5,000 registrations: Yoorrook’s historic Walk for Truth reaches milestone

Thousands of Victorians have registered to join the historic Walk for Truth, led by truth-telling Commissioner Travis Lovett.

The 25-day, 400km walk began on Sunday in the southwest Victorian town of Portland, where colonisation started in the state. The walk will end on June 18 at Parliament House in Melbourne.

All Australians can join up to 17 public sections of the Walk for Truth, as well as attend a range of community events along the way.

On Thursday the Walk for Truth recorded its 5,000th registration for individual sections of the walk. Around 1,000 people have already taken part.

The Walk is part of the final events of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Victoria’s formal truth-telling process and the first of its kind in Australia. The Commission will end on 30 June, 2025.

Yoorrook Deputy Chair and proud Kerrupmara Gunditjmara man, Commissioner Travis Lovett said:

“I am humbled by the incredible support the walk has received so far from people from all walks of life.

“School children have lined up along the school fence to welcome us we walked past, kids have made signs in support of Yoorrook and people have travelled from as far away as Perth and New Zealand just to be here.

“This walk is about bringing people together to have a yarn and understand the full story of our history here in Victoria – and that’s exactly what is happening.

“To reach 5,000 registrations at this early stage shows that Victorians want to come together to walk towards a better future for everyone.

“Every day, hundreds of people turn up rain, hail or shine. I hope more and more Australians will register and join the Walk for Truth as we move across the landscape towards Parliament House – the place where decisions are made that can transform the future.”

So far the walk has visited the Convincing Ground massacre site outside Portland and the World Heritage Listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. It has reached Port Fairy where a millennia old practice of exchanging message sticks took place between Traditional Owners. Today the Walk will travel to Warrnambool followed by a visit to Moyjil, where there are shell middens and an old fireplace that is tens of thousands of years old.

From there, the Walk will move inland, visiting the Framlingham Mission and Mount Noorat before reaching Colac. It will then travel through Geelong, Werribee and Footscray before the final day walk to Parliament House.

Find out more and register to attend a public section of the Walk for Truth or to attend an event here.

Over the past four years Yoorrook has gathered hundreds of truths from people right across Victoria about the true history of the State since the start of colonisation, including its impacts and the strength, resistance and achievements of First Peoples.

Visit the Yoorrook website to listen and learn from the truths shared with Yoorrook.

Media enquiries: Evan Schuurman | 0408 847 385 | [email protected].