Overview

 Highlights


  • This program is 100% carbon offset. World Expeditions Schools absorb the cost of credits mitigating 100% of the unavoidable carbon emissions as its ongoing commitment to responsible travel
  • Learn about the oldest surviving culture on the planet
  • Days packed with historical and cultural learning
  • Beautiful scenery of the Sydney Harbour and the Blue Mountains
  • Quality multi share accommodation
  • Challenge yourself with four days of adventure activities in the UNESCO listed Blue Mountains Wilderness
  • Learn about the unique ecosystems that make up Sydney Harbour and the creatures that call it home
  • Engage in Conservation service programs
  • Climb the South East pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for amazing views
  • Tour of the Sydney Opera House
  • Student lead coastal walk activity

Australia is a nation blessed with outstanding natural beauty. From its rugged interior to its pristine coastlines. World Expeditions Schools is excited to welcome you to Sydney with this exciting experiential journey that will see you embark on a voyage of discovery and learning on many levels. On this adventure the students can expect to learn about our indigenous people, the oldest surviving culture on the planet. They will also learn about the Australian bush in the UNESCO listed Blue Mountains and help a local conservation group to maintain its natural beauty and learn of the threats it faces today. Students will also embark on self discovery with activities designed to bring about personal growth and a new found respect for their peers through shared experience. To top it all off we have 4 nights in Sydney where students will be able to gain a deep understanding of Australia's oldest city and experience its magnificent harbour with a range of educational and fun activities.

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Grading:Introductory   

Addressing:


On arrival in Sydney we will be met by our experienced World Expeditions guide and head straight to Featherdale Wildlife Park, a local park in Sydney's West that is home to he largest collection of many of Australia's famous animals.Through these irrevocable and extraordinary Endangered Species Programs, Featherdale has demonstrated outstanding and formidable expertise in breeding management and their commitment and dedication to conserving Australia’s unique biodiversity. We will be able to go behind the scenes for an interactive education experience in the animals natural environment. From here we will then continue into the UNESCO world heritage listed Blue Mountains to the town of Katoomba, our home for the next week of our journey. Once we settle in we will have a trip briefing followed by dinner.

Meals:  D

This morning we will be formally welcomed to the area by a member of the local indigenous community, the Gandangara people, as we participate in a "Welcome to Country" ceremony. This is an ancient ceremony in which the hosting group would welcome the visitors, offering them safe passage and protection of their spiritual being during the journey. Following this we spend the day participating in a series of activities focusing on indigenous culture, environmental education and conservation including bush tucker, indigenous art and land management. Following the recent bushfires in the Blue Mountains region, today’s environmental education will also teach us about the impacts of these bushfires to the natural environment and how our unique bushland recovers from these fire events.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we’ll commence four days exploration of the spectacular heights and depths of the Blue Mountains. Our hike today will take us directly from our centrally located accommodation on to the Prince Henry Clifftop Walk where there are several wonderful viewpoints to enjoy the spectacular views across the Jamison Valley. We will walk to Echo Point to view the famous Three Sisters rock formation before descending the Giant Staircase. At the base of the stairs we will join the Federal Pass walking trail and begin our walk towards Laura Forest. This walk will take us through lush green shrouded forests beneath towering escarpments. Throughout the hike our guides will share with you their knowledge of the plant and animal species that we will see along our adventure. If we are lucky, we may hear a lyrebird or two with their unique ability to mimic other birds. We will enjoy a picnic lunch during our walk. Once we have ascended the trail up to the top of the escarpment, we’ll then enjoy more rewarding views as we look back towards where we began our hiking adventure. The days’ hike concludes as we trek back to our accommodation and prepare for dinner.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning after breakfast we join our expert rope access guide for a beginners abseiling amongst the stunning Blue Mountains. For our abseiling adventure we will head to the escarpment of the nearby Narrow Neck plateau. Abseiling, or rappelling as it is known in North America and much of Europe, is commonly practised the world over as a method of descending a rope in a safe and controlled manner. No prior experience is necessary as our guides will be providing all the instruction necessary to enjoy this thrilling activity. We will start off on small cliffs moving on to more stunning larger descents as we progress through the day. Lunch will be enjoyed gazing at the vast views across the Megalong Valley. The beauty and serenity of the canyons will surprise you, with ferny glades and towering rock walls providing a spectacular setting. We return to our accommodation before we embark on an afternoon participating in volunteer conservation service work involving habitat restoration.

