His partner Jasmin Henzi was inspired by a travel seminar back in 2016.

The pair are still in dispute over who came up with the idea to cycle over 18,000 kilometers from Wattenwil in Switzerland to Cobden - but they’ve done it.

They left from Jasmin’s hometown in Switzerland on July 9, 2017 and arrived at Matt’s parents’ house in Cobden at 2pm on December 15.

The trip extended over 500 days and 23 different countries.

Matt said they spent a year planning the trip, all while working full time and living thousands of kilometres apart.

“It was pretty intensive,” he said.

“We didn’t really know where we were going but there was so much to organise in terms of the equipment, obtaining visas, knowing what to pack and ensuring we had the appropriate skills and tools to fix the bikes along the way.”

Jasmin said there was a bit of doubt leading up to their departure.

“Everyone I told would say ‘you are crazy, you will never get to Australia on a bicycle’,” she said.

“I think the most difficult part was people doubting us, because that made us doubt things too.”

Matt said once they had purchased the bikes, handed in their resignation at work and told their close family and friends - things started to seem real.

“It was then or never,” he said.

“We knew we had a special two year window before we wanted to start having children and settle down, so we just got up and did it.”

The pair averaged 60 to 70 kilometres on the road per day.

Matt said he carried over 40 kilograms on the bike - something he hadn’t owned since he was 14.

“I lost 14 kilograms while I was over there,” he said.

“We found that the more we travelled, the more we could really push on and on. Initially we would ride four or five hours per day and we’d be so dead we were unable to cycle another hour.

“After ten or so months we could ride six hours and if we needed to do another three or four, we could. We built up that endurance, but it was difficult. The bikes were heavy and you really felt that, especially when you were going up hill at four to five km/h.”

Jasmin said she would never forget the people she met and the hospitality offered to them along the way.

“So many times people would stop their cars and offer us an isotonic drink and a snack, or invite us into their homes,” she said.

“We spent 60 nights in Iran and there were 53 nights where we were invited to someone’s home. Sometimes we would have five people stop us and invite us to stay and we’d have to say ‘sorry, but we are already taken tonight’. It was just incredible.”

Matt and Jasmin said highlights of the trip ranged from attending an 800-guest Iranian wedding to the smallest of gestures, including two teenage boys who waited for the pair at a petrol station to offer them energy drinks and cake.

Now at home, the pair plan to live in Melbourne together for about two-years.

Jasmin is looking to sew design patterns while Matt hopes to refurbish old vintage bikes.

Matt said he had returned home a totally different person.

“I’ve definitely learnt a lot about myself and have realised you don’t need much to be happy,” he said.

“I had three shirts and two pairs of shorts and that’s about it. But we did have time and we were so lucky to have spent so much with each other. It is something we really want to prioritise as we go back to our normal lives.

“We have also learnt to really be grateful. We spent 18-months visiting 23 countries and there is still no better place to live than Australia and Switzerland.”

Take a look at the journey at pedalpromise.com.