Five questions with our new cover star Sarah Wheeler

In February this year, Sarah Wheeler set out on a 5,500 kilometre trek through some of the most isolated parts of Queensland and New South Wales, to honour her late parents and raise money for GI cancer research.

Sarah grew up on a property outside of Rowena, a small town in the far northeast of New South Wales, with her mum Therese (Terri), her dad Gavin, and her three sisters – Emily, Jessie and Millie. When she was 12 years old, Gavin died suddenly from an enlarged heart. 

In 2021, while she was working at a remote cattle station in the Pilbara, Sarah received the news that Terri had been diagnosed with an upper gastrointestinal cancer. The cancer was aggressive and within a few weeks, Sarah travelled home to be by her mother’s side for her final days. 

Graziher caught up with Sarah in early November, when she was she was six months and over 3,200 kilometres into her journey and asked her about the inspiration behind the trek and what she’s learnt so far.

Where did you grow up? 

I grew up in Rowena, which is an hour and a half drive from Narrabri, on a farm with my mum and dad and three sisters. I was a big daddy’s girl, wherever he went, I followed – whether that was in the truck or out on the tractor or in the ute.

What inspired you to do the trek? 

After mum passed away, I was staying at the house by myself and I ended up watching a lot of movies about female empowerment including Tracks and True Spirit. That’s when I got the idea to spend a year trekking to heal and honour my parents’ memories. 

Can you tell us about your horses, Shifty and Sally? 

I got my gelding Shifty from a sale in Armidale. As soon as I saw him I just fell in love with the way that he looked and how he was moving. Later, I spoke to the owners and told them my story and they let me have a ride with him before the sale the next day. 

As soon as I sat in the saddle on him, I just felt at home and safe and like it was meant to be. And that day was the anniversary of dad’s passing. 

A few months later, I took Shifty to a camp draft, and a lady who knew my mum came up to me and told me she had a mare and asked whether I wanted to have a look at her. 

That was Sally. She’s golden, like the sun, and she’s resilient, just like Mum.

Can you tell us about someone interesting you’ve met on the journey? 

There was this one fella up near Winton, and he let me stay in his old shearing quarters. He told me how he moved up to Winton on the train with no shoes. He went to a job interview and just lied about his experience. Eventually he bought a property and started his own family. He has lost his wife and the way he was talking about her, you could just tell how much he loved her.

Apart from raising funds for GI cancer research, what do you hope will come out of the trek? 

I think when someone’s vulnerable it gives other people permission to be vulnerable as well. I hope seeing me complete the trek helps others navigate their own grief and find their own way to heal. 

Sarah is the cover star for our December/January issue. To read her incredible story, pick up a copy of our December/January issue from your local newsagency or stockist from Monday, December 2, or head to the subscription page to subscribe to the magazine.

To find out more about Sarah’s story and to show your support visit The Outback Long Ride or follow Sarah on Instagram. 

To hear more extraordinary stories about women living in rural and regional Australia, listen to our podcast Life on the Land on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast platforms.