Meals:  B,L,D

Canyons are deep ravines between pairs of escarpments or cliffs and are most often carved from the landscape by the erosive activity of a river or creek over millions of years. The Blue Mountains has the world’s greatest concentration of vegetated slot canyons. Canyoning, is the adventurous activity of travelling through canyons and often involves a variety of activities including swimming, wading, jumping into pools (‘water-jumps’), abseiling through waterfalls, bushwalking and scrambling over rocks and boulders. The grandeur and pristine beauty of the canyons almost defies description and are unique to the Blue Mountains of NSW. For your canyon adventure we’ll visit Australia’s very own Grand Canyon. A fantastic canyon for beginners, the adventure through Grand Canyon is the perfect introduction to the beauty and excitement of canyoning. The adventure starts with a downhill walk to where you will make an exciting entrance to the canyon, via a 20-metre overhanging abseil. Followed by an obstacle course of scrambling over boulders and logs interspersed with swims and wading, the beauty and serenity of this canyon will surprise you, with ferny glades and towering rock walls providing a spectacular setting. The walk out takes about 45 minutes through temperate rainforest, finishing at Evans Lookout with a spectacular view of the Grose Valley. Duration: 6hrs - with ample breaks included

Meals:  B,L,D

Cycling is a perfect way to explore the Blue Mountains. With hundreds of trails to choose, today’s cycling adventure will allow us to explore the popular Oaks Fire Trail from the mid Mountains town of Woodford to the Glenbrook precinct of Blue Mountains National Park. A beautiful downhill ride with some some undulations. We’ll take plenty of breaks to allow us to soak up the fresh mountain air. From amazing sheer sandstone cliffs, deep valley gorges, rivers and giant eucalyptus trees today's cycle is as magnificent as it is rewarding. There is something about exploring at handle bar level, out in the crisp air, we will even have the opportunity to spot a number of wild animals en route.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we will pack up our bags and clean the dorms before enjoying some more local explorations. We’ll visit Scenic World, the most popular tourist attraction in Katoomba Ride featuring the steepest passenger railway in the world that descends into the Jamison Valley; and a cable car high above Katoomba Falls. After lunch we’ll challenge ourselves with archery and a scavenger hunt on the grounds of our accommodation before transferring to our base in Sydney for the afternoon.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we will spend the afternoon exploring the area around Sydney Harbour, including a tour of the Sydney Opera House. We will learn about Sydney's pre-colonial and colonial history and how it has become the modern city it is today! Our exploration will include a climb on the South Eastern Pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge gaining incredible views over the harbour and city. There is also a museum in the pylon we can explore.

Meals:  B,L,D

We are located on the Harbour near Chowder Bay, with city transport on our doorstep, a peaceful bush land setting next to Clifton Gardens Reserve and sheltered harbour pool. Whilst based here we will be able to engage in a range of activities that can include Sea Rafting, snorkelling, kayaking, Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP), Team Building sessions, Coastal Walks, Kite Making/Flying along with a day of curriculum based activities in the areas of Geography, Biology or Marine Science. This afternoon the students will take park in a student lead activity choosing one of three coastal walks to undertake tomorrow. The planning will include researching public transport to get to and from the start finish points, purchasing opal cards, factoring in lunch, researching walk time and navigating the routes.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today the students will participate in their chosen coastal walk. We start with a safety briefing with our guides before heading out for our walk. Accompanied by guides the students will navigate their way to and from the walk, along the walk and organise lunch en-route. The three walks are all stunning, traversing iconic beaches and stunning coastline. The walks the students can chose from are: The Bondi to Coogee walk, one of the most famous walks in Sydney along stunning coastline. The Spit to Manly walk, through national park with indigenous carvings onroute with the option of catching the ferry back. The Bondi to Watsons Bay walk, with great views of the ocean and the city, indigenous carvings,and loads of history including Australia's first Lighthouse, WW2 Naval history, shipwrecks and Australia’s best fish and chips at Doyle’s in Watson’s Bay. Also with the option of catching the ferry back.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Melbourne. We hope you have thoroughly enjoyed your time in Sydney.

