After three years on the road, a young Queensland-born farmer has arrived in Tasmania as he continues his mission to circumnavigate Australia.
21-year-old Sam Hughes, known as ‘The Travelling Jackaroo’, has picked up over 200,000 social media followers since departing from his hometown of Maleny on the Sunshine Coast in March 2021.
Hughes is covering the country in his quirky, bright orange tractor named ‘Slim’, accompanied by a tinny boat, gyrocopter and even a small plane.
The viral journey has since turned into a charity powerhouse, raising more than $230,000 for various not-for-profit groups.
This includes $140,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, $70,000 for Dolly’s Dream and $20,000 for Drought Angels.
Support for Hughes’s mission comes from numerous sponsors and backers, including Strait Link, which provided transport across Bass Strait earlier this month.
Having docked in mid-May, Hughes made his first stop at the Tasmanian State Ploughing Competition in Elliott before setting off along the north-west coast.
Generous strangers have greeted him with warm meals, repairs and new gear in exchange for lending a hand.
During a visit to the Don River Railway last week, volunteers Harry, Barry and John fixed several issues with the tractor before it sets off on its journey around Tasmania.
“In less than a day they completely removed Slims cooling system, repaired several cracks/leaks/blemishes as well as doing some welding repairs,” Hughes said.
“Then re-installed the cooling system and put it all back in ready to drive out of the workshop the same day he drove in.”
