When Amanda Kendall's long-haul truck driver husband returned to Western Australia after one of his lengthy commutes home across the Nullarbor, he had formed a plan.

"He pulled up and he says, 'I've had an idea … and you can't say no. I've just seen all the hay trucks going to the east and I want to do a convoy and I want to do it in the school holidays'," she said.

In just four weeks, with the help of his wife, Glenn 'Yogi' Kendall and fellow driver Peter Wright amassed more than $100,000 worth of hay and farm supplies from WA farmers and businesses for drought-affected NSW farmers.

Driven by volunteer drivers, the eight-truck convoy left the small farming town of Kojonup, 250km south-east of Perth, on Monday morning, with family, friends and the Kendall family dog, Rocco, in tow.

"My wife and kids are coming … so while [truck drivers] can sit there and drive 12 hours a day some of these people can't, so we're having a bit of a lazy run across the paddock," Mr Kendall said.

"We just got to settle down today, get into the groove, probably put the thongs on … shoes optional."

It is the second hay convoy to leave from Western Australia since it was declared last month that 100 per cent of NSW was in drought.

Volunteers on every front

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Despite local farmers facing their own problems sourcing feed for livestock, Mr Wright said 130 tonnes of livestock feed had been left at drop-off points in WA's Great Southern for the homegrown charity campaign dubbed the Great Southern Hearts Drive For Life.

"We just thought we'd get a load each even if we had to buy some to take it over, then it just went from there," Mr Wright said.

"It's got to the stage we actually had to ask people to stop donating because we can't do anything with it."

Mr Kendall said it was not just farmers, but rural communities as a whole who understood the impact of a long dry spell.

"It's very emotional. These people down here, they know drought … they've seen drought so they just jumped on real quick and supported us," he said.

"We're not qualified in anything other than [truck driving], but we like to give back because we rely on people supporting us."

"It's a massive financial burden for these blokes to take a week off out of their [truck run] and to donate their time. It's crazy, we can't thank them enough."

Mr Kendall says the Drive For Life campaign has been inundated by donations from the Western Australian rural community. ( Supplied: Great Southern Hearts Drive For Life )

Promoting regional life

Mr Kendall said the convoy would also highlight the struggles of rural living.

"Each night for the next five nights we've got structured events organised so we want to promote rural businesses, we want to promote regional living, we want to promote the idea of locals looking after locals," he said.

"We're just showing people that there are people out there to help you."

The 3,700km cross-country trip is set to end this week in the north-eastern NSW town of Gunnedah, where the fodder will be distributed by local Country Women's Association branches and the Lions Clubs through the Need For Feed program.

With the staggering amount supplies donated, and a lack of trucks to cart it across the Nullarbor, about 100 tonnes has been left behind in WA.

"We might have to go [again] next week," Mr Kendall said.

Communities pull together

Salmon Gums locals and convoy participants sit down to dinner. ( ABC Rural: Tara De Landgrafft )

On the invitation of farmer Emily Starcevich, the convoy made its first overnight rest stop in the small town of Salmon Gums on WA's south-east coast.

Relatively new to working the land, Ms Starcevich said she had learned quickly how fickle the business could be.

"It's your life, it becomes part of you, there's no denying it," she said.

"We struggled with drought for a few years … so I think when it's drought relief we sort of think 'Well, we know what that feels like', so we can get on board with doing just the smallest things such as putting sausages on the barbecue."

While not in drought in 2018, the Salmon Gums community is facing a challenging harvest with hot dry winds, frost and a lack of rainfall impacting the region's farmers.

The convoy's truck drivers enjoy a beer with local Salmon Gums farmers at the community centre. ( ABC Rural: Tara De Landgrafft )

Local producer Rory Graham said getting together as a community to support the cause as well as check in with neighbours was invaluable.

"It's essential that we have a 'how are you' night or the black dog thing. You've got to support your neighbour," he said.

"We're not real good at picking up the phone and ringing each other so what do you do, you organise something like this and we all come in and we have a beer and then we're all comfortable. That's the way it works.

"We've had our share of droughts and we know exactly what's going on over there. That's why we're keen to help."

With a population of just under 800 people, on Monday night the Salmon Gums community raised $800 for drought relief, which will accompany the eight trucks of hay and pellets bound for NSW farmers.