Jeanette Hartley left Bendigo on June 29 and was greeted by proud family members in Ballarat 11 days later. 

The former Bendigonian travelled about 200 kilometres along the Goldfields Track and said she would do it again.

“I think I would like to do the walk again and make it an annual thing,” she said.

“I set out to raise awareness and also some money, and I believe I have achieved this.” 

Ms Hartley’s motivation for the walk was her father John Watts, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. 

She said the while the walk targeted a serious illness, she wore a tutu to add lightheartedness to the situation. 

“Fun and Alzheimer’s are not really connected but I wanted to make sure the walk still had elements of fun,” she said.

Mr Hartley said during the journey a group of bike riders had stopped to donate money as well as others.  

“I was approaching Brown Hill, a suburb just out of Ballarat, and one lady and her grand-daughter gave me $10,” she said.

“The lady said she had heard what I was doing and said to her grand-daughter, who was playing a puzzle, ‘let’s go and find this lady’.

“She had been affected by Alzheimer’s and it was really special to know there are people like her willing to give.” 

All of Ms Hartley’s donations will go to the Hazel Hawke Alzheimer’s Research and Care Fund. 

To donate to Bendigo 2 Ballarat in a tutu, visit www.mycause.com.au