Ecosystems & Global Biodiversity: Rainforests

• Collect primary data in the rainforest
• Investigate water quality and macro invertebrates
• Soar high into the Daintree rainforest in JCU’s canopy crane
• OPTIONAL: Glide over the rainforest canopy on Cairns premier eco-attraction – The Skyrail
• Discuss traditional land uses with Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal guides
• Give back to the community by planting native trees
• Learn about protected area management
• OPTIONAL: community service project on the last day for Cairns’ homeless and vulnerable people

• All activities as described in the itinerary
• Cairns airport transfers
• Transportation to activities
• Small World Journeys naturalist guide on Days 2 and 3
• Expert speakers
• 2 nights at Cairns 3-star hotel accommodation (2 or 3 share ensuite rooms)
• 1 night Daintree Rainforest research station (4 or 6 bed dorm-style rooms)
• All continental breakfasts
• All lunches
• All dinners
• 101 Animals of The Wet Tropics field guide for each student
• National Park taxes and levies
• Donation made to Rainforest Rescue on behalf of your group (we give you a certificate on your trip)
• Reusable water bottle and cloth shopping bag
• NEW: we offset the carbon emissions from your trip activities AND your flight to Cairns!

*Cairns accommodation – Two teacher rooms (private twin or triple share rooms) are included in the trip price for groups of 15 students or more.  For trips with low numbers (10-14), one teacher room is included. A supplement is charged if an additional private room is required for the trip (please ask us for pricing). If teachers are happy to share a room, no additional costs are incurred. Single supplement is not available at the Daintree Rainforest Research Station, teachers and guides may be required to share dorms here.

Small World Journeys reserves the right to change the order of activities for logistical reasons. Prices are valid for travel from 1 April 2025 until 31 March, 2026 (ask us about lower pricing for travel before 1 April 2025)

• Airfare to Cairns
• Personal expenses (souvenirs, laundry, etc.)

• Community Service Project on the last day (no extra cost)
• One-way Skyrail (add $106 pp)
• Organic banana farm visit (ask us about pricing)

Planning Your Trip

ACCESSIBILITY MENU: Small World Journeys’ website provides an accessibility menu. Visitors to our website can click on the “person” icon on the right side of the screen to bring up this menu. Options include increasing/decreasing font size, increasing/decreasing contrast, dyslexia-friendly fonts, and the ability to hide images, among other things.

BOOKING FORM: On our online booking form, we ask all participants to list any special needs they have, be them medical, dietary, or accessibility needs. We also offer free sensory packs to our guests who are neurodivergent, which include headphones, a timer for transitions, a squeezy fidget toy, and other treats to appeal to the senses like flavoured lip balm.

WAIVER FORMS: We understand that not all of our participants’ parents have a strong command of written English and therefore understanding and signing our on-line waiver may prove challenging. We therefore have our wavier form available in the following languages on request: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

Arrival at Cairns Airport

ACCESSIBLE TOILETS: Public toilets are located throughout the terminals. Each toilet facility includes an accessible toilet suitable for wheelchair access.

TGSI and HEARING LOOPS: The Cairns Airport makes use of Tactile Ground Service Indicators (TGSI) and Hearing Loops to assist people with vision impairments and hearing difficulties, respectively.  For example, Braille is included on toilet doors/signs to assist a person with vision impairment locate the correct facility.

ASSISTANCE FOR HIDDEN DISABILITIES: If you or someone you are travelling with has a hidden disability, you can request a hidden disability lanyard through a form here.  Wearing a sunflower lanyard when you are at Cairns Airport is a discreet way for you to indicate to the airport team that you may need a little extra help, guidance or time with the airport processes. The airport team has been trained to recognise the lanyard and provide the assistance and support you may need. Some of the airport staff will also be wearing a Sunflower badge on their shirts or lanyards to help you feel a little more at ease.

