A PADDLEBOARD might not be the first mode of transport that comes to mind for travelling through the Maranoa.

For Victoria resident Tom Dunn, however, Surat was one of many stops on his unconventional journey through regional Queensland.

Mr Dunn, 21, set himself a mission to paddleboard from Warwick to Murray Mouth in South Australia.

All up, he will cover 3750km, with a goal of raising $60, 000 for Deaf Children Australia.

"I did the Murray River in a kayak about two years ago and I was keen to do a similar trip again and started looking at the river systems of Australia,” Mr Dunn said.

"That's where the idea was born to do the paddling component.”

As for the motivation behind the fundraising component, Mr Dunn said it came from his personal experience.

"The trip is a fundraiser for Deaf Children Australia. My sister is profoundly deaf, and DCA to a lot of work for her,” he said.

"The inspiration behind the trip was my parents would travel four hours to Melbourne every week to get my sister access to the services she needed.

"Not all families can put the time and the effort, and the money, into investing into their kids like they need to.”

Mr Dunn planned his trip route using Google Earth, mapping the river systems that wind throughout the heart of Queensland.

He said once he arrived, the reality on the ground was different to what he saw on the screen, with many rivers far too dry to paddle in.

"All the satellite imagery must have all been taken during flood time. From what I could see, it all had water in there,” he said.

Mr Dunn arrived in Surat after around three weeks of travel, much of which has been done on foot rather than on the board as planned.

He said the elements, and a lack of preparation for long-distance walking, had taken their toll.

"It's been absolutely exhausting being out in the heat. You Queenslanders are a tough lot,” Mr Dunn said.

The original goal was to complete the trip in 90 days, but unexpected changes have put Mr Dunn about five days behind schedule.

Hitting the road or river at around 4am each day, Mr Dunn's travels up to 60km in a day.

He has already raised $12, 000.

Visit facebook.com /SUP4DCA for information.