A Daughter’s Way: Meet the young woman facing the desert alone

This Rowena farmer is about to traverse thousands of kilometres of Australian outback, in an effort to face loneliness head-on and raise much-needed funds for cancer research.

Sarah Wheeler knows what it means to feel alone.

It’s a sobering reality she and her three sisters faced in recent years, when the sudden death of her parents, Gavin and Therese Wheeler, in quick succession left them to deal with the responsibility of running the farm solo.

And it’s not a feeling Sarah wants anyone else to bear alone.

In the coming weeks, the 26-year-old will saddle her two horses, and embark on a 5500km Australian outback odyssey, starting and finishing at her hometown of Rowena in NSW.

Sarah has planned the nine month-long solo expedition for the better part of a year, with stops at regional townships along the way, to raise funds for upper GI cancer research.

Sarah Wheeler is about to embark on an incredible 5500km horseback journey through regional NSW and QLD in memory of her parents. Picture: Supplied

It’s a cause close to her heart, as Sarah grappled with the loss of her parents, which left her and her three sisters to manage the family farm – and their grief – alone.

This sense of isolation was compounded by having to deal with the mammoth task of grain harvest shortly after her mother's passing.

“I just felt a bit lost, and didn’t really know a way forward,” Sarah said.

“We just had to take the reins, we had to get contractors in, find employees … it’s a lot to take in.”

Paradoxically, it is her attempt to connect with regional Australians that has motivated Sarah to plunge into the remote landscape of outback Australia.

Sarah’s attempt to connect with regional Australians has motivated her to plunge into the remote landscape of outback Australia. Picture: Supplied.

“I hope if there are people out there like me who have lost both their parents, that it inspires them to keep moving forward, to reach out to someone and to let them know they’re not alone,” Sarah said.

“The other side is to raise as many funds as I can for upper GI cancer research, and for support systems for people who are diagnosed, as there really isn’t much funding for those cancers.

“That’s something I’m really passionate about as well”.

Sarah’s new charity, The Daughter’s Way, will also work to support people going through loss and grief regionally.

You can support Sarah’s journey with donations or offers of support by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/r/NYQZHGQ