VISUAL AND WRITTEN STORY GUIDES: Visual Story Guides are available for Domestic Arrivals and have been designed to help you to understand how an airport works and what to expect. Written Story Guides are also available for Domestic Arrivals.

Our Safety Talks

Our arrival safety talk is done verbally but is supported by cards that illustrate the main talking points. Similarly, our snorkelling safety talk is done in the same manner, supported by cards with pictures and illustrations.

We can provide a transcript of our safety talk to any hearing-impaired guest.

Transport

Our buses have two steps up of approximately 40 cms to get inside. There is no lift for a wheelchair or mobility device. Similarly, on occasion we hire large coaches for bigger groups and those buses also have two steps up of about 40 cms to get inside. All buses are equipped with seatbelts.

Presentations & Workshops

OUR OFFICE & PRESENTATION SPACE: We use the Small World Journeys office space for presentations, workshops and some community service projects. There is a rise of approximately 2 cm to enter the presentation room. We have one accessible, gender-neutral toilet block with shower.

In the outside area of our office, planes fly overhead frequently and the noise can be startling and confronting. However, as part of the terms of construction, the entire building has sound mitigation devices (double glazed windows, etc.) which creates the opportunity for multiple breakout spaces for neuro-divergent people who desire a quiet space with reduced stimuli.

Our presentations are designed to appeal to both visual and auditory learners.   We can provide a transcript of our presentations to any hearing-impaired guest.

NOVOTEL PRESENTATION SPACE: We also use Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort for presentations at dinnertime.

Overall accessible resort information:

• All entries to the hotel are wheelchair-accessible
• 2 accessible spaces in the on-site car park, near lifts
• 1 accessible toilet in hotel lobby (hand rail | grab bar)
• Most walkways within the hotel are wheelchair-accessible
• Well-lit main areas
• All meeting rooms are accessible
• Braille call buttons for lifts on each floor (external)
• On-site restaurant & breakfast buffet is mostly accessible – Please ask for assistance at hot food station.

Hotels

FLEXIBILITY WITH ACCOMMODATION: We have flexibility with the accommodation we choose; therefore if we know in advance that we have a guest with a wheelchair, mobility scooter or is short statured, we can choose hotels that cater accordingly.

PREFERRED HOTEL 1:  One of our preferred Cairns hotels is centrally located and one block from the waterfront.  The reception and breakfast room are widely accessible through a double automatic door as there are no steps or thresholds. Accessible guest rooms are all on the ground level.  The staff are happy to move the furniture around if required, and the rooms are fitted with a zipped-together queen bed or two single beds depending on preference. The under-bed clearance is 40mm, and there’s around 1000mm of space between the side of the bed and the wall. Unfortunately, the balconies have sliding door tracks and may not be completely accessible. Light switches are all large dish-style type and located 1000mm from the floor in accessible locations. The air conditioning can be remotely controlled. Moving into the bathroom: the hotel boasts accessible showers and toilets that are hobless and fitted with a fold-down seat. Both horizontal and vertical grab rails are fitted and the shower is home to a hot and cold flick mixer tap. The lifts which provide access to the third accessible room provide ample space for wheelchairs, and also boast buttons fitted with Braille.

PREFERRED HOTEL 2:  A second preferred hotel is also centrally located.  With accessible rooms that boast a double bed and a single bed, the staff at Coral Tree Inn are also happy to move the room furniture around to suit guests who use a wheelchair or mobility device. With a coffee and tea making space and a small bar fridge at hand, the TV can also be controlled by the remote. It’s worth noting that at this hotel the air conditioning unit cannot be operated by a remote. There is an accessible combined toilet and shower facility fitted with grab rails and a fold-down set. The shower is also hobless for added accessibility. Unfortunately, the balconies have sliding door tracks and may not be accessible to all guests, and there are also no designated accessible parking bays. However, there is ample room for drop offs immediately in front of reception.

