A team of pain researchers, health professionals, and people who live with chronic pain will cycle more than 780km from Tweed Heads to Port Macquarie, stopping at nine towns to share free advice on understanding and managing persistent pain.
The 2026 Pain Revolution Rural Outreach Tour hits the North Coast from 15 to 23 October, with free community events along the way.
The events will share practical, evidence-based information to help people better understand and manage chronic pain, which affects around one in five Australians and is one of the country’s leading causes of disability.
The tour is supported by a $50,000 Primary Care Impact Grant from Healthy North Coast. The funding has supported the development of local Pain Ambassadors and strengthens the capacity of local allied health professionals to deliver evidence-based chronic pain care across the region.
“Chronic pain has a significant impact on people’s daily lives, their families and their ability to participate in work and community life,” said Healthy North Coast Director of Primary Health Programs and Partnerships Luke Elias.
“Nearly half of people living with chronic pain also experience depression or anxiety, so building local knowledge amongst health professionals and community members is particularly important in regional areas like ours, where access to specialist services can be challenging.”
“I’d encourage everyone to get along to one of these free community events to develop their skills, knowledge and to learn about the support that’s available to them.”
Among the riders is Pain Revolution CEO Professor Lorimer Moseley AO, of Adelaide University.
“Chronic pain remains one of Australia’s greatest health burdens, but it’s often misunderstood, mismanaged, and undertreated,” Professor Moseley said.
“We now know far more about how pain works than we did even a decade ago, and that knowledge can genuinely change lives.”
Some of the riders know the fight first-hand. Daniel Sutherland has lived with chronic pain.
“Chronic pain controlled my life for most of my 20s,” Mr Sutherland said.
“Every day I woke to questions like, ‘How far will I be able to walk today?’.”
“Thanks to pain education, like the kind provided by Pain Revolution, I gradually moved back to the life I thought I lost.”
Fellow rider Nick Aitcheson knows the feeling. He tore tendons in his right hand and wrist at 19, which gave him complex regional pain syndrome.
“Modern pain science carries a message of hope and possibility for the 20% of our population who suffer from chronic pain,” Mr Aitcheson said.
“The Rural Outreach Tour is an amazing initiative that helps to spread this knowledge throughout Australia with face-to-face community events where people can meet international researchers, expert clinicians, educators, and people with lived experience of chronic pain.”
The tour starts at the Twin Towns Conference and Function Centre in Tweed Heads at 5pm on Thursday, 15 October. It then rolls on to:
- Murwillumbah Services Club, Murwillumbah, 5pm on Friday, 16 October.
- Adam Gilchrist Pavilion, Oaks Oval, Lismore, 4pm on Saturday, 17 October.
- Riverside Function Centre, Ballina RSL, Ballina, 4pm on Sunday, 18 October.
- Yamba Bowling and Recreational Club, Yamba, 5pm on Monday, 19 October.
- Grafton Districts Service Club, Grafton, 5pm on Tuesday, 20 October.
- Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, 5pm on Wednesday, 21 October.
- Slim Dusty Centre, Kempsey, 5pm on Thursday, 22 October.
- The Westport Club, Port Macquarie, 5pm on Friday, 23 October.
All events are free. For exact times, locations and to register, visit painrevolution.org/tour.
Something going on in your part of the North Coast people should know about? Let us know by emailing newsdesk@nctimes.com.au