A Maltese man who travelled across Australia by bike has collected a dollar for every mile he cycled, with the aim of helping to protect some 36 miles of ocean reefs.

What started off as an adventure soon turned into a fundraiser – 23-year-old David Zammit has so far collected $2,499 in aid of an environmental NGO.

David Zammit.

Although his 27-day trip from Perth to Sydney is over, people can still chip in.

Mr Zammit has set up a Tumblr blog about his 2,485-mile trip and linked it to a donation page in aid of Conservation International.

The eNGO, he explains, is coming up with solutions to help protect the sea, and every $70 donated towards this project safeguards a mile of ocean.

This fund raiser came at the end of an adventure that started in January, when Mr Zammit headed to Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand and finally, Australia.

The highlight of his trip was crossing the Nullarbor plains – some 1,600 kilometres through the Australian outback desert where he feasted his eyes on “amazing wildlife” including kangaroos, dingoes, snakes and dolphins.

His trip, however, was not a smooth one. One night he was caught in a freak storm while camping in the desert halfway through his trip.

“The storm was a complete surprise and it was so strong that it shattered my tent and drifted my bike off the cliff edge some 150 metres away from where I was camping,” he said.

Mr Zammit caught the attention of some police officers with the aid of flares and he was eventually taken to the nearest shelter some 81 kilometres away.

“All in all it was an extremely terrifying experience, as I was truly at the mercy of Mother Nature and my life was pretty much on the line.

“Then again it was an amazing experience because I built up an enormous amount of self-belief and confidence,” he added.

Mr Zammit’s blog can be found here: www.mile4mile.tumblr.com and people can donate on www.crowdrise.com/MileforaMile/fundraiser/Mile4Mile.