Entering the reception may also be a little difficult as the door is manual, but staff are always happy to assist (and man the desk 24 hours). There are wide paths that lead from the reception to every area of the resort, including the BBQ area, the pool and the adjoining dining room.

Meals & Restaurants

FLEXIBILITY WITH RESTAURANTS & CATERING: We have quite a bit of flexibility with the restaurants we choose; therefore if we know in advance that we have a guest with a wheelchair, mobility scooter or is short statured, we can choose restaurants that cater accordingly.

We offer flexible menu options for people who have food allergies or intolerances, and in many cases religious requirements relating to food.

Guests are given space on our online booking form to specify their allergy, intolerance or religious requirement. On arrival we then give them a bag containing, for example, lactose-free milk, nut-free cereal and snacks, and/or other food items that cater to this allergy or intolerance. Unfortunately, we are not able to guarantee catering for preferences like low carb meals or FODMAP.

Similarly, we inform all caterers and restaurants of our guests’ food allergies or intolerances.  Breakfast is typically served at the hotel, whilst lunches are often boxed lunches as we move around quite a bit on our tours.

Activities

If we are informed in the planning phase of your trip about  any participants or (potential participants) who have disabilities or special needs, we can suggest certain activities over others or suggest certain boats to the reef.  For example, one boat that travels to the reef has a lift for a guest in a wheelchair to get in and out of the water which is a great choice for guests with wheelchairs or mobility devices. Conversely, we know that the facilities on the boat that travels to the Fitzroy Island reef is not well set up for those with wheelchairs or mobility devices.  We also can include activities such as the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which recognises and supports the Sunflower program for people with hidden disabilities.

On this particular trip,there is a walk with an Indigenous guide at Mossman Gorge, and an overnight visit to the James Cook University Research Station:

Mossman Gorge Walk

The Visitors’ Centre and toilets are accessible for wheelchair or mobility devices. People using a wheelchair or mobility device can access the   the river track & first 500m to the look-out on board walk. Groups can be kept to under 10 people for guests with mild to moderate hearing impairments so guide can project their voice loud enough for guest to hear; guides like to have one on one conversations & questions if guests needed.  There are many quiet spots in the park where people who are neurodivergent can rest.

JCU Research Station

The station is not well-equipped for people using wheelchairs or mobility devices. All of the activities we do on site are within a 5 minute walk from the station, terrain is uneven, on grass, pebbles or dirt.  There is an ambulant bathroom and toilet in the block directly opposite the students dorms, without walking up or down stairs.

Tree Planting

There are no accessible toilets at the tree planting site and no provisions for people who use a wheelchair or mobility device.  There is a spot on site where a person who is neurodivergent could find a quiet space with reduced stimuli. People with hearing impairments can easily be shown visually how to plant the trees and those with vision impairments will also be assisted by our guides.

Skyrail (Optional Activity)

The entire Skyrail experience is wheelchair accessible and can accommodate most standard wheelchairs. Due to size restrictions and loading requirements, some types of wheelchairs cannot be carried on the cableway. Skyrail also provides complimentary use of wheelchairs (subject to availability) during your Skyrail experience. Certified support dogs and assistance animals are permitted to travel on Skyrail, subject to conditions. Skyrail is located within the Barron Gorge National Park (a World Heritage Area) hence operates in accordance with strict environmental legislation, laws and obligations as prescribed by the Queensland Government including Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).

Skyrail is part of the Sunflower Program for hidden disabilities. If you or someone you are travelling with has a hidden disability, you can request a hidden disability lanyard through a form here.  Wearing a sunflower lanyard when you are on The Skyrail is a discreet way for you to indicate to the airport team that you may need a little extra help, guidance or time with the airport processes. The Skyrail team has been trained to recognise the lanyard and provide the assistance and support you may need.

Banana Farm Visit

The farm and its and toilets are not accessible for wheelchair or mobility devices. There is a spot on site where a person who is neurodivergent could find a quiet space with reduced stimuli. As the presentations and information about the farm are given verbally and there is limited support for people with hearing impairments; however our guides will be able to assist those with vision impairments.

