Every rescue dog has a story, and too often, those stories start with hardship. When Bec and I were brainstorming how to combine our love of adventure with giving back, we knew we wanted to create a project that not only raised awareness but also made a real impact on the ground. That’s how Send It for the Strays was born.

The initial plan was simple, buy and old 4x4, service it, throw a swag at the back, a gas cooker and hit the road for a 3 weeks stunt where we would send it down to Gunshot (Old Telegraph Track).

As we started talking about it, people and brands got excited, touring and 4x4 companies started jumping on board, wanting to support us, giving us greater comfort and the car stronger capabilities so we could do this for longer to help more dogs.

The plan naturally evolved and became bigger, bolder, more adventurous. We decided to take our rugged 1984 LandCruiser HJ47 on a 4 month 4x4 journey (May to August) from Melbourne, through the Simpson Desert to Cape York, tackling some of Australia’s toughest tracks along the way.

Why an old cruiser you may ask? We deliberately swapped our 2022 v8 Troopy for this old farm truck, rough around the edges, full of character, and ready to prove its worth, just like the rescue dogs we are backing up.

The plan had us and everyone else involved excited, we even managed to organise a support vehicle to come with us for the hardest tracks, so that we could pull ourselves out of trouble if needed. We spent from November to April restoring the old ute, we started with zero mechanical knowledge, but thanks to strangers who are now friends we learned quickly, not forgetting YouTube, our not-so-secret weapon! We spent countless hours working in the dark, making sure everything was done on the car, rebuild the top end engine, install E-lockers, rewiring the entire car, changing suspension, installing a tray, a canopy followed by a mammoth of 12v and water set up. Everything has been designed and thought so we could stay off grid for a very long time.

But end of March 2026, a spanner was thrown in the works. Fuel prices jumped from $1.90/L to $3.30/L, blowing out our budget and making fundraising twice as hard. Bec and I had to come up with a solution that would let us travel slower, keep our audience engaged, and put the car to its touring purpose, while also bringing in some income so we could fund the dog fundraiser ourselves as much as possible, instead of relying on donations that were becoming harder to secure.

25th of March, this is when the idea came up: Gold prospecting! If we could get our hands on metal detectors, we could tackle the famous Victoria Golden Triangle. This would be the perfect fit, touring/4wdriving to prospecting destinations, camping, slow travelling, outdoor AND income to finance the dog fundraiser. Bingo, we got our ticket to save the dogs!

So, we made our research, and found Minelab, a very reputable Australian founded metal detector company, based in South Australia. We got in touch with them, they loved the idea, they jumped all in to support us and the rest is history (in the making).

Bec and I will officially tackle the great Victoria outdoors looking for gold, in winter! (Yep…)

We will also be visiting dog shelters in the area, helping re-photograph and edit their websites and social media imagery, and delivering goodies like food, treats, bedding, and toys, making sure every dog and cat has a little extra love.

The project is about showing the value in the overlooked, celebrating the resilient, and using our skills in storytelling, photography, and videography to amplify the incredible work these shelters do. Send It for the Strays isn’t just a road trip, it’s a movement to give rescue dogs the visibility, care, and support they deserve.

If you are keen to watch an adventure where dogs are better looked after, touring brings joy not only to the 2 people in the cab and are curious to see how much gold we find… give us a follow, our entire adventure is updated weekly on social media!

Astrid and Bec

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER v8 2022