poverty,” he said.

“To date, Habitat for Humanity have built 160 homes in Australia by partnering up with families in need who receive and interest free, 20 year loan, based on 95% of the market value of a complete home.

Sweat equity

“The families then contribute 500 hours of their own time in the planning and construction phase of home. It’s called sweat equity.

“It’s a pay it forward model – which means when they make repayments, the money goes toward paying for other new homes to be built in the program.

“So far, our walking trail group has raised funds for 25 homes, but we want to raise as much as possible to keep helping more people.”

The Larapinta Trail 

Jonathan said the whole trail was a 14 day walk, but his group only did five days of it - at the end of May.

“The walk began at Alice Springs’ Telegraph Station and we did the first leg, then were transported to base camp and walked parts of the trail each day,” he said.

“Each morning, we began walking before dawn - and it was cold and windy – the temperature really drops in the desert.

“You really see the ancient landscape appear to you in the morning light. 

“We were lucky because there had been rain a month before and we saw plant life which was unusual, and not normally seen.

Rain, flowers and budgerigars

“One day, as we were walking along up a ridge, the sun came up and we saw a huge valley with a river with water in it. 

“There were rocky fields of flowers, all purple and white with small tree patches.

“But the most incredible part was the large flocks of blue budgerigars flying into the valley and seeing the incredible oasis there for all life. 

“We all agreed to walk in silence to the water and stopped for morning tea on rocky sandy banks, surrounded by bird life.”

Connection

Jonathan said one of the best parts of the experience was “incredible connection” made between the people in the group

“People from all walks of life came together to do this and to raise money to help other people.

“It also reinforced my love of the bush, being in nature and sharing it with people. Now, I want to do more. 

“I’m inspired to look at other ways for people to walk the trail. I work with people with disabilities and have been a community social worker for a long time.”

Donate

To donate to Jonathan’s cause, visit https://hike-for-habitat-larapinta-2021.raisely.com/jonathan-smith

Hike for Habitat

Hike for Habitat was organised by Inspired Adventures as a fundraiser for the Habitat for Humanity organisation.

Worldwide, Habitat has helped more than 35 million people access safe and decent housing, along with access to water, sanitation and hygiene - and provides livelihood training to build better lives. 

In the world, 1.6 billion people live without adequate shelter and 1 in 7 people on the planet currently live in a slum. 

1 in every 4 people will live in a slum by 2030, according to current estimates. 

1 in 3 urban residents live in slums in developing countries. 

In some countries, as much as 90% of the urban population live in slums

Find out more: https://www.habitat.org.au/who-we-are/about-us/