Clinton Pryor has been walking for 5800km across the country as a protest about issues facing Indigenous communities. Credit:James Brickwood "There are issues happening for our communities in towns and cities across the country, and you have to sit down and understand what is going on there," he said. "It's poverty like in third-world conditions. [In some communities] there's a lack of fresh water and there's a lack of jobs, and there's not enough services for counselling." As part of the walk, Mr Pryor visited several Aboriginal communities in some of the most remote parts of Australia.

While his walk for justice initially focused on the closure of communities, he said he came to realise many of the issues facing the communities in Western Australia were also being experienced in other parts of the country. Clinton began his journey in September 2016. "We realised that more work needs to be done in country areas, and we realised there's issues throughout the whole country," Mr Pryor said. The proud Wajuk, Balardung, Kija and Yulparitja man has walked an average of 50 to 60 kilometres per day on his journey, walking for four or five days straight before taking a rest day. Clinton will reach his final destination, Canberra, on September 3.

In recent days, however, Mr Pryor said he's been walking 40 kilometres per day with the temperature dropping on his approach to Canberra. The first stop he walked to was Kalgoorlie, where he attended the funeral of Aboriginal teenager Elijah Doughty, who was killed after being hit with a ute. Elijah's death led to riots and protests in 2016, with further demonstrations also taking place this year after the driver was found not guilty of manslaughter. "There were a lot of people upset at the verdict, and it just goes to show there's no justice for our people," Mr Pryor said. He said the most difficult part of the journey was the 16 days he spent in the desert in Western Australia.

"There were times when I just snapped out in the desert and screamed into the wilderness 'why am I doing this?' because there was a lack of water, but I managed to get back on my feet," he said. "It took a couple of days, but my knees and my body got the hang of it." Since the start of his journey, support for Mr Pryor has only increased, with people accompanying him on different stages of the walk and thousands more following his every step on social media. "It's been increasing since the day we started walking," he said "The support from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people has been incredible."

While Mr Pryor said he was looking forward to a well-deserved rest following the completion of his journey, he said he's hoping for the walk to lead to the government to focus more on Indigenous issues. "We're trying to get justice but also to bring awareness and education to what is happening here in a first-world country," he said. "It's time for the government to listen to us."