This year Tracks is hitting the road. We’ve dreamed up a project called Wanderlust to get us out of suburbia and back to our roots via an epic road trip adventure. The Great Aussie Road Trip is a rite of passage for surfers of all ages, abilities and bank balances. Out there on the highway the surfer with an ounce of gumption is truly free. Every side road offers fresh adventure. National parks crawl with wildlife. Dirt tracks lead to heart-pumping slabs. Massive fibreglass bananas ask the big questions. Who knows what we’ll find?

Along for the ride are two of Australia’s best junior surfers – Luke Hynd and Mikey Wright. They’re amped to be surfing parts of Australia they’ve never experienced before. You’ll be seeing a bunch of them in future editions of the mag and, if you’re real patient, the final Wanderlust film. That’s Luey with the Sideshow Bob curls. Mikey you’ll spot by a mullet that wouldn’t look out of place at Bathurst. Both shred.

But Wanderlust is not about the groms and their awesome hair. It’s an ode to the great escape, something every surfer has experienced. It’s about the people you meet along the way. It’s about the campfire stories and serendipitous discoveries. It’s about Akubra hats, road food and that first glug of beer after a full day of waves. Mostly though it’s about getting shacked off your head.

I’ve just stepped off the east coast leg of Wanderlust. It’s been a blast. Cyclone Pam blessed us with a little push-push and we made the most of it at Snapper, The Pass, Lennox Head and Angourie Point. Not epic waves but plenty of clean down the line leg burners and pushy back beaches. Right now I still smell of the road: campfire smoke, saltwater, beer, sweat and rissoles. My dog’s impressed, the wife, less so. As I write the rest of the crew are barrelling down a back road somewhere on the south coast. Wanderlust is gathering momentum. Stay tuned.

Wanderlust is proudly supported by Corona, Isuzu, Blackwolf Camping gear and SP Gadgets.