After countless hours of travel, most by plane, students from across the United States staggered off their final flight. Through tired eyes they took in their first sight of Australia. Rustic Pathways group leaders were there to greet their students and soon everyone was off and heading toward their first adventures.
The students participating in the Golden Sands and Helping Hands program headed deep into the Glasshouse Mountains to settle into what would be called home for the next ten days. This group had a focus on service in the community and spent their second day at a local school. They worked with the Aussie kids in the classrooms and played games outside for hours. The day was ended with a hike up Mount Ngungun and gorgeous views of the Glasshouse Mountains. They also shopped local markets, camped at a outback farm and walked the famous Noosa beaches looking for koalas.
Another group had their full attention aimed at the waves. The group of kids in the Aussie Surf and Service program spent most days gaining valuable surfing knowledge from local surfers. They did leave the break long enough to camp on the worlds largest sand island, Fraser Island. Here the students spent sunrise and sunset on the gorgeous beaches after full days of culture immersion. They watched for migrating whales on a small boat with a biologist and sand boarded huge dunes. They also spent an evening with a local man of Aboriginal decent. They learned parts of the aboriginal history of the island and also spent time perfecting the art of the boomerangs throw.
Of all the groups traveling through Australia one group got extremely up close and personal with some locals. The students in the ‘You a Roo and the Australia Zoo’ program spent their ten days delving into the workings of the Australia Zoo. They shadowed zookeepers and spent afternoons on animal encounters, including koalas, dingos, cheetahs and many other Australian favorites.
After ten days of exploring their corner of Australia the students met back at the Brisbane Airport. Bitter sweet goodbyes could be heard through the groups as some planned to head home and some moved on to their next adventure.