The natural wonders of the North will be put on show over the next three weeks with adventure enthusiast and digital creator Jamie Vogler officially taking to the water for the Coast to Carpentaria Charity Challenge.
The Perth-based influencer set out on day one of his epic boat journey from Townsville to Normanton yesterday, raising awareness and funds for the Cowboys Community Foundation and its life changing programs.
The 24-day voyage will cover more than 2000km with Jamie docking in regional and remote communities along the way to showcase the scenery, engage with residents and join the Cowboys Community team delivering their initiatives.
“This is an amazing opportunity for me to experience and share what this stunning part of the world has to offer,” Jamie said.
“The Cowboys play such a huge role in this region on the field and off, and I chose the Foundation because of the amazing work they do through programs like Try for 5! and NRL Cowboys House.
“I can’t wait to meet up with the Cowboys team in locations like Cairns, Cooktown, Bloomfield River and Normanton and see first-hand the positive impact their programs have in these communities.
“I’ve been overwhelmed already by the support of partners like Toyota, Daiwa, Ampol, Spotters and RID Australia for coming on board to make sure we travel safe and sound.
“Our goal is to highlight the land and seascapes, make some new mates, have plenty of fun and raise $25,000 to help the Cowboys charity to keep making a difference.”
Jamie and his crew departed Townsville on Sunday in a custom-built 7 metre vessel, farewelled by Foundation staff and NRL Cowboys House students with a ceremonial marine cannon send-off thanks to Engage Marine.
Day 1 included a 102km journey from Townsville to Lucinda taking in the beauty of Palm Island and Hinchinbrook Island, capped off by a community fundraising event at the Lucinda Hotel supported by XXXX.
From there they will go on to visit Mission Beach, Innisfail, Cairns, Bloomfield River, Cooktown, Cape Melville, Lockhart River, Captain Billy Landing, Bamaga, Mapoon, Weipa, Aurukun, Pormpuraaw, Karumba and finishing in Normanton in early December.
The Cowboys Community Foundation is the official charity arm of the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys. It delivers education and employment programs across the club’s extensive footprint including NRL Cowboys House, Try for 5!, Try Time! and Adopt-a-School.
“The Cowboys have the largest geographic footprint in the NRL/NRLW and as the Cowboys charity we are on the road and in the air every week to make a difference as broadly as we can,” CEO Cowboys Community Foundation Fiona Pelling said.
“This is such a unique and exciting initiative to be associated with, particularly when it’s being driven by an individual like Jamie who can share his journey to such a wide audience online. It would be wonderful to see each of the communities embrace the opportunity by welcoming Jamie to shore and showing him the local sites,” she said.
“Every view, share or like on Jamie’s content and every dollar raised will help us to keep making a positive impact.”
Jamie’s progress can be tracked on his social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok (search Jamie Vogler) and donations can be made via the Coast to Carpentaria Charity Challenge online portal.