Departure at Airport

VISUAL AND WRITTEN STORY GUIDES: Visual Story Guides are available for Domestic Departures and have been designed to help you to understand how an airport works and what to expect. Written Story Guides are also available for Domestic Departures.

Arrival: Welcome to the tropics! You arrive in Cairns and are warmly greeted by one of our staff members at the airport. (Arrive before 1 pm today).

Biodiversity and The UNESCO World Heritage Wet Tropics:  Before you encounter the rainforest ecosystem, you first learn just what makes this region so unique and biodiverse. Researchers, scientists and tourists alike come from all over the world to discover the supreme biodiversity in this World Heritage area, a region that came to be against all odds. You learn why this corner of Australia–with its jade mountains and lush emerald rainforests—is a geographical anomaly. By luck of shifting tectonic plates, the Wet Tropics earned the longest continually growing rainforest in the world. Plants that ruled alongside dinosaurs still stand today. More than 100 animals are rare or threatened here and dozens of species live nowhere else in the world. You discuss ecosystem management, climate change, vulnerability versus resilience and management strategies that are used for the Wet Tropics.  You leave with insight about and appreciation of this globally significant area you are about to visit.

ALTERNATIVE TALK – Impacts of Tourism: The owner of Small World Journeys addresses impacts of tourism – both positive and negative – in a local and global context. She explains economic, socio-cultural and environmental benefits and disadvantages of tourism with specific and relevant examples: What can gorillas teach us about sustainable tourism? Why can’t Italian gondoliers live in Venice any longer? Why are chasing a giant cheese down a hill, eating cow testicles or jumping over babies in a devil costume critical events for some towns?  Students learn about the concepts of “leakage” and commodification within tourism, how high employment rates in tourism can be bad for local economies, and seven things they can do to lighten their impact as tourists.

Optional Evening Activity – Documentary Film: Documentary films can inspire discussion and action, in addition to complementing the content of your trip. Tonight you have a choice to view one of several optional documentary films that relate to the environment (no extra cost).

Accommodation: Cairns 3-star hotel
Meals Included: Dinner

Native Tree Planting Service Work: This morning with your guide you discuss loss of biodiversity and habitats for a range of species due to agriculture or development.  Then you plant native trees to moderate temperature and humidity and to create niches for other plants and animals.  This area was once rainforest, and a local not-for-profit organisation is making efforts to restore biodiversity by planting hundreds of trees here.  By working with seedlings, planting, and watering today, you get to meet some local volunteers, help revitalize the rainforest ecosystem and contribute to the community.

Rainforest Discovery with Indigenous Guide: Next you discover the Daintree Rainforest at Mossman Gorge, an area important to the Kuku Yalanji Traditional Owners. Beginning with a traditional smoking ceremony, you wander rainforest paths, discovering with your guide how these Indigenous people found their way through dense rainforest, made shelter, learned which native plants were tasty to eat and generally managed country.  As your guide shares some of his stories, you learn how the seasons dictated life, what falls under men’s and women’s “business”, how to make fire in the rainforest and how to make fish very easy to catch.  This is a great activity to understand the tropical rainforest through the eyes of Traditional Owners.

Field Guide: 101 Animals of The Wet Tropics, written by Dr. Martin Cohen, helps you to better understand animal species in the region and is yours to keep.

JCU Daintree Rainforest Observatory & Research Station: Later you enter the magical Daintree Rainforest – the oldest continuously growing rainforest on earth.  You arrive at James Cook University’s Daintree Rainforest Observatory, an eco-monitoring site and research station with wet and dry labs. It lies in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest, and claims the highest biodiversity of anywhere in Australia! You get a safety induction and orientation and then a presentation about the significance of this rainforest.  You learn about important research and innovations in sustainable management that are happening here, as well as how invasive species are creating ecological disturbances and how the station is managing this. (Students must be at least 15 years old to visit the station)

Accommodation: Your home for the night is in the facilities at the station. Rooms for students are single gender, 4 and 6-bed dorm rooms and teachers stay in a separate dorm. You have access to a communal industrial kitchen, and an amenities block nearby provides laundry, bathroom and shower facilities.

