At 11:30 on Sunday 20th August Dave Cornthwaite will push off from Perth, Australia, with 6000km of road and four months of skating ahead until he reaches Brisbane on the east coast.

He's got to be fucking mental hasn't he? He's already taken his longboard from John O'Groats to Land's End. Wasn't that enough?

We caught up with him as he prepares for his epic journey and ask...

Steal-Life: So, ARE you fucking mental or what?
Dave Cornthwaite - Hah! No mate, not even close. If I was I probably would have flown to Australia by myself and skated out of Perth with no support van, no water, no maps. Probably no spare bearings either. It's a mental idea, sure, but I still think I'm perfectly sane!

SL: Hmmm...not entirely convinced. So what's so special about your board anyway?
DC - My rolls rolls board (www.rollsrolls.com), I call her Elsa, is constructed from Carbon Fibre and Kevlar, which means she's pretty darn strong. At each end of the deck the wheel wells are risen up to accommodate larger-than-usual wheels but also to ensure that the standing platform is as close to the ground as possible, which does a huge amount to relieve the strain on my standing leg during long journeys. What is else is special about her? She's the only skateboard to have travelled the length of Britain, cool eh!

SL: It's all downhill from John O'Groats isn't it? How did you cope with the really steep slopes?
DC - That's what they told me, they lied. John O'Groats is at sea level and Land's End is at the top of a 100ft cliff, so actually it's uphill! Steep ups are a bugger, most of the time I just stare at the road in front and keep pushing until I make the top. There were a few occasions when a ridiculous climb mixed in with violent headwinds and/or rubbish road conditions and I had to get off and walk. The roads of Britain are not designed with skateboards in mind.

SL: Any hairy moments on the trip?
DC - There were a few. Now and then I had no choice but to skate along busy A-roads and you feel pretty vulnerable skating along with heavy goods vehicles whizzing by at 60mph. Scotland, Cumbria and Devon threw in some pretty steep downhills and I don't care what anyone says, 30mph on a skateboard is more than fast enough. There was also a really freaky garden just south of Aviemore and if we'd looked at that any longer I'm sure the owner would have come out and cast a spell on us.

SL: What did you learn about your British countrymen and women on this journey?
DC - I learnt that wherever you go there's generosity. People see you pushing yourself hard and they help you along in whatever way they can. Maybe it was pity! Seriously though, it's easy to get stuck in a bubble in the UK, breaking out of that and skating the island opened my eyes to the general public's true nature. Sure, there are some arseholes out there who wind their windows down and give you grief, but I can count the negative comments on two hands.

SL: Where was the day's best ride?
DC - Good question. There was a cracking hill that went on and on and on just north of a place called Tummel Bridge in Scotland, had to make use of the whole road for a good two miles to control the speed. The run into Penzance from the hills was lovely too, narrow windy roads, hardly any cars, pretty much all downhill and the sun was blazing, perfect.

SL: And the worst?
DC - There were plenty of down days. I developed a tennis-ball sized blister on my pushing foot and a shoe-change conspired to rub away three layers of skin on my heel, so the final 550 miles of the journey was somewhat marred by excruciating pain. Add to this the wettest May the UK had seen in decades and it made a good deal of England pretty miserable.

SL: Having road tested skate shoes to destruction (and your own feet), who makes the best shoe in your opinion?
DC - I'm not saying, because the company who makes excellent long-distance shoes said they didn't have the budget to sponsor me six pairs! Instead, www.vapourised.com, an online skate shop, stuck their necks out and actually support me with shoes.

SL: How many sets of wheels did you get through?
DC - Just two. The general set-up of the board does wonders for reducing wear and tear on the wheels. I reckon just one pair could have lasted the full 900 miles, but I fancied a change halfway through.

SL: What do you think will be the main obstacles when you attempt the Australian transverse?
DC - Australia is a whole new ball game. The heat is going to be a new challenge and I plan to skate as close to dusk and dawn as I can to lessen the impact of the sun. I'm a fair-haired boy and burn easily, so going back to your earlier question yes, I'm mental for choosing Australia!
The Nullarbor Plain is going to be tough. Skating for six weeks across a desert might sound like a nightmare but I'm actually looking forward to it. The Eyre Highway which spans the Nullarbor is renowned for being the loneliest road in the world, I just see it as a challenge to overcome.

SL: Aren't you worried about randy Aussie ranch hands dragging your young flesh into the outback and ‘doing the kangaroo' on yo ass?
DC - I was kind of hoping they would! Nah, I reckon my support team will look after me and I'm sure the girls on the team would happily separate me from randy Aussies!

SL: Interesting choice of charities, why them?
DC - They're a mixed bunch of charities but ultimately I chose them because the work they do needs some recognition. I've been involved with Link Community Development for a few years, ever since I took part in an annual fundraiser they organise, which involves students hitchhiking from the UK to Morocco. The Lowe Syndrome Trust strives to find a cure for Lowe Syndrome, a currently incurable disease that attacks young boys. Jack Smith, the current world distance skateboard record holder, did his most recent crossing of the US to raise funds to fight Lowe, as his son died from the disease in 2003. Finally I needed an Australian charity to focus on during my time Down Under and Sailability Australia fit the picture perfectly. They couple disabled adults and children with able-bodied sailors and bit by bit disability becomes more of a non-issue when they're on the boats. It's an inspiring charity and the least I can do is help them along with their good work.

SL: Finally, are you doing this just to draw attention away from your ginger hair?
DC - I don't know what you mean, I'm strawberry blonde.

Link Community Development http://www.lcd.org.uk
The Lowe Syndrome Trust http://www.lowetrust.com