Outback skateboarder travels complete east coastline of Australia to fundraise for skatepark in Laos
A male from Broken Hill in Considerably West New South Wales is on a mission to skate additional than 3,600 kilometres up the east coast of Australia to bring his really like for skateboarding to fellow fanatics in underdeveloped nations around the world.
Tom Drury, 28, has presently travelled 1,200km alongside the coastline from Melbourne to Wollongong in a bid to achieve Cairns in Significantly North Queensland by March.
“I commenced at Melbourne Central and then I went down the Mornington Peninsula and received a ferry to Phillip Island and I’ve just been subsequent the coastal highway all the way up — it truly is been killer,” he stated.
Mr Drury’s initial lengthy-distance skateboarding enterprise was in June this yr when he skated 115km from Damaged Hill to Menindee in a person working day.
He now strategies to be the first particular person in the earth to travel together the east coast from Melbourne to Cairns completely on a skateboard, even though documenting his travels to his followers on .
“I am carrying out any where between 50 and 80km a day, but I normally typical close to 70km a day,” Mr Drury stated.
Relying on the generosity of strangers
Much of the highway on his trek to the top rated of Australia is rocky, slender, and includes some of the busiest highways in the state.
“Some sections of the Princes Freeway you can find a large amount far more visitors, the streets weren’t built for me and my skateboard, some parts have been tremendous annoying, but I am even now alive,” he stated.
Mr Drury claims he is developed up pretty the reputation with motorists, who have stopped to give him water and treats, or pulled more than out of sheer curiosity.
“I have been sofa surfing the entire way, a several periods men and women have attained out to me on my socials and have available rooms, so I’ve type of been being with strangers,” he said.
“I have had to doorknock before because I ran out of h2o and I went to a farmhouse and was in a position to fill up my drinking water there but that was my most hard working day.
“The weather has been so humid, so I have been chaffing.”
Mr Drury has not only embarked on this wild enterprise totally alone but he has carried very little but the bag on his again.
“I have obtained my 1 backpack with all my water, a few sets of apparel, my drone and my GoPro, a pair of flip flops, my melodica, which is a keyboard instrument, and some applications,” he claimed.
“Just the bare necessities, but it truly is really heavy the moment I’ve bought all my things on.”
‘A good perspective and an open up mind’
Apart from his unequivocal appreciate for skateboarding, Mr Drury’s main incentive is to elevate $25,000 to make a skatepark in Laos.
Mr Drury has been doing the job with NGO to secure land for the skatepark, and claims the dollars he is raising will go straight to building charges.
“Laos is the only nation in South-East Asia that will not have a skatepark and the skate scene is massive in excess of there,” he stated.
Given that the starting of his very long-length skate, his has erupted with donations, but Mr Drury states he has a extended way to go prior to he reaches his journey and fundraising targets.
“I’m just a huge believer in skateboarding … it can be been a big vice in my daily life and it can be crucial to have a safe and sound place for folks to skateboard,” he said.
Inspite of his huge job ahead, Mr Drury states it is worthwhile.
“A ton of folks believe you have to have to be actually in good shape to do this stuff,” he reported.
“It can be not about that, it truly is about getting a superior perspective and an open mind about factors that may transpire on the road, but you can’t permit that end you.”