Nocturnal Wildlife Spotlighting: After dinner you explore the rainforest for abundance of wildlife that appears once the sun sets. Your guide presents a spotlighting exercise, during which you look for crepuscular and nocturnal species, focusing on endemics. This methodical observation helps students understand the diversity of life in the rainforest and the ecological roles these species play. Additionally, you investigate micro bats, which are the most diverse mammalian group of the tropical rainforest.  You learn how these creatures use sophisticated echolocation to detect both prey and predators, how they are particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction, and how they play a monumental role in the health of the rainforest.

Accommodation: Daintree Rainforest Observatory
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Environmental Debate: After a night of immersion in the rainforest, you wake to birdcalls and the chatter of the jungle.  Then you participate in a debate in which each small group takes on a role and presents their argument either for or against a proposed development in the rainforest. This is a fun way for you to get involved with all sides of an environmental debate with a real-life example that gained significant media attention.

JCU Canopy Crane: The James Cook University Daintree Rainforest Observatory station is also home to a canopy crane that is considerably important to researchers. After a safety orientation, you climb into a suspended gondola with the crane operator.  The crane then ascends over the rainforest canopy, and can swing 360 degrees, surveying the incredible biodiversity that has earned the Daintree UNESCO World Heritage status.

Water Quality Measurements & Aquatic Invertebrate Sampling:  Whilst not in the crane, you discover the language of water and what it says about the creatures that can survive in it.  Today with nets and buckets you take water quality measurements involving indicators like pH, nitrate, dissolved oxygen and phosphate levels from both an on-site pond and a stream. Testing for these elements may reveal the presence of fertilizers or biological extremes, which will also aid in your discussion about species survival rate, influences from environmental conditions and eutrophication.  You bring your samples back to the lab to investigate under microscopes and can draw conclusions based on an easy-to-use “SIGNAL” biotic index.  You return to Cairns in the later afternoon.

Accommodation: Cairns 3-star hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

OPTIONAL Farm Visit: This morning you are transferred to Mourilyan, near Innisfail for a visit to Pacific Coast Eco Bananas, the producers of the red-tipped banana.  As a shining example of fruit produced without the use of fertilizers or pesticides, the company serves as an excellent economic and sustainability case study. You have the opportunity to speak with the owners of the plantation about their “Ecoganic” farming, witness their growing techniques, and enjoy a delicious banana smoothie! (Allow a half day, ask us for pricing)

OPTIONAL Service Project: Part of being a “sustainable” tourist is helping the community in which you are travelling. If you have a later flight today, you can participate in a service project for people that come to Cairns from remote Indigenous communities. These people come to Cairns for medical reasons, and often do not have anything with them. You may also make these special comfort packs for the homeless people in Cairns. You learn to make special bags using upcycled materials, and then create packs with hygiene items people most need, like shampoo, toothpaste and sanitary items. No worries if you aren’t the best at arts and crafts – the bags are easy to make, and you’ll feel good doing it too. (An hour in duration, no extra cost)

OPTIONAL Skyrail Rainforest Cableway:  This morning you experience Cairns’ premier eco-attraction and winner of numerous ecotourism awards – the Skyrail. Your guide takes you to this unique rainforest cableway for a fantastic journey over Australia’s World Heritage listed tropical rainforest canopy and deep into the forest. Spanning 7.5 kilometres over Barron Gorge National Park, the Skyrail experience includes a scenic cableway ride and stops at two rainforest mid-stations (extra cost of $106 pp)

Later you are transferred to the Cairns airport for your flight home.

Meals Included: Breakfast