'I was completely spent': Former Premier reflects on 350km walk 10 days on

The former Tasmanian Premier made headlines earlier this month when he set out from Burnie on foot and walked all the way to Glenorchy.

The initiative served as a fundraising effort for Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania (MRC Tas), which received $65,000 against a $50,000 target.

Mr Gutwein, who chairs the organisation, said the idea for a walk came six weeks prior when he read an article about two Indian taxi drivers who had been assaulted in Hobart.

"This came off the back of a number of issues over the last 18 months. We had some Chinese students that suffered racial vilification once the borders reopened post-Covid," he said.

"There were some Indian restaurants that were defaced in Hobart as well.

"I felt deeply ashamed as a Tasmanian, that we would let ourselves down like this."

The former Premier said he wanted to do something "that could actually change the narrative" and start a conversation about the social and economic contribution that migrants make to the island.

"Along the way I was joined by migrants and refugees who told positive stories about how they are building their lives here in Tasmania. But at the same time, they're helping to build Tasmania," he said.

"One in three small businesses are started by migrants. That just ensures that there is a richness across our economy in terms of the services that they provide and the skills that they bring to the table."

Undertaking the walk during the coldest month of the year was always going to be a challenge, but Mr Gutwein didn't do it alone.

"I took great heart from the number of people who actually stopped and tried to walk with me on the highway, that really surprised me," he said.

"I do want to thank Hazell Bros, Geoffrey Hazell especially. They had three vehicles and three men with me all the way.

"In some of the conditions that we had on the road, I was very thankful for that safety work that they did."

The marathon effort was originally set to start further west in Stanley, but Mr Gutwein admitted the additional 100 kilometres "would've killed me".

"The walk was physically more challenging than what I thought it would be. By the end of it, I was completely spent," he said.

While the MRC Tas chair doesn't plan on walking so far again, he's encouraging Tasmanian businesses and organisations to take on their own 'mini-walks'.

"What has been really positive in the last 10 days since the walk finished has been the number of organisations that have simply picked up the phone and reached out to ask 'how do we get involved?'," he said.

"It's exactly what I wanted to happen because the positive conversation about the contribution that migrants and refugees make to Tasmania has started.

"Unfortunately at times, we do let ourselves down. But importantly as Tasmanians, we are all simply better when we work together."