大象传媒

It has been an emotional journey so far - the team of Australian and British wounded veterans have bonded during their long days driving through the Kimberley region of north west Australia. They have pushed themselves physically and mentally on a two-day trek through a remote river gorge.

Now, as they're getting to know each other better, driving by day and bush-camping by night, they share the difficult and intimate stories of the struggles they've faced recovering from injury, and the continuing challenges of adapting to life after the military.

Back on the old trading route of the Gibb River Road, they head east towards the spectacular and sacred Bungle Bungle Range of Purnululu National Park, a World Heritage Site. Former aircraft technician Keanie Trick, 23, from Devon, is on the brink of medical discharge. As the second week of the expedition starts, she's still struggling with her physical strength, but it becomes clear that her mental health is also fragile - in an intimate campfire scene, she admits to not feeling proud of herself, and compares her training injuries to those of the other veterans who were injured on the front line. Like so many veterans who are medically discharged, she's also starting to come to terms with the reality of a future on civvy street, very different to the hopes and ambitions she had for a full career in the military.

British veteran Shaun Stocker, who lost both his legs and was near-blinded by an IED just six days before the end of his tour in Afghanistan, excelled on the first trek, proving he's capable of extreme physical effort. As he starts to open up, he reveals his strong desire for independence and how he pushed away help from his family during his long recovery. He admits that his sense of freedom was threatened far more by the loss of his sight than that of his legs. Losing his driving licence was the biggest blow. But just as he starts to get frustrated with being a passenger in the team car, expedition leader Martin reveals a surprise.

And in the final trek, during a punishing two-day hike in the sandy and rocky terrain of Purnululu National Park, Shaun's effort is extraordinary as he welcomes help and guidance from his teammates.

Australian veterans Dean West and Matt Tolson are both recovering from severe PTSD and depression. The journey is revealing the different stages of their personal battles with mental health. In 1993, Dean was involved in a serious vehicle accident on a training mission in Malaysia, which killed five of his fellow soldiers, including his best friend. In an emotional scene, he reveals the impact his PTSD has had on his children and the guilt he still feels. But he's passionate about the importance of talking openly about mental health, and as he helps Keanie deal with the mental strain of her injury, he reveals how helping others has helped his own recovery.

Matt's PTSD is still acute, and the severe pain in his knees and back is taking its toll on his mental health. Once a fit mountain climber, Matt has struggled with his fitness since his injury and the psychological issues that go with a lack of purpose since being discharged from the army. His
post-traumatic stress is from being exposed to traumatic events whilst peacekeeping in Timor Leste.

For the final challenge of their 1000-mile expedition they are dropped off by helicopter for a two-day trek into the stunning and dramatic landscape of the Purnululu National Park. For some, the expedition has been a chance to prove that they're well on the way to recovery; for others, there's still a long way to go, but they can only gain confidence from their incredible effort in the Australian outback.

The series concludes two months later, when the team members are reunited in Sydney for the start of the 2018 Invictus Games. They meet up with HRH the Duke of Sussex, patron of the Invictus Games, and the Duchess of Sussex, to tell them how they coped with the challenges of their expedition.