International Baccalaureate CAS Tour

Home » International Baccalaureate CAS Tour
 In Aboriginal Culture, Adventure, Cairns & The Great Barrier Reef, Community Service, Ecosystems, Environmental Studies, Leadership, Marine Science, Sustainability, Team Building, Tours

International Baccalaureate CAS Tour

On this trip we honour students of International Baccalaureate’s Diploma Program and its Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) elements.  To fulfill their commitment to being active, inventive and helpful to the community, IB students will find themselves engaged in a host of unique and character-building activities on this tour. Students create art with an Aboriginal guideplant native trees to revitalise degraded land, and learn to snorkel among a rainbow of life at the Great Barrier Reef.  They work as a team to build a raft, to clean mangroves that serve as marine life nurseries, and to monitor the success of a Daintree Rainforest revegetation plot.  With plenty of time for an optional creative craft project, a beach bonfire, looking for Nemo, and wildlife spotting under the care of an expert educator, this school excursion for IB students is sure to please.

Length
8 Days/7 Nights
Location
Cairns, Australia
When
Year-round
Size
Minimum 10 paying participants
Price
$2599 per person (including GST)
for 15 or more students (Add $50 per person for peak time of 15 June – 15 July)
Price
$2665 per person (including GST)
for 10-14 students (Add $50 per person for peak time of 15 June – 15 July)

Details

  • Help save the amazing marine life on the Great Barrier Reef through several service projects
  • Get first-hand experience with Aboriginal Culture, Art and History
  • Spend the night among the chatter and life in the jungle
  • Soar high above the Daintree rainforest in JCU’s canopy crane
  • Challenge your skills and creativity in raft building – and test it in the water afterwards
  • Ride the waves aboard a catamaran on a quest to find Nemo and assess the state of the reef
  • Discover medicinal and edible plants with Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal guides
  • Give back to nature by planting trees and monitoring a revegetation site
  • Spend an evening at the beach dancing, gazing at the stars and enjoying a real Aussie BBQ

  • Risk assessment
  • All activities as described in the itinerary
  • Cairns airport transfers
  • Transportation to activities
  • Small World Journeys guide on Day 2
  • Marine naturalist on Day 3
  • Marine biologist on Day 4
  • 6 nights Cairns hostel (4 or 6 share single-gender rooms)*
  • 1 night Daintree Rainforest Cabins (4 share single-gender rooms)*
  • All continental breakfasts
  • All lunches
  • 5 dinners
  • Mask, fins, snorkel hire on Fitzroy Island and reef trip
  • Stinger suit hire during the wet season
  • 101 Marine Animals of the Great Barrier Reef field guide for each student
  • National Park and Marine 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
  • Donation made to Reef Restoration Foundation to the “Care for Coral” program on behalf of your group (we give you a certificate on your trip)
  • Starting in 2024: we offset the carbon emissions from your trip activities AND your flight to Cairns!

 

*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. If teachers are happy to share a room, no additional costs are incurred.

 

Small World Journeys reserves the right to change the order of activities for logistical reasons. Prices are valid for travel until 31 March, 2025.

 

  • Airfare to Cairns
  • Travel insurance (highly recommended)
  • Dinner Day 2 and 5
  • Personal expenses (phone, laundry, etc.)

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.

PREFERRED HOTEL (DAINTREE): Wheelchair users will be pleasantly surprised by how accessible the property is. The two Escape Cabins are especially convenient. There are no lifts to these two cabins, no stairs, the room is large and the light switches are low. The bathrooms is suitable for wheelchair access. There are spots on site where a person who is neurodivergent could find a quiet space with reduced stimuli or retreat to his/her 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 are quite a few activities:

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.

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.

The Inner Reef Trip

  • The boat cannot accommodate persons using wheelchairs and mobility devices.
  • Safety instructions are given verbally (no written instructions available).
  • The captain is the first point of call for any questions or queries in regards to accessibility and/or special requirements that guests may have on the day.
  • Assistance dogs are permitted, but must be confirmed with the reservations team prior to the trip.
  • The boat uses pictogram signs (for example a pictogram showing feet standing on coral with a red line through it) to assist people with low literacy levels or who speak English as a second language. The company also has risk snorkel assessment forms in Japanese & Chinese for those nationalities.
  • The distance from the Reef Fleet terminal to the vessel is approximately 150 metres; unfortunately no assistance is available for guests with mobility impairments.
  • Lunch catering is sourced from a third party contractor who supply very detailed ingredient lists on request. Most dietary restrictions (gluten or lactose free, vegan, nut-free) can be accommodated.
  • Although the boat itself does not have a specific low-stimulus quiet area, there are places on the island that could serve in this capacity.
  • The island has dirt tracks and uneven terrain to get to the turtle rehab centre, and the beach front is mostly coral rubble.

