Truckie’s mental health stop on the Strzelecki Track gains momentum

The site has been growing since it was started in 2021. Inset: Truck driver Shane Whenan with his dog Sarge. Images: Shane Whenan

As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure – and in this outback truck driver’s case, it’s also become a way to spark important conversations around mental health.

Shane Whenan has been a truckie for close to 25 years. Based in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, he tackles the weekly run from Adelaide to Moomba – along the unforgiving Strzelecki Track.

For the last six years, Shane has worked for AJ & AJ Ailmore Transport. He drives a 2007 Kenworth T950, hauling triples filled with refrigerated goods.

While plenty of truckies love the freedom of the road, it can also be quite lonely and isolated, particularly for those who spend a great deal of time away.

That’s why Shane decided to create his own “mental health break point” – a place truck drivers and travellers could stop, take a moment and focus on their own mental health.

It all started one day in April 2021. Shane has himself battled with depression and anxiety and had stopped at this spot after having a particularly difficult day. He noticed some broken truck brake parts and began arranging them into ‘broken art’.

Since then, he’s continued to add to the site, about 50km south of Strzelecki Creek – and other truckies have also helped. Shane picks up bits and pieces he finds on his travels and adds them to the growing site.

“A couple of years ago I added the little blue R U OK mailbox and started off by adding a a few cards with positive thoughts on them, and other truck drivers and travellers have put their own little messages in there as well. It’s even showing up on WikiCamps,” Shane said.

“A little while ago, Australia Post had these Beyond Blue postcards made up, so I put them in a little container for people to grab. They slowly disappeared over time.”

On his usual run, Shane passes the site every week and tries to stop by each time. “Sometimes the schedule doesn’t allow it, but I do stop whenever I can,” he said.

“Quite a few times there have been other truck drivers or tourists stopped and they’ve asked what it’s all about. I guess it’s a conversation starter.”

Among the main sculptures there is an R U OK sign. “That was something I did on a trip in the car with a friend. There was a heap of pallet angles someone had used to get out of a bog, so we put them all together to make the letters and used a discarded tyre for the ‘O’,” explained Shane.

Then there’s also ‘Old Mate’. “Someone had dropped a high vis jumper out there, so I made up a cross with white posts for the body, got a foam head and hard hat and made Old Mate, so people can stop and have a chat with him. I also found rubber boots so added those in to give him legs.”

Shane even had a street sign with the letters R U OK made up, but unfortunately the original one was stolen. “When I stopped there about six months ago, I noticed the sign was gone so I made a new one up myself and put it up.”

He’s even brought up some old tables and chairs for people to stop and take a little break.

Asked what was behind the mental health stop, Shane told Big Rigs, “I guess just to get people to stop just take time for themselves, appreciate what’s around them and the fact that things get broken – you may be down, but you’re not out. It’s important to stop and smell the roses, take time for yourself – especially these days where everything is go, go, go.”

Keeping Shane company while he’s out on the road is his four-year-old dog Sarge. “He’s a pink nose pit bull. I rescued him in July. He’s taken to life on the road very well, he loves it. Sarge has probably seen more in his first three weeks in the truck than he did in the first three years of his life. He’s a good companion and is very much a people pup,” said Shane.

Along with having his four-legged pal by his side, Shane likes to take time to watch the sunrises and sunsets, when he’s travelling in the truck. “I find it really peaceful,” he said.

Shane is also in the process of making a new sign up for the site to list the mental health services that are available, along with their websites and phone numbers. “I had the idea of making up some smaller information boards too and putting them in different rural towns along the way where I travel, so people can see that there is help out there for them if they need it.”