The 18-year-old is aiming to cycle his way around Australia, stopping in communities along the way to raise awareness on topics from urbanisation to marine conservation.

“I was walking with my mum one day, and I thought I should do something with my life,” the 18-year-old said.

“My friend told me I should raise awareness on an issue like domestic violence, and I thought I could go a bit broader than that.

“If I’m in the city I’ll talk about urbanisation, if I’m by the ocean somewhere I’ll talk about coastal marine debris, and domestic violence could be discussed anywhere.”

He hopes to set off for Tasmania in February, travelling 75 kilometres a day across the Nullarbor Plain, up to the Cape York Peninsula, through Cape Byron back to the Far South Coast by September next year.

“The Nullarbor is going to be the hardest thing, I’ve already bought some thermal gear,” he said.

Mr Holka said he became disillusioned with high school, and after joining communication, public speaking, and leadership skills education not-for-profit Toastmasters International he hasn’t looked back.

“A lot of people tell you to go to university,” he said.

“I felt at school as wasn’t learning the practical skills I wanted to, it didn’t feel relevant to me.”

Along the way Mr Holka will be using the Warm Showers website, an online community supporting bicycle tourists across the world.