After all your planning and preparation the wait is finally over! On arrival in Cairns you will be met by our experienced guide for a full safety and trip briefing and lunch. This afternoon we will meet a migrant now living in Cairns as she shares her story and her love of cooking with you. You learn how to prepare a delicious meal from her home country, and armed with the recipe you can also re-create this meal when you return home. In a time when the plight of migrants is widely discussed, this activity will allow you to understand circumstances in the world that cause people to flee their countries and will humanize this struggle. You gain some culinary skills and feast on a fantastic meal. Overnight in Cairns

Meals:  L,D

This morning we rise and pack our gear before we head down for breakfast. We then assemble and start our travels heading to the stunning Atherton Tablelands to Woodleigh Station. Woodleigh is a North Queensland cattle property that’s been owned by the same family for five generations. Our hosts will share their lifestyle, striking landscape, and outback Aussie country life experiences. From open dry forest to swampland, winding waterways and sandy riverbanks to rocky slopes, Woodleigh is the epitome of the true Australian bush. After a classic Aussie “barbie”, we have a fire under starry outback skies. From this remote outback station, views of the stars are phenomenal. Students sleep in dorm-style bunk houses. This afternoon we will explore the property looking for kangaroos and other wildlife in the hay truck before returning around the campfire that night. Overnight in dorm cabins at Woodleigh Cattle Station

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we wake up to life on an outback cattle station. Our group can be directly involved in a number of activities during the day including feeding the animals. We learn about agriculture – including where food comes from, how it’s produced, how it reaches our plates, and environmental sustainability. We then travel to the charming small town of Millaa Millaa known for its stunning outlook and waterfall circuit. This beautiful town is gateway to the southern Atherton Tablelands. Images of its multiple picturesque waterfalls have graced thousands of travel pages. At 850 metres above sea level, the town is nestled among emerald hills surrounded by lush dairy pastures, majestic rainforests and those magnificent cascades. We then continue to Dinden National Park. The Lamb mountain range overlooks Cairns and provides some of the best hikes in the tropics. Formerly an area used by the Djabugay aboriginal people for painting, tool making, and special ceremonies, this area now hosts two back-to-back national parks: Dinden and Davies Creek. You set up camp in the park and enjoy the solitude of this remote wilderness area. The park supports a number of endemic flora and fauna including the rare tapping green eyed frog, the Queensland Maple and the Northern Bettong. On arrival we will set up our wilderness camp site and prep for dinner. Overnight wilderness camping in the National Park

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we rise to the sound of the National Park and prepare breakfast before we start our challenging hike in the Lambs Head Range. Our trail passes exotic ferns, giant Oriana palms and Orchids surrounded by some of Queensland's highest peaks at 1300mtrs. A great team effort is required today as our group work together to achieve our goal. **The trek is weather dependant. There are a number of different routes we can embark on depending on the group and the weather at the time of trek. We continue North and travel to a gallery where artist-in-residence Binna teaches you how to create paintings that are a typical aboriginal style and symbolic of Australian art. He explains the meaning behind his paintings and what this art means to his people. You will be able to take your canvas painting home with you - a perfect souvenir for your time in Cairns. Binna has an extra special story to tell students, Binna has lived since early childhood being profoundly deaf, he has at many stages of life, and in business; relied more on lip reading then hearing aids. We reach the Daintree National Park and visit Mossman Gorge, an area sacred to the Kuku Yalanji people. Here we trace ancient forest pathways alongside a tumbling river as we weave our way through one of the most complex ecosystems on earth, earing about connection to country and how the local people have lived in harmony with the environment for thousands of years. Mossman River is home for more than 30 different fish species. Lizards, birds, turtles and even an elusive platypus can all be found here. We continue to our Daintree Rainforest Lodge where we spend the night in a superb location in the rainforest. We stay in cabins and fall asleep to the sounds of the jungle. Overnight Rainforest Lodge.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we wake in the jungle and can walk to a nearby crystal clear watering hole, the perfect place to refresh before continuing our program. We continue towards Port Douglas to meet with the local Kuku Yalanji peoples. The group will spend the afternoon with the people in this area, exploring their terrain and joining them on a traditional hunting and gathering afternoon. The group will travel with traditional custodian members of the Kuku Yalanji and travel to their traditional homeland on Cooya Beach, an area where the community continue to practice their cultural activities and maintain their cultural heritage. The group will explore and discuss matters of cultural importance in this country and the group will lend their hand to traditional activities including the fishing activity of spear throwing and handling, as it is still practised here today. The traditional custodians will take the students along Cooya beach as they continue to hunt and gather, observing cultural medicine and food plants. They will collect materials for the communities' families, venturing into the mangroves and onto the mudflats. The group then returns to the community to see Kuku Yalanji artifacts and share rare stories from their traditional land while preparing their daily food for their families. We then visit Mossman Gorge, an area sacred to the Kuku Yalanji people. Here we trace ancient forest pathways alongside a tumbling river as we weave our way through one of the most complex ecosystems on earth, earing about connection to country and how the local people have lived in harmony with the environment for thousands of years. Mossman River is home for more than 30 different fish species. Lizards, birds, turtles and even an elusive platypus can all be found here. Overnight in Cairns.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today is a special day! This morning we pack our bags and after breakfast we walk 10 minutes to the jetty to transfer to the pristine Fitzroy Island. A fringing coral reef surrounds the island, part of the inner Great Barrier Reef, providing a sheltered home for a wide range of marine life. We join a marine naturalist for a safety briefing and background on the island and its inhabitants before we walk straight into the water to explore the reef system. After some exploration we will join a Coral watch and data collection program along with a reef restoration program, addressing climate change and coral bleaching. The data collected goes to the University of Queensland's Coral watch scientists who analyse the results. All students will receive a graph of their findings. This afternoon we visit the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre on Fitzroy Island. The CTRC is a volunteer operated, non-profit organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick and injured turtles. The Great Barrier Reef is home to six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles. A number of these are seriously threatened by a diverse range of natural and, more significantly, human induced factors. We will meet some of the volunteers and see hands on the great work being done here. Tonight we camp at the grounds on Fitzroy Island. There are ablution blocks and cold showers available at the camp grounds. Overnight camping Fitzroy Island

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we wake on the island and prepare for the day ahead. Today we will join a marine biologist aboard a catamaran on the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site and one of the most bio diverse places on the planet! The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. Our boat will dock at a floating pontoon as we embark on a snorkeling tour with our specialist guides. Our marine biologist will explain about the importance of the reef and its hidden creatures in marine ecosystems. We hope to see a rainbow of hard and soft corals, turtles, butterfly fish, clown fish (think Nemo!), parrot fish and giant Maori Wrasse. We will receive training and join the Eye of the Reef data collection program run by the Great Barrier Reefs Marine Park Authority Rapid Monitoring Team to help maintain and manage the long term sustainability of this special place. Today we can also participate in a semi submarine and glass bottom boat ride, underwater observatory and marine life touch tank. This afternoon we return to Cairns.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we rise for breakfast and pack our gear before we are transferred to the airport for our flight to Melbourne. *Please note lunch is not included today

Meals:  B