A 12 year old boy walking hundreds of kilometres from Warren to Canberra had reached Cowra on Monday, 7 September, as part of an extraordinary mission to raise $1 million and improve access to paediatric care for children living in rural and regional communities.

Dusty, who lives on a property outside Warren with his parents and younger brother Angus, arrived in Cowra on Sunday, September 6, as he reached approximately the halfway point of his journey to Parliament House.

Already, his efforts have generated an enormous response.

Little Wings Marketing Manager Andrew Bailey said Dusty had raised about $300,000 towards his $1 million target by the time he reached Cowra.

"Currently, Dusty's raised $300,000," Mr Bailey said.

"He's 30 per cent of the way there, which is incredible, absolutely incredible."

The money will support Little Wings' Medical Wings program, which flies paediatric specialists into rural and remote communities so children can receive specialist healthcare closer to home.

For Dusty, the cause is particularly close to his heart.

Having seen the difference access to healthcare can make, he wants his walk to help other country children receive the support they need without families having to travel long distances.

The idea emerged in January, with Mr Bailey saying a conversation about healthcare inspired Dusty to take on the enormous journey from Warren to Canberra.

"The purpose of the walk was in January, Dusty was having a conversation ... talking about healthcare," Mr Bailey said.

"Through that, Dusty got inspired with this idea to walk from Warren to Canberra to raise a million dollars for Little Wings to try to fly paediatricians from the city to the bush."

The need is significant.

According to Mr Bailey, children in some regional communities can face waits ranging from 18 months to six years to see a paediatrician.

"The need for paediatricians out in the bush is huge," he said.

"These Medical Wings clinics are so important, and Little Wings is trying to close the distance of access to quality healthcare for these kids to access the specialist care that they need."

Little Wings completed 2802 missions during the last financial year, including 229 Medical Wings clinics.

Mr Bailey said the money Dusty had already raised could help fund hundreds of clinics and assist with the cost of getting specialists into communities where they are needed.

The fundraising effort, however, is requiring an extraordinary physical commitment from the 12 year old.

Dusty left Warren on 30 August and is making his way through communities including Trangie, Narromine, Tomingley, Alectown, Parkes, Eugowra, Cowra, Boorowa, Yass and Murrumbateman before reaching Canberra.

Individual days can cover around 40 kilometres, with Dusty spending between eight and 10 hours walking.

"The challenges are the sheer distance of the walk," Mr Bailey said.

"Dusty, unbelievably, doesn't have a blister on his feet, but he is very sore."

His days begin early, with the support team preparing around 6am before Dusty begins walking at approximately 6.30am.

Plenty of breaks are built into the journey for meals, hydration and recovery.

"He's 12 years old and he's got incredible energy," Mr Bailey said.

"And there's so much community support that stops us along the way to make the journey go that extra bit."

That support has followed Dusty from town to town.

Schools have formed guards of honour, residents have waited to welcome him and donations have continued to arrive as people learn about the cause.

Cowra was no exception, with community members gathering to welcome the group as it passed through town.

"It's just a beautiful way," Mr Bailey said.

"He always gets a big welcome into every town, with school kids doing guards of honour.

"The country people, even in Cowra, were waiting at the Rose Garden welcoming him in."

Mr Bailey believes the campaign has resonated particularly strongly with regional communities because many understand firsthand the challenges associated with accessing healthcare outside metropolitan areas.

"I think it's really captured the imagination, inspiration and the hope of the community," he said.

"Everyone here understands the difficulties of accessing healthcare, and especially for the kids."

For many of those meeting Dusty along the road, Mr Bailey said the youngster had become more than a fundraiser, he had become a voice for country families.

"They honestly just want to be a part of it," he said.

"They want to support him.

"They want to show how proud they are of him.

"They see Dusty as a voice for the community."

Despite the attention surrounding his journey, Mr Bailey described Dusty as humble and calm about the scale of what he is attempting.

His stop in Cowra also brought a memorable change of pace when he was given the opportunity to see the region from the air.

Pilot Rose, another Little Wings supporter who Mr Bailey said had previously flown around Australia as part of a Guinness World Record attempt, travelled from Victoria to Cowra to take Dusty on a flight over the area.

The experience gave the 12 year old a completely different view of the communities he has been spending entire days walking between.

"He thought Cowra looked like a big city to him, but when he got up in the plane, it was a small town," Mr Bailey said.

"When you're always on the road, you can only have one perspective."

It was a fitting experience for a journey built around closing distances.

What can take Dusty an entire day to cover on foot may take little more than an hour by car, while for regional families seeking specialist healthcare, the distances between home and treatment can create challenges of their own.

After reaching Cowra, Dusty's journey continues through Morongla Creek and Boorowa before heading towards Yass and Murrumbateman.

His ultimate destination is Parliament House in Canberra, where he hopes to speak on behalf of children living across regional Australia.

But with hundreds of kilometres already behind him, $300,000 raised and communities continuing to rally around his cause, Dusty's message is already being heard long before he reaches the nation's capital.