On arrival in Cairns you will be met by our experienced guide and taken to your centrally located hotel. Here we will have a full trip and safety briefing as we discuss all aspects of your journey. We then join our first service program, learning how to make special bags from upcycled materials to put hygiene items in for the local needy community. Our early afternoon will consist of preparing the packs for several charity organisations to distribution. We then have time to relax at the hotel before head out for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant in Cairns. Overnight Heritage Cairns Hotel

Meals:  L,D

This morning we rise early before we meet our crew and head towards Port Douglas to meet with the local Kuku Yalanji peoples. The group will spend the day 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 practiced 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 bid farewell to our hosts and head to the Northern beaches for lunch before returning to Cairns mid afternoon. Overnight Heritage Cairns

Meals:  B,L,D

Today is a special day! This morning after breakfast we 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 will camp out on Fitzroy Island right next to the stunning beach. Overnight camp Fitzroy Island

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning 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. Overnight Cairns Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we rise for breakfast and head North to the Daintree Rainforest on what is described as one of the most scenic drives in Australia! 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. 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 learn about the marine environment from our experienced guides and can enjoy a refreshing swim. This afternoon we travel to our accommodation located in the Daintree Rainforest at Cape Tribulation. This is a magic area hosting the oldest continually growing rainforest on earth. Your lodge for the night has a swimming pool and BBQ area located in a beautiful section of the rainforest, directly on the beach! The lodge features many sustainable features and is a recipient of the QLD excellence in tourism awards. Overnight Cape Tribulation Beach House

Meals:  B,L,D

After a night of immersion in the rainforest, you wake to birdcalls and the chatter of the jungle. If it is hot we can wake early and walk to the nearby crystal-clear rainforest swimming hole used by locals and a perfect place to cool off. We then head to the award winning Daintree Discovery Centre. This world class interpretive facility that allows you easy access to this unique rainforest wilderness via a boardwalk tour, a 23-metre high Canopy Tower, Aerial Walkway and comprehensive Display Centre. In the company of your guide, we can discover what’s tasty on the Bush Tucker Trail, follow the flight of the brilliant blue Ulysses butterfly, look for the endangered giant cassowary in the underbrush, and learn about why the Idiot Fruit is so important. With a large indoor display area, the latest touch screen technology, audio visual theatre and sweeping, all-weather verandas, the Centre provides easy-to-understand information about one of the most biologically complex spots on the planet and you’ll leave with a greater appreciation of this special place. Overnight Heritage Cairns Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

The Lamb mountain range overlooks Cairns and provides some of the best hikes in the tropics. We travel to Dinden National park which supports a number of endemic flora and fauna species including the rare tapping green eyed frog, the Queensland Maple and the Northern Bettong. We join a challenging hike to Turtle Rock. The trail leads us through a Wet Tropics World Heritage Areas featuring stunning rainforest, open Eucalypt forest, wetlands and mangrove forest. A great team effort is required today as our group work together to achieve our goal as a team! We are rewarded by incredible views over the range into the Coral Sea. This afternoon we return to our Cairns accommodation and enjoy a farewell dinner. Overnight Cairns Hotel

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.

Meals:  B