Hands Across the Water Australia was founded by Peter Baines in October 2005 to raise funds for, and awareness of, the children of Thailand who were directly affected by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.

A former police officer, Peter was deployed to Thailand at the height of the Tsunami emergency to assist with the identification of the thousands of deceased bodies following the tragedy and it was through this work that he became aware of the needs of a number of Thai children who were orphaned and living in a tent. Sadly, many had also lost members of their extended families and their homes and villages were destroyed.

After returning for the last time, Peter wanted to contribute in a more meaningful way to the lives of these children and it was through this belief that Hands Across the Water was born.

The first project was to fund the construction of a home for the orphaned children of the badly damaged Ban Nam Khem region of Phuket (near the Khao Lak resort area). This orphanage (Baan Tharn Namchai) was opened in August 2006 and a second was opened in January 2009.