Stone gold: Two weeks, two states, two photographers, and a bag full of mixed characters out to get hammers and live life on the road. "Here comes trouble" had never made more sense.

Peanut

IT'S FUNNY how boat loads of criminals were shipped from a grey and cold city to a large, warm, tropical island as punishment for unlawful acts. So goes the story of Australia's colonization, which since has been built as a multicultural society with the only natives being Aborigines. Being a young country with such a wide spectrum of different cultures, it is hard to define a solid cultural identity. Hence the reason why people who have not experienced Australia in the flesh are led to believe that the great southern land is arid and only filled with native marsupials, deserts, plenty of beer, rock bands, and crocodile hunters. The truth is that Australia is no different to a Tarago filled with skateboarders from around the world on a Volcom Skate Rock tour than Kangaroo balls for sale roadside to be used as a purse.

It was good to see Remy in Oz; the feeling of being somewhere new and unexplored can make anyone happy. It was the first time I met Geoff Rowley, Mark Appleyard. and Bastien Salabanzi. It was like meeting superheros--you want some villain to come and fuck with you so you can watch your superhero friend kick his ass. When surrounded by skateboarders of the highest calibre, you can't wait to witness grade-A hammers. They all seemed super chill and happy to be in Sydney, overlooking the North Shore on the golden sands of Manly. It was only a matter of time until the complete Volcom Oz team, including the Spawn from Melbourne, would arrive ready to run amuck. Two weeks, two states, two photographers, and a bag full of mixed characters out to get hammers and live life on the road. "Here comes trouble" had never made more sense.

Now, the whole plan was pretty simple: One all day demo on the up and coming Saturday, then two demos in Melbourne the following week. The rest of the time spent getting hammers.

Mid-Wednesday, Remy and I took off to get Andrew Mapstone (the Hammer Chief Inspector), Scottie Cameron, Tom Cuthbertson, and The Spawn. They touched down all itching to roll, hyped like monkeys after sharing a plane with Jimmy Barnse and Kathy Freeman. On the drive back, Remy and Dollin caught up on ol' times, and also had the pleasure of meeting the Mapstone in person. Now, Dollin has the tendency to take control of the situation--it's in his blood, The kid has been on the road ever since I've known him and that's a good quality to have in the skateboarding world. Dustin made a few calls and planned to meet Azar back in Manly.

Shane Azar, an up-and-coming kid from Dee Why and Purush Wilson, a tree hugging hippy from Byron Bay, dropped in to say what up and took the boys for a little street warm up. A game of skate on a metal arched bicycle rack, then a little roof gap later, and the day shortly ended. The next day we went to get some tucker down town when I found along side me playing skate none other than Bastien Salabanzi. We managed to fit in a little session at the freshy-high 10stair rail where a mosh did ensue. We then payed a visit to the Es demo at Level 2 skatepark.

Everything was looking fine. We had our pad on the beach, van to seek out spots, sleep apparatus for all, and a two week schedule.. but that wasn't enough. Mr. Spawn decided he wanted to move the whole crew to the heart of the city for a more efficient hammer program. This was a great idea in theory, but wasn't looking too good on the Volcom credit card. We all packed up and left the comfort of the apartment on the beach and headed for the city Hotel check-in was sweet, until a jack hammer started thumping next door, consistently pounding into the depths of everyone's temples--Geoff's especially, which resulted in Geoff, Apples, and Bastien moving to another hotel where Arto and Fred the French filmer--currently for Flip--were based.

After some rain, scattered hotels all over Sydney, and two jam-packed signings later, it was finally hammer O'clock. Mapstone doesn't drink but I knew he was out, so it felt right to call him up and get him involved even though it was 3am. Mapstone is addicted to skateboarding, more so than Dustin; it's amazing. Apples threw down a few back lips, frontside nosegrinds and front lips on a gap to bench in Martin before watching the graveyard shift street cleaners pack up and the birds bathe in sidewalk pavement puddles.

Friday arose, and all that was installed was an in-store. Walkman, the cats whom helped make this trip possible, came and gave the boys a great little piece of technology that pumped sounds into their eardrums. Geoff, Apples, and Dustin left the team to do some radio and TV interviews at Fox Studios. Dustin made a comment on live television that encouraged under age kids to start drinking alcohol. Geoff spat a few "yeps," "nopes," and "dunnos," while Remy was trying to win a trip to Canada by hitting a ball through a circle with an ice hockey stick. It was a great evening with the kids, and we all had so much fun. The next day we had the Volcom Skate Rock, so the crew took it easy and counted some Z's.

A condensed wall of kids lined up outside the Hordan Pavilion. This venue usually caters for big rock concerts or wrestling matches. It was good to see the place quickly fill up to watch some Grade-A skateboarding and some unsigned rock bands. A girl got smacked out in a board toss, a kid broke his arm, and another broke a collarbone. Witnessing a hammer-live-can send kids crazy.

Dustin skated around like a true Piss Drunx, with ollie over frontside crooks and kick flick over nose to fakie on the hubba funbox. Backside flip, f/s 180 heel, and frontside kicky over the big Walkman gap, and switch crooks and kickflip crooks on the Volcom rail.

Geoff busted backside 360s over the Walkman gap, ollie over to noseblunt, and hurricane grinds down the rail.

Butteryard (Apples) is quite tidy when it comes to skateboarding. Even though he is tall for a teenager, the kid had a bag full of tricks. Tre flips over the extended Walkman gap. Kicky backside lip and kicky frontside board on the rail and nollie flip over to 5-0, plus a nollie flip over to noseslide on the hubba box. All twice in one day

Purush with kara-tre flips and frontside 180 flips over the Walkinan gap. Ollie over to f/s noseslide on the hubba box.

Scottie with ollie over to frontside blunt the hubba box.

Needless to say, the team skated hard and the crowd went home with smiling eyes. With all the Sydney Demos and signings out of the way, two days of piling out sounded beauty. Dustin managed to get a frontside noseslide down the BT rail in our time of rest before leaving for Melbourne.

We were welcomed by Nobby, and taken to the sweet Royal Gardens on the edge of Fitzroy. These apartments resembled that of a retirement village. The best item, and most used, stood the old trusty Webber barbeque. Session after session: Breakfast, lunch and tea-living up to Australian culture and cementing the fact that shrimps are not often chucked on the Barbie.

It is easily said that Geoff Rowley's mere presence touched the soul of others everywhere he roamed; demos and in-stores packed with plenty of fans all happy just to get a glimpse. Geoff, being chased by fans, would retreat to pubs only because the kids weren't allowed in. Melbourne is where we witnessed the true nature of The Rowley. Hammer missions stretched late at night into the early morning. Occasionally, a dim light flashed around town. This was us searching with headlights, with Bowie followed by Biggy mumbling in the night jungle. Suddenly, a domino shine of red brake lights and a robotic blink of yellow glow--Rowley had put our search to a halt with a spot that caught his interest. A seven-stair, huge gap of flat, then three. "If I'm going to hurt my heels I might as well hurt them good," he mumbled as he psyched himself up for a huck. Geoff ollied the mammoth double set and shortly after pulled a frontside 180--the biggest frontside 180 I had ever seen.

Dustin stepped up to the plate with Spawn style--perfect flick and catch but clacked his tail on the last stair, sliding him 10 feet on his back. Security ended the session with Dustin gladly thanking the guard for the intervention. "I would have broken my neck in half!" Dustin has a great relationship with the police and rent-a-cops in Melbourne. They love the little terror, and seem to be most supportive of skateboarding.