David Mason walked across Australia because no-one else had done it. He did it on is own with no support crew. After his experiences in the French Foreign Legion it was at once a challenge and a way to reconnect with life, people and Australia. In taking on the challenge he sought to raise funds for the Fred Hollows Foundation. David sought to demonstrate that in taking on challenges we live, rather than taking the easy way out and instead, live lives of quiet desperation.  David was the first person to walk across Australia at its widest point. In the course of that expedition he also was the first recorded person to walk solo east-west across the Simpson Desert and its 1100 dunes.  For this achievement he was named Australia's Adventurer of the Year and awarded the Gold Medal of the Australian Geographic Society.