One man has set out to tackle 882.5 kilometres, bare-footed on a three-wheeled bike to protest against Coal Seam Gas (CSG) throughout Australia.
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Calling himself ‘Bogan with a Slogan’ the Rockhampton man left his home-town and bee-keeping business on July 4 to make the long journey to the Pilliga around Narrabri.
In between, the Bogan has been stopping to chat with people about CSG and is yet to find one person in support of the concept.
Bogan made a pit stop in Moree on Wednesday after travelling through Goondiwindi and Boggabilla days before, looking for a soak in our artesian water.
He said being a farmer and activist drove his passion to protest against CSG, contaminating water supply and drilling into prime agricultural land.
“I am out here to tell people that if they are against CSG they need to stand up and say they don’t want it because it seems only the politicians believe it is a good thing for Australia,” he said.
Bogan said since meeting people on his journey it felt like he was “preaching to the choir” when speaking about the negatives CSG mining brought.
“I’ve not meet anyone for it; only a couple who want to have a debate about it which is great. I love having my pre-conceptions challenged and hearing other ideas but basically it seems the majority of the population are against it.”
His three-wheeled bike carries basic foods, water, a few clothing items, blanket and of course a yellow, anti-CSG sign on the front.
“I rode from Rocky to Darwin in January and went through three cyclones and two flash-floods so I though my pain-threshold might be enough to go through this colder weather.
“It has been cold sleeping under the stars most nights, that’s for sure.”
However, he said the kindness of truck drivers and grey nomads donating food and items to him during the trip warmed him up inside.
“The people are so generous. Last night a truck driver pulled up to my camp fire and gave me two cold beers, people have stopped to give me a coke and fresh fruit and the road workers always load me up with items,” he said.
Bogan has had to alter a few things on this journey compared to the Darwin trip due to the cold, swapping his energy source from fats and protein to mainly glucose.
“I am virtually mainlining glucose because I am burning up too much energy at night trying to keep warm.”
He suffered only one flat tire on the journey, coming through Boggabilla on sunset but he said it was a pretty easy fix.
The bee-keeper, in his off-season, will reach the Pilliga Forrest, where CSG operations have been carried out, in the coming days, then will head home.
To spread his message, the Bogan has been asking people to take photos of him and with him, and hashtagging #boganwithaslogan on Instagram.
“People are always interested to hear what I am doing when they see me so I tell them to take a photo and post it,” he said.
To find out more about the Bogan with a Slogan search the hashtag on Instagram.