Long-time swagman John Cadoret was spotted taking a rest in a local takeaway before heading off towards Tamworth.

He has been seen frequently in the past month as he headed up the hill from the coast via the Oxley Highway. In Wauchope he spoke with Port News journalist Matt Attard.

Born in 1954 in the Western Victorian town of Minyip, John was in his early 20s when he decided to leave his shared flat and party life behind, simply because he wanted to.

“I don’t regret anything. Regrets are useless. You just hopefully learn. I have learnt to take each day as it comes,” he said.

“I didn’t really decide to do this, I just took a break from life and fell into it. I decided an office job wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t know what I wanted.”

A three-month holiday saw John, also known as the highway man, hitch his way around Australia. At the end, he decided to keep on moving.

“There really isn’t much I miss. You just get use to living without stuff,” he said. “I have learnt contentment. I’m content with life. I just aim for the next hill, the next corner and if I don’t get there I know I will eventually. I’m not paying off anything and I’m happy.”

In the early days he use to walk up to 40 kilometres in a day, but often it is around 10 to 15kms. On hot days he finds a spot in the shade to read. He also enjoys a bottle of coke whenever people bring him a treat, but he can never have enough water in the summer months.

He lugs around a solid 30 to 40kg, and the generosity of people all over Australia ensures he is never without the necessities.

“I’m grateful for people helping me, as long as they can accept sometimes that I have too much and I have to turn them down.”

John lost track of his family  many years ago but was reunited with them in the early 2000s.

“Mum was a bit grumpy when I first got back into contact with her but she is in a nursing home now and we keep in contact, he said”

Remarkably he has not seen a doctor in 40 years. Nor has he got a medical number or any identification.