The Desert Swimmer

The inspirational true story of an Aussie bloke from the outback, crippled with depression, who challenges himself to swim the English Channel as a way of managing his mental health struggles.


Brendan Cullen manages Kars Station, a 10,000-head sheep property 65 kilometres outside Broken Hill, New South Wales. In 2022, despite his nearest beach being more than 600 kilometres away, he swam the English Channel. 


Taking up swimming was part of Brendan's recovery from severe depression. The illness had seen him cope in highly unhealthy ways—drinking, overwork, being emotionally absent—for years until he found the strength to walk through the doors of Broken Hill Hospital and ask for help.


Then, in 2015, Brendan watched his brother compete in an open-water swim, and a year later he was doing the same. Despite it being exhausting and challenging, it made him feel vitally alive. In 2018 he happened to see an advertisement encouraging swimmers to take on the English Channel. An idea was sparked. 


Through Covid-19 restrictions, he trained for hours before dawn in the murky Menindee Lake system, and in icy local waters, determined to take on one of the world's most extreme ocean swims. And he did, completing the Channel crossing in 17 hours, after strong currents dragged him off course and extended his journey to 64 kilometres—almost double the most direct route. 


The Desert Swimmer shows the good that comes from facing challenges head-on. 


'Brendan's become a beacon of hope, inspiration and support well beyond Broken Hill.' Sabra Lane