Karel Prais is hoping to raise $5000 for Clown Doctors Australia.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Karel Prais, who describes himself as “the restless one”, is attempting a solo cycle from Mansfield to Cairns after thinking up the idea just five weeks ago.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Originally from the Czech Republic, Mr Prais arrived in Australia in January and decided, as his last hurrah in the country, he wanted see as much as he could, for a cause.
On Monday, August 24, he took off from Mansfield, where he has been living for the past seven months, on a trek of about 5000km.
“The whole idea came like five weeks before the departure, so I actually didn’t put much thought into it,” Mr Prais said.
“I thought I could do an adventure because I’ve been working for a long time, and that was it.
“I had nothing prepared — I didn’t have any bike, I didn’t have anything sorted.”
Mr Prais refers to himself as Neposeda, a Czech word meaning a restless person or wild one who cannot stay still.
It’s this trait that has taken him across the world, hiking 3000km in New Zealand and hitch-hiking around Europe.
“The idea is living the nomad’s life,” he said.
“I don’t know where I’m going to be tomorrow and I’m not always thinking about what I’m doing, I’m just doing it.”
His mentality of not planning, but simply doing, led him to the region.
Instead of riding a direct path from Mansfield to Cairns, Mr Prais back-pedalled to Melbourne, cycling along the Great Victorian Rail Trail through Yea and Tallarook.
He described the region as “beautiful”, and said he could only critique the unfriendliness of the locals in the sky.
“Now is the season of the magpies, so basically they just kept on attacking me,” he said.
“Close to the area, I lost my earphones because I was fighting with a magpie for like half an hour.”
He said the other locals he met were much more welcoming.
“I was exhausted after 94km, this was the day I was leaving from Yea, and so I just asked a random lady if I could pitch my tent in her garden and she goes, ‘yeah, no problem’,” Mr Prais said.
“I ended up in her garden and it was raining, so in the end she invited me into her home and I had a bed.”
Karel enjoyed his time cycling through the region.
Photo by
Supplied
Mr Prais’ feat is more than just a spontaneous way to see Australia.
Throughout his journey, he is raising funds for a cause close to his heart: Clown Doctors Australia.
Mr Prais himself was a professional clown in the Czech Republic and grew up with the art.
“I’ve grown up besides my father, he’s also a professional clown, and he’s been a clown in the hospitals for over 30 years,” he said.
“I’ve grown up seeing first hand what the work does for the kids and the joy it brings.”
The charity supports clown doctors to be placed in hospitals across Australia to improve the mental health and resilience of patients.
Mr Prais is hoping to raise $5000 — $1 for every kilometre he is tackling.
He’s also hoping, along the way, to spread the message that “adventures begin with a yes”.
“I never put too much thought into anything, so when I get bored, I just go for another adventure,” he said.
Mr Prais will next cycle from Melbourne to the beach towns along the Great Ocean Rd.
Afterwards, he doesn’t have a plan outside of reaching Cairns as his final destination.
9°C