Instead of lying on a beach or finding a quiet place with a book, this Nambucca Heads nurse heads off in a wreck of a car to raise money for cancer research.

Laura is one of an enthusiastic group of fundraisers who take part annually in what is known as the ‘Shitbox Rally’.

This means teams take on outback roads and extreme conditions in vehicles that cannot be worth more than $1000.

“This year I drove a 1982 Toyota Celica – it was a terrible beast with all its interior wiring hanging out but still registerable in South Australia,” Laura said.

“It cost $200 and then I had to have it shipped from Adelaide.”

Fresh from the 2016 Shitbox Rally from Mackay to Hobart via Bass Strait in seven days (and 14 hour days), Laura is already gearing up for next year, when she is intending to do two rallies.

“The first will be in New Zealand, where we will tackle the South Island and the second one is in Australia, starting in Adelaide and finishing in Cairns via the Oodnadatta Track and the Plenty Highway.

“This year my team, Wrong Direction, raised just under $7000, all of which went to the Cancer Council for research into a cure for cancer.

“I keep doing this because everyone in my family has been touched by cancer and it keeps happening and I am really sick of it … this year my aunty was diagnosed and Mum lost a good friend.”

She described the event as “hideous but also perfect”.

“It’s the best fun and we are all like one big family doing this for the best of causes … plus we pay as we go through every town.

“Community groups are paid to feed us and/or accommodate us, so everyone benefits.

“The support team are amazing – they are the ones who arrive to make running repairs or remove ‘dead’ cars along the way.”

Laura is starting her sponsorship drive early this year – if you want to climb on board, you can contact her on 0435 725 732.