Summer Australia Teen Program

Pack your bags and get ready to fly to the other side of the world! Before leaving, you'll have access to a packing list, flight roster and important contact information. We'll also send you a Bold Earth t-shirt so you can easily find other students at your departure gate. Students fly and arrive together from either San Francisco (SFO) or New York (JFK). You are met upon arrival by your Bold Earth trip leaders. Once all together, we travel in private transport to our hotel where we will get to know each other and learn what to expect in the days ahead. Our daily routine, trip safety, expected responsibilities and all trip logistics are explained. The process of growing together as a group begins!

After flying to Cairns as a group, you will have the rest of the afternoon to do some souvenir shopping, or enjoy the giant swimming lagoon at the Cairns Esplanade. The next day you ascend the Great Dividing Range and spend a special day with a gentle aboriginal family of the Yidinji tribe whose people have inhabited this region for thousands of years. Under the care of our indigenous teachers today, you hand-make your own musical instrument, the didgeridoo. The didgeridoo is an integral part of aboriginal ceremonial and spiritual life, and perhaps one of the most meaningful symbols of aboriginal Australia. Of course, you get to take home the Didgeridoo that you have created! In the process, you will learn about the traditions of aboriginal peoples through the telling of Dreamtime legends and stories, and through your host each of your animal “totems” will be revealed.

This morning you explore Crater Lakes National Park, where ancient volcanic craters—or maar—are now protected in a national park. A 3-kilometre track around the lake passes through several different rainforest communities, and here your guide explains the differences between the highlands and lowlands rainforests you’ll being seeing today, including a visit to a rare type of endangered mabi rainforest. Later you visit Wooroonooran National Park--one of the most diverse places in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and host to some of the oldest continually surviving rainforest in the world. The day doesn't end there…You also visit Millaa Millaa Falls, the icon of tropical north Queensland. Below the falls is a fun swimming hole and you can climb on rocks that lets you see the falls from behind!

You will visit a refuge for Australian animals such as crocodiles, kangaroos, koalas, and countless exotic birds. A guide educates you about these different species, and you’ll have an opportunity to interact with the animals up close, whether it’s holding a python, feeding a lorikeet or meeting a mother kangaroo and her joey. Next you’ll take a croc-spotting river cruise on the Daintree River where you can look for these magnificent reptiles in the wild. In the early morning the animals stir, the rainforest sings with birdcalls, and today you can explore the world of wildlife that comes to life when the sun rises. On the morning of Day 9 you check out Cape Tribulation beach and see why this area, also part of the Kuku Yalanji tribal area, has great spiritual and cultural significance. To end the day, you experience the art of "jungle surfing": an exhilarating zip line ride among the tree tops. By clipping into a series of steel cables arranged in the trees, you can fly across the rainforest canopy and get a bird's eye view of the world.

This morning you will give back to the community by planting native trees. Run by a Cairns grassroots non-profit organization, the tree planting helps to revitalize areas that have been damaged by agriculture or development. By digging, planting, and watering today, you get to meet some local Australians, help the environment and contribute to the community. You also get to leave a bit of ourselves on Australian soil – the trees you plant will grow into a memory of your visit that will last for a long time. There is no better way to experience the biodiversity and sheer beauty of the underwater world than with a SCUBA certification, and Cairns is one of the best places in the world to learn to dive. Having already completed the academic theory portion of your certification, on Day 10 you will spend time at a professional training centre learning the mechanics of diving in the pool. You will learn how to breathe underwater with a regulator, use a dive computer, and get comfortable with your buoyancy.

For the next three days you explore the undersea world of the World famous Great Barrier Reef. Among the 1,800 species of fish and 450 species of coral, you can expect to see a thousand shades of hard and soft corals, angelfish and starfish, elusive white-tipped reef sharks, and giant turtles. Within reach are butterfly and parrot fish, sea cucumbers, starfish and virtually the whole cast of Finding Nemo. You also get to experience the magic and glow of the reef at night. You enjoy sumptuous buffet meals on your live aboard boat. As a way to give back to the environment, on this last day you can participate in a coral bleaching survey organized by Project AWARE and CoralWatch, a nonprofit research organization from the University of Queensland. CoralWatch involves you in monitoring coral bleaching and the assessment of coral health.

The Tully River ranks high with rafting enthusiasts around the globe for its stunning course through national parklands, thrilling Class III-IV rapids, and its reliable year- round flows. You raft through UNESCO World Heritage rainforest and below waterfalls that tumble from the walls of the gorge. Halfway through the rafting trip, you will stop for a riverside BBQ. This is an action-packed day with friendly and skillful guides who will keep you safe and entertained. Day 16 will be a travel day as the whole group flies back to Sydney to prepare for the last day of this amazing trip!

Manly Beach is an Australian icon, world-renowned as one of the most popular beaches in Australia. Nothing soaks in the true spirit of Australia like surfing, and today you can get your feet wet learning how to catch some waves at the incomparable Manly. Travel by scenic ferry to the hamlet of Manly, one of Sydney’s outer suburbs. In a small group of no more than 6 beginners, you’ll start your lesson learning about ocean hydraulics, tides, rips and surf-related safety skills. On Day 4 you can take in views of the entire city atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge with an incomparable bridge climb. Led by a climb leader, you will “hike” to the summit of this world famous bridge, 134 meters (440 feet) above Sydney Harbor. It is a 3 1⁄2 hour journey to the top of the Bridge along catwalks and all the way to the summit, 134 meters above Sydney Harbor.

On this bittersweet day, we head to the airport, say our final goodbyes to our new friends and head home with memories of an epic summer in Australia!