MDFF: How Are You Travelling?

Their bikes may be loud but a gang of ‘passionate motorcycle riders’ are on a quiet mission of discovery. ‘Psychs On Bikes’, a volunteer group of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals, travel deep into remote and rural Australia to offer free ‘body and head’ checks. To date, they have collectively completed thousands of one-on-one health checks and travelled over 40,000km - equivalent to the circumference of the equator. With the country emerging from the shadows of devastating environmental disasters and a global pandemic, Psychs on Bikes attempt to take on their biggest challenge yet by circumnavigating Australia. On an epic ‘road trip’ and mental health mission, we join ‘Psychs on Bikes’ into the outback where they visit mining towns, cattle stations, indigenous schools, and isolated communities to talk mental health. Outback Australia has the highest suicide rates in the country, particularly for men, so when Psychs on Bikes roll into town it can kick start a ‘life-changing’ conversation. For many… it’s a rare chance to have an ‘honest and open’ conversation with a professional, and for Psychs on Bikes, a chance to hear stories that shape the ‘hearts and minds’ of people living in some of the harshest environments across Australia. ‘How are you travelling?’ is a documentary about Mental Health, Motorbikes and Adventure that presents a simple question we all need to ask ourselves and the people we love.
Directed by Craig Elder.