RELYING ON his trusty skateboard and the kindness of strangers, Broken Hill man Tom Drury rolled his way into the Tweed Shire this week on a mammoth mission to be the first person to skateboard from Melbourne to Cairns.
Mr Drury is undertaking the 3,600km solo trip to raise funds in order to build the first skatepark in the country of Laos.
The passionate skater, who admits to not being the fittest person in the world, was invited by the owners of Kick Push to stop at Tweed Heads to take a break on his lengthy journey.
“Darin (Gerbasch) the owner of Kick Push reached out to me online after I posted about my journey,” he said.
“It’s been such a warm welcome by Darin into the Tweed, with a roast dinner on my first night.”
In fact, Mr Drury has largely relied on the kindness of strangers inviting him into their homes across the country during his journey, stopping for a meal and a place to sleep.
“I started out from Melbourne Central Train Station and I’ve been going ever since,” he said, stopping in the Tweed Shire on Monday, February 8.
Mr Drury says he’s built up quite the reputation with motorists, who have stopped to give him water and snacks, or pulled over out of sheer curiosity.
“I’ve been couch surfing the entire way, a few times people have reached out to me on my socials and have offered rooms, so I’ve sort of been staying with strangers,” he said.
“I’ve had to doorknock before because I ran out of water and I went to a farmhouse and was able to fill up my water there, but that was my most challenging day.
“The weather has been so humid, so I’ve been chaffing.”
Mr Drury has embarked on this wild adventure completely alone with no support team.
“I’ve got my one backpack with all my water, three sets of clothes, my drone and my GoPro, a pair of flip flops, my melodica, which is a keyboard instrument, and some tools,” he said.
“Just the bare essentials, but it’s pretty heavy once I’ve got all my stuff on.
“The kindness has been amazing from people.
“It is truly making the trip something special.”
But a journey of this distance is not without its challenges, with thousands of kilometres yet to go.
“Some of the highways have been a challenge and I have had the odd resident phone the police on me, but otherwise I’ve found my way,” he said.
Mr Drury is attempting to raise $25,000 to construct Laos’ first skatepark, in a country that has embraced the art of skating, but still lacks any infrastructure for skaters to hone their skills.