The Outer Reef Trip

  • One boat in the fleet can accommodate persons using wheelchairs (again, if a wheelchair user is in the group, kindly let us know in the planning stage for your trip)
  • Safety instructions are given verbally (no written instructions available).
  • The captain is the first point of call for any questions or queries in regards to accessibility and/or special requirements that guests may have on the day.
  • Assistance dogs are permitted, but must be confirmed with the reservations team prior to the trip.
  • The boat uses pictogram signs (for example a pictogram showing feet standing on coral with a red line through it) to assist people with low literacy levels or who speak English as a second language. The company also has risk snorkel assessment forms in Japanese & Chinese for those nationalities.
  • The distance from the Reef Fleet terminal to the vessel is approximately 150 metres; unfortunately no assistance is available for guests with mobility impairments.
  • Lunch catering is sourced from a third party contractor who supply very detailed ingredient lists which are displayed for guests at the buffets. Most dietary restrictions (gluten or lactose free, vegan, nut-free) can be accommodated.
  • Students with ASD can retreat to the boat whilst the other passengers are on the pontoon for quiet and reduced stimuli.

Drain Stencilling Project For The Reef

There are no accessible toilets at the sites where we do this project and no provisions for people who use a wheelchair or mobility device. There are not necessarily any spots 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 do this project and but there are no special accommodations for those with vision impairments.

Skyrail

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.

Mangroves Workshop

There are no accessible toilets at the mangroves boardwalk and the sites where we do this project and no provisions for people who use a wheelchair or mobility device. There are not necessarily any spots 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 do this project and but there are no special accommodations for 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.

Itinerary

Arrival: You arrive in Cairns and are warmly greeted by one of our staff at the airport and you are given an orientation about what to expect on your trip.

Future of The Reef Talk: In the evening you attend a unique presentation on the future of the Great Barrier Reef.  Your marine biologist teaches you the facts about the state of the reef, dispelling myths about bleaching and climate change, and relays the good, the bad and the ugly about reef tourism. During this talk, you learn the four key threats to the reef and how scientists are trying “assisted evolution” by breeding corals that are resistant to bleaching under higher temperatures.  Perhaps most importantly, you gain ten tips on how you yourselves can help save the reef and continue campaigning when you return home.

Accommodation: Cairns Budget Accommodation
Meals Included: 
Lunch, Dinner
CAS outcomes: Activity

Environmental Service Project to Help the Great Barrier Reef: This service project involves working together to protect waterways, ocean and reef. By stencilling messages on drains, students contribute to raising awareness of urban stormwater pollution and its impact on the local marine environment. The colourful and creative designs are a pleasant way to remind the community that all rubbish drains to the ocean.

Mangrove Boardwalk: Your next stop is the Jack Barnes Bicentennial Mangrove Boardwalk. This raised walkway takes you through this critical mangrove ecosystem which is the breeding ground for many important aquatic species.  Your guide teaches you about the interesting aspects of mangrove systems and their importance to the Great Barrier Reef.

Creek Cleanup: Next you visit one of the creeks that makes its way to the ocean via the mangrove ecosystems. Unfortunately household rubbish also often makes its way into these creeks and so today you will be grabbing gloves and garbage bags to do your bit to clean up the waterway.  You tally your “rubbish results” at the end and the team with the top results gets a prize.

Accommodation: Cairns Budget Accommodation
Included Meals: 
Breakfast, Lunch
CAS outcomes: Activity, Service

Ferry Ride: This morning you ferry to the pristine Fitzroy Island. Here a fringing coral reef surrounds the island providing a sheltered home for a variety of fish and coral species.

Guided Snorkelling: With full use of snorkel gear for the day, you can walk right into the water to explore the magnificent reef system that surrounds the island. Your marine naturalist leads you to underwater examples of biodiversity as well as examples of the reef’s most interesting features.  Topics you discuss can include, but are not limited to:  coral biology, fish populations and behaviour, endangered species, coral predators and threats to the reefhuman impacts on the reef and climate change.

Raft Building: Next you use your intellect and creativity in a raft-building exercise. Using only tyres, ropes and some plastic containers, you must work together to produce a floating raft for your team, and then test its strength in the water.

CoralWatch Data Collection:  In the afternoon with your marine naturalist you engage in an activity that addresses concerns over climate change and coral bleaching. During this exercise you find out more about how and why coral bleaches.  You learn how to identify different kinds of coral, match its colours to a waterproof chart, and then record what you observe in teams of two.  The data then goes back to the University of Queensland’s Coral Watch scientists, where they analyse the results over time and look for any long term trends. Your results also go into a database to track bleaching around the world, and your group receives a graph of your results.

Turtle Rehabilitation Centre: You also visit the island’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre where a collection of volunteers help save sick and injured sea turtles by looking after them until they are ready to be released back into the ocean.

Microplastics Service Project:  Following your visit to the turtle rehab centre, you create beach quadrats, to uncover microplastics that have washed ashore.  Using sieves you separate out microplastics along with other rubbish that potentially injures or sickens the turtles.  This cleanup helps leave the reef better than when you arrived, contributing to its sustainability.

Accommodation: Cairns Budget Accommodation
Included Meals: 
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
CAS outcomes: Creativity, Activity

Boat Ride to Reef: Your day begins with an air-conditioned catamaran ride to the outer Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World-Heritage site and one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet.  Your marine biologist presents what you are likely to see at the reef and introduces the Eye on the Reef program, which involves instruction on how to complete the Rapid Monitoring Survey.

