There are some interesting people travelling around Australia. And a few days ago, the locals in pubs and roadhouses started saying to me “Oh, you’re going to catch up to Cat Man soon”. “Who’s that?”, I asked. “Oh, a Japanese guy dressed up as a cat pushing a wheelbarrow around Australia”, they replied.
I sensed they weren’t pulling my leg. But at the same time, I just couldn’t imagine a man dressed up as a cat pushing a wheelbarrow around Australia. Well I met him in Norseman!
Otherwise known as Jin, Cat Man has turned his two-year working visa to Australia into a ‘walking visa’. He started in Carnarvon about six months ago and is walking to Sydney pushed a wheelbarrow that he bought at Bunnings. When I overtook Cat Man in Norseman, he’d already walked over 1,500km. He averages 20km per day, pushing his wheelbarrow on the right hand side of the road for safety with on-coming road trains and grey nomads. Keep an eye out for him if you’re travelling. I’ve already invited him to stay with my family in Canberra when he gets there. But that won’t be for another six months at least!
Cat Man say’s he’s doing the walk to “be a superhero” and for “peace and love”. As a bit of background, Cosplay is kind of a big deal in Japan. It involves dressing up and acting out roles of anime characters. Jin says he’s the Black Panther. I did mention that his costume is the wrong colour. But I think interpretive discretion and diversity are allowed in Cosplay.
Cat Man has solar energy to charge his gadgets and has asked me to do reccies for instant noodles in the roadhouses across the Nullarbor. A journey that will take me about six to seven days will take him over fifty!
You can follow Cat Man’s journey on Instagram @catman6701.
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