On arrival in Cairns you will be met by our experienced guide and travel 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 haytruck before returning around the campfire that night. Overnight in dorm cabins at Woodleigh Cattle Station

Meals:  D

This morning we wake up to life on an outback cattle station. Our group will be the only group at the station and we 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. After lunch we complete our activities and say goodbye to our hosts as we travel to the stunning 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. Time permitting we will explore the stunning falls that are the most photographed in all of Australia. The falls are a popular swimming spot…and good for spotting wildlife. We will have a chance of spotting the Ulysses butterfly and platypus as we walk through the rainforest. Late this afternoon we return to Cairns and check into our hotel. Overnight Cairns

Meals:  B,L,D

Over the next two days we join the Mandingalbay Yidinji people to explore their country straddling the wet tropics and Great Barrier Reef World Heritage areas and learn about their culture. We join a boat ride across the inlet, past mangroves, and are welcomed to country with a traditional smoke ceremony. We set up camp and listen to our hosts stories about their spiritual and cultural connection to country before joining a range of immersion programs and activities including bush tucker, maintaining land with local aboriginal rangers and preparing a "Kup Murri" earth oven dug into the ground. We will have plenty of time to discuss totems and the protection of animals, native title acts and biodiversity studies as well as spirituality and connection to country. At the end of day 4 we break camp and return to Cairns to join a service program where we will join forces with a local charity cooking meals for the homeless and needy. This afternoon we assemble in the kitchen to put our culinary skills to great use as we prepare a meal for the homeless and needy. This is very hands on with the group using a commercial kitchen with the help of a local caterer and the meal is prepared for patrons from Rosies Friends on the Street or Anglicare – both of which are local charities that serve the homeless and needy. We will learn more about the people who we are creating the packs for. Overnight day 3 camping Overnight day 4 Cairns Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we will have breakfast at the hotel before heading out to join a tree regenerative conservation program. We will learn about and discuss the loss of biodiversity and habitats for a range of species due to agriculture or development. Then with shovels and gloves, we plant native trees to moderate temperature and humidity and to create niches for other plants and animals. This area is a ‘hotspot’ for biodiversity so your service work here is helping to protect a buffer zone to a World Heritage area. By working with seedlings, digging, planting, and watering today, you get to meet some local volunteers, help the environment and contribute to the community. We continue North through the stunning Daintree Rainforest to Cape Tribulation. As we drive through the national park, you weave through one of the most complex ecosystems on earth. This is the oldest continuously growing rainforest on earth. For students, this is an important area for study: this area of the country has the highest concentration of primitive flowering plant families in the world. Tonight we stay in a rainforest Lodge going to sleep to the sounds of the jungle. Overnight Rainforest Lodge

Meals:  B,L,D

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. This afternoon we return to Cairns. Overnight Cairns

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we wake early for breakfast and prepare for the big 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 and have a celebration dinner for the last night of our program. Overnight 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.

Meals:  B,L