Meals:  B


Addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Life On Land:  Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

Quality Education:  Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and sustainable development.


Learning outcomes for students

A World Expeditions Schools adventure is a unique learning experience. Our journeys are designed to encourage thriving and positive youth development along with leaving the communities and environments where we travel in a better condition than when we arrived.
The programs are designed to enhance the following life skills that will help you grow as an individual:
• the confidence to lead a group and make decisions
• the value of working together as a cohesive team to achieve a common objective
• the ability to face mental and physical challenges
• the ability to adapt to new environments outside of their 'comfort zone'
• to appreciate and care for the natural environment. The environments we trek through are beautiful and often pristine, invariably the students will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding about how their individual actions impact on the environment
• build strong friendships and bonds with their peers and also the local peoples
• basic outdoor skills obtained on trek such as personal hygiene, pitching a tent, helping to prepare meals
Importantly our adventures help increase general well-being and build resilience in young men and women to help them deal with adverse situations in life.
CARBON NEUTRAL
World Expeditions Schools absorbs the cost of credits mitigating 100% of the unavoidable carbon emissions. This is our commitment to being part of the solution to climate crises.


Inclusions

  • Flights Melbourne to Sydney return
  • Teachers from Toorak College accompanying the group
  • 10 nights school group accommodation
  • All meals
  • All transfers and transportation in air-conditioned private modern coaches (types of vehicles depending on the number of pax)
  • Expert tour guides
  • 24 hour on call assistance
  • All activities and entry fees as listed in the itinerary
  • Costs associated with the conservation project.

  • Items of a personal nature such as phone calls, laundry, email etc
  • Travel insurance (compulsory)

Grading

Introductory

Our adventures can be undertaken by anyone with a reasonable level of health and fitness. For the community project part of your trip you will not require a certain level of strength or physical ability, just an enthusiastic and positive attitude. A project manager will direct and distribute the workloads among participants on a daily basis. There is no pressure to exert yourself physically beyond your limits during the project but you should be prepared to give 4 hours of physical labour each day.


Customise your program

We can fully customise a School Travel Program to suit your students' learning objectives and budget. Whether you require a Service Learning program, physical challenge, cultural immersion or certain curriculum targets - talk to one of our educational travel experts about the elements you need in your itinerary. We pride ourselves on developing unique itineraries to meet the learning requirements for schools.

World Expeditions Schools is a division of one of the world's leading adventure travel companies, World Expeditions. We can develop itineraries in any destination that is offered by World Expeditions, which is to every continent on earth.

Use our simple Expedition Design Form to contact us with your requirements and an educational travel expert will be in touch to assist.


Why travel with us

Why travel with us

Assisted over
14,000 Students Worldwide

Since the 1980's, we have helped students from around the globe to experience the world's most exciting destinations, allowing them to travel, give, grow.

400+ Service Learning
Programs

Together with students, we have completed over 400 Service Learning programs in developing countries. We will always continue to support causes including social justice, animal welfare, the environment and more.

Fully Customised
School Travel Programs

Want to include service learning, your school curriculum and a physical challenge, or any of the above? Contact us and we can design a program fully catered for your students and budget.

Safety and
Support - Our #1 Priority

Every school receives a detailed risk management plan that is guided by government advisories and the local partners we work with. We never compromise on the safety of your students to reduce the price of the program.

Testimonials


Want to find out more?

Our educational travel experts are ready to help you tailor an itinerary or service learning project to suit your school’s needs and budget. Contact us today to receive a free consultation.


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