BoardFree: Rolling Around Australia

Perth-Brisbane 2006, a world record distance on a longboard

In August 2006 former Morocco hitcher Dave Cornthwaite, a Swansea-based graphic designer, will jump on a Rolls Rolls longboard in Perth, Australia and push 4000 miles across Australia's southern coast, ending up in Brisbane some 4 months later. The world record journey will be the culmination of a 17-month campaign to raise funds and awareness for three charities, one of which is Link Community Development.

The other charities benefitting from BoardFree are The Lowe Syndrome Trust, which initiates interest and raises funding for medical research into Lowe Syndrome, and Sailability Australia, which enriches the lives of people of all disabilities through the sport of sailing.

Dave is confident that the project will be a success, “The chance to roll around southern Australia was too irresistible to ignore, it’s a very long way but I’m sure that the nature of the journey will inspire people to find out about the causes BoardFree is supporting.”

As a warm-up for the Australia trip, in May Dave became the first person to skateboard the length of Britain, covering the 900 mile distance from John O’Groats to Lands End in 34 days. The BoardFree journeys have already featured in both the British and Australian media and have attracted the support of celebrities such as Ellen MacArthur and pro-skater Tony Hawk.

For more information on the UK and Australian journeys, photos, videos and blogs visit www.boardfree.co.uk. To donate to the BoardFree charities log on to www.justgiving.com/boardfree.