Watch: 1000 Miles To Get Your Head Straight

The idea was simple.

Two friends set out to traverse the coast of NSW. One to ride, and one to drive in support. Surfing, catching up with mates and surf acquaintances along the way, to find out what they do outside of the surf to keep their mental health in check. Film it all on a couple of GoPros, make a “little” film and raise some money for Black Dog along the way. Worst case scenario we’d get to go on a physical jolly for a few weeks, have a few misadventures, hopefully score some waves and see some friends. Best case scenario we’d do those things, make something half decent and a few people might watch it. Which I guess is the point of the process that we find ourselves at now.

The mantra of this seemingly pointless journey was to celebrate friendship and community, and highlight how key that is leading a healthy life. Sam (who filmed, edited and really made this thing what it is) and I are old friends who up until this project hadn’t “worked” together since we first met years back washing dishes at a cafe in Sydney. The cafe was owned by a mutual friend of ours, Justin Iddles, who Sam and I hadn’t seen for years at the point of making this film. 

Iddles was a really amazing bike rider who’d relocated to the mid-coast with his young family, and we’d loosely arranged to do a day’s riding on the way down. Unfortunately, our schedules didn’t quite link up and we never got the chance to go on that ride. In the week leading up to releasing ‘1000 Miles To Get Your Head Straight’, we got the devastating news that Iddles passed away whilst riding his bike. I’d like to take this opportunity to dedicate the film to him here. A flawed soul, but a good one. I hope you enjoy the film.