Our story
Built by men who needed it. Run by men who get it.
The Wandering Man started with a simple decision: get out of the house, show up, and actually talk. What happened next surprised everyone involved.
Why we exist
Men's mental health has long been one of the most underdiscussed crises in Australian communities. Men die by suicide at three times the rate of women. They're less likely to seek help, less likely to name what they're feeling, less likely to reach out.
The Wandering Man was founded on the belief that the solution isn't complicated - it's just hard. Getting men out of isolation and into genuine connection with other men is the most powerful thing we can do.
We started in Geelong with a handful of blokes and the kind of conversation that doesn't happen at the pub or in a waiting room. Word spread the way it does when something fills a need people didn't know how to name. Today there's a rhythm to every week - coffee on Wednesday, a swim on Saturday, a river stroll every other Sunday, BBQs, yoga nights and guest speakers through the year - and we show up in workplaces to help organisations take men's mental health seriously.
3x
Men die by suicide at three times the rate of women
100+
Geelong men in our community
50+
Events held across Geelong
0
Barriers to joining - everyone welcome
What we believe
How we show up
No agenda. Just presence.
We don't ask men to be fixed or to fix anyone else. We ask them to show up. That's it. The simple act of showing up for each other is where everything begins.
Real conversations.
Not rehearsed. Not curated. We make space for men to say the thing they haven't been able to say anywhere else - and to be heard without judgment.
Community, not program.
The Wandering Man isn't a course or a therapy group. It's a community. We look out for each other between events, not just during them.
Geelong-rooted.
We exist in and for Geelong. Our events are local, our faces are familiar, and our support is grounded in the reality of living and working in this city.
The people
Meet the team
The Wandering Man is volunteer-powered. Every event, every walk, every conversation exists because these people choose to show up.
Volunteer Committee
Jamie Hobbs
Founder & Community Lead
Jamie started The Wandering Man because he needed it. He's been showing up for Geelong men ever since - in parks, on walking tracks, in workplaces, and wherever the conversation needs to happen.
Micheal Hoff
Coffee Catch-Up Host
Hoffy is the first face you'll see at the Wednesday Coffee Catch-Up. He makes sure no bloke stands at the door wondering if he's in the right place.
Neill Price
Committee Member
Chris Link
Committee Member
Robyn Frank
Committee Member
Mark Melnyk
Committee Member
Ray Booth
Committee Member
Core team & volunteers
Coming soon
Events Coordinator
Coming soon
Community Support
Coming soon
Communications
Coming soon
Event Support
Want to get involved?
We're always looking for good men to help run events and keep the community going. Some of our best volunteers are men who came for themselves and stayed to walk with others. No experience needed. Just willingness.
Ready to show up?
You don't need to be in crisis to come along. You just need to be a man who's willing to show up. That's the only qualification.