HE HAS battled 40C-plus heat, punishing headwinds, sunbaking snakes, impatient motorists and hundreds of blisters.

But tomorrow Dave Cornthwaite will come to the end of the road when he rolls into Brisbane, finishing his five-month, 5800km odyssey skateboarding across Australia. The Welshman and his longboard Elsa left Perth in late August on his BoardFree charity skate to raise funds for groups including Sailability Australia for people with disabilities.

“Ever since we left Perth, it’s been a building crescendo of honks, waves and shouts from people passing us on the road,” Mr Cornthwaite, 27, said.

Each day he spent six hours covering 65km in all weather, followed by his support team.

Last month, he smashed the skateboard journey record – 4830km by Jack Smith, who skated across the US in 2003.

Mr Cornthwaite has raised more than $40,000 from roadside donations: “People pull over every 10 minutes to make a donation and have a chat.”

The British High Commission will throw him a finale party outside the Performing Arts Complex, South Bank, at 12.30pm tomorrow. Skateboarders wanting to escort Mr Cornthwaite across the finish line should meet at the Gabba’s Stanley St and Ipswich Rd entrance at 11.45am.

After tomorrow, he was looking forward to a “decent lie-in”.