On the road and out of his comfort zone

Like many young people, Phillip Island’s Rory Marshall had his post-university plans derailed by Covid.

After completing his public health and health promotion course, Rory’s plan was to travel around South America for six to eight months.

“I didn’t want to go straight into work. I never had a gap year after high school, so I wanted to travel.”

With international borders closed, and facing the prospect of another lockdown during Melbourne’s winter in 2021, Rory decided to change plans.

With the money he’d saved for his trip, he bought a van, fitted it out and hit the road, crossing the border into NSW just days before the border closed again.

“I was not spending another winter in Victoria in lockdown in the freezing cold,” he said.

“I decided to go north where the restrictions were not as hectic, and it was warmer.”

With no fixed destination or set plan, Rory was happy to travel, meet people and do odd jobs to earn money so he could keep moving.

By August last year, he’d arrived in far north Queensland.

A friend from Victoria who was also travelling suggested Rory come and work with him at the Fruit Forest Farm at Mission Beach.

Nestled among the rainforest, the farm produces exotic fruits and plants, with a focus on sustainable farming practices.

Rory said the decision to move to Mission Beach and work at the farm was life changing.

As well as introducing him to the exquisite tastes of tropical fruits, Rory also met a healer called Mark Norman who helped cure his psoriasis – an auto-immune system disease that causes itchy, inflamed skin.

Having suffered with the disease all his life, he moved to a fruit-based diet and said his psoriasis is now completely gone.

He started documenting the results and his time on the farm in an online blog and then via Instgram.

Soon he was doing media interviews and was being contacted by psoriasis sufferers from around the globe.

It also had a big personal impact.

Rory has now decided to study iridology, as well as regenerative detoxification and herbology and said he wants to help others find a way to heal.

“I lost a lot of faith in the public health sector in the past few years,” he admitted.

“Everyone should be empowered to be the change they want to be in life and not reply on pharmaceutical companies.

“With a lot of inflammatory diseases – the only way to solve the issue is to fix the problems inside the body, not the symptoms.

“With psoriasis, steroid cream treats the symptoms rather than the root causes.”

On the road

For now, Rory is keen to continue travelling. He has handed in his notice at the farm and is packing up his van this month and leaving Queensland.

He’s heading as far south as possible, to travel around Tasmania.

“I thought, if I can survive a summer in one of the hottest parts of Australia, I can survive winter in one of the coldest parts,” he said.

“I want to get out of my comfort zone and get into a challenging environment.”

Like before, his trip south has no set timetable.

“I’m taking it one day at a time, I don’t really have any plan of attack.”

The trip does involve one planned stop – a visit to Phillip Island to see friends and family.

“My parents are about to sell the house and move to Bendigo, so I need to figure out what to do with my stuff.”

But then he will hit the road again.

“I am addicted to travelling, that’s where I do my learning and growing.”

Even before Covid, Rory said he travelled as much as possible, visiting nine different countries in the six years since finishing school.

“I’ve always come back from overseas with a completely different mindset.

“It is one of best things you can do to understand yourself and the world.”

He hopes his story can inspire others, especially anyone feeling trapped or lost because of the pandemic.

“If you’re in a position to, get out and explore,” he said.

“You don’t have to feel trapped, there are so many opportunities for employment and personal growth out there.

“Hopefully I can inspire people to take a gamble. It is a positive thing if you have the courage to get out of your comfort zone.”

For now, he’s looking forward to exploring Tasmania, after hearing glowing reports from fellow travellers about the beauty and uniqueness of the island.

“I had a few mates in Queensland who went to Tassie at Christmas and they said it was number one.

“I have never been there, so I decided I needed to go and check it out. I want to get a photo of a Tasmania devil, see the Southern Lights and do some hiking.”

But outside that, there is no firm plan.

“Everything I own is in my van, so where I take my van is where I live. The whole of Australia is my bedroom.”

Follow Rory’s travels on Instagram @_RoryMarshall.

Read about his travels in FNQ at www.pisra.com.au/community/a-taste-of-paradise