Figuring they’d eventually be ordered off the road, the duo were originally going to set off from Newcastle and donate any money they raised to the farm nearest to where they finished up.

What they didn’t predict was the tractor becoming a rolling canvas for children in need on a 10-day trip from Newcastle to Melbourne.

Rather than setting off on their own, Mr Percival said he and Mr Glover decided to link up with the Art Cabriolet, an organisation that provides art therapy to children who have gone through trauma.

“We always kept talking about it, so I thought I’d buy a tractor and we’d go as far as we could,” Mr Percival said.

“I was lucky enough to do some work with The Art Cabriolet through my work, it was really good to hear what they do for the kids, so after that I offered to have them get involved in the trip.

“They thought it was a good thing to do something different, so they came on board.” 

Caroline Eshak-Liuzzi from The Art Cabriolet said it was important for the group to get out on the road and showcase the benefits art therapy could have for children in need.

“We work with children who are in end of life, endure lifelong illness, with children whose parents are in prison – it’s quite broad,” she said.

“It’s a broad range of artistic expression, things like painting, music, dance – it’s creative therapy.

“It’s all about giving them another way to communicate what they’re feeling.”