Snorkelling and Data Collection: Upon arrival, you dock at a floating pontoon, and an underwater universe greets you. During a guided snorkel tour with your marine biologist, you can expect to see a rainbow of hard and soft corals, turtles, and a variety of fish species including butterfly fish, giant Maori Wrasse, parrot fish, and the ever-popular clown fish, also known as “Nemo”.

Data Collection & Service: Next you receive in-water training on how to conduct the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Rapid Monitoring Survey. Your marine guide will point out key features of the reef ecosystem, answer any questions, and conduct a practice survey with group. Then during a timed snorkel session, you record your underwater findings.  Your guide and waterproof slates help you identify a host of marine life and calculate benthic zone coverage. Most importantly, you look for signs of coral bleaching and coral predators which greatly affect the health of the reef.  Your data is then collected and contributes to the central reporting system used by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to manage the long term sustainability of this UNESCO World Heritage area.

Other Activities: Semi-submarine and glass bottom boat tours, underwater observatory, and marine life touch tank are all available for you to enjoy. The double-storey pontoon also has something that no one else does….. a long and fun slide that finishes in the waters of the reef. Lunch today is a tropical buffet served on the boat.

Field Guide: 101 Animals of The Great Barrier Reef, written by Dr. Martin Cohen, helps you to better understand the underwater world and is yours to keep.

Accommodation: Cairns Budget Accommodation
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
CAS outcomes: Activity, Service

Save Endangered Species by Planting Native Trees: Toting your shovels and gloves, this morning you give back to the community by planting native trees. On this service project, you help to protect a buffer zone to a World Heritage area. You plant native trees to moderate temperature and humidity and to create niches for other plants and animals. By working with seedlings, digging, planting, and watering, you get to meet some local volunteers, help the environment and contribute to the community.

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway: This afternoon 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.

Kuranda Mountain Village: At the end of the Skyrail lies the mountain village of Kuranda.  Have lunch together before you stroll around the marketplace for local arts and crafts, and sample some local fare.  Options in Kuranda Village include Koala Gardens*, The Butterfly Sanctuary*, and Birdworld*  (*entrance is extra cost).

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 Budget Accommodation
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch
CAS outcomes: Activity

Rainforest Discovery with Indigenous Guide: Today you discover the Daintree Rainforest at Mossman Gorge, an area important to the Kuku Yalanji. Beginning with a traditional smoking ceremony, you wander rainforest paths, discovering with your guide how these Aboriginal people found their way through dense rainforest, made shelter and learned which native plants were tasty to eat. As your guide shares 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. While on the walk, you can go for a swim in the sparkling clear water among the boulders, and perhaps paint your faces with traditional ochre rock paint. Your walk finishes with some billy-tea and fresh-made damper with native honey.

Indigenous Art Project:  At an art gallery artist-in-residence Binna teaches you how to re-create the dot paintings that are a typical aboriginal style and symbolic of Australian art. He explains the meaning behind his paintings and what this art means to his people. You will be able to take your boomerang home with you – a perfect souvenir for your time in Australia!

Daintree Rainforest & Beach Eco-Lodge: Later you enter the magical Daintree Rainforest – the oldest continuously growing rainforest on earth. Your Daintree lodge boasts an attractive swimming pool, guest laundry, BBQ area, and a superb location in the rainforest.  Students sleep in dorm-style cabins with ensuites and air conditioning, and the sounds of the jungle surround you.

Accommodation: Daintree Rainforest Cabins
Meals Included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
CAS outcomes: Creativity, Activity

Students in rainforest canopy crane research station

Environmental Debate: After a sleep in and relaxed morning, you get to participate in a debate which focuses on issues of development and effects on biodiversity. Students are given background information and a summary of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) about a major resort development proposed for Cairns and then given different roles to play of community members.  You then argue for or against the building of the resort. This requires evaluating projected economic, social and environmental impacts as well as proposed sustainability efforts. It is a fun way for you to get involved with all sides of an environmental debate with a real-life example that has gained significant national media attention.

JCU Canopy Crane: Next on the agenda is to check out the canopy crane at The James Cook University Daintree research station. After a safety orientation and a discussion about the significance of this rainforest by an on-site expert, 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. (Please note students must be at least 16 years old to participate.)

Service Project: Whilst not in the crane, the group participates in an important service project at the research station. Hundreds of trees have been planted for re-growth on site, and students are taught how to do condition assessments of the trees as biologists and botanists do in the field. Students learn about pioneer species, herbivory, and how to use a clinometer and DBH tapes to measure tree growth. The results of the condition assessments are then contributed to the ongoing research on the success of “pioneer species” used by JCU staff.

Beach Party: On your way back to Cairns, you head to the beach for music, games and a real Aussie BBQ dinner. This is a fun way to end your time in Cairns.

Accommodation: Cairns Budget Accommodation
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
CAS outcomes: Activity, Service

After breakfast this morning you have free time for last-minute shopping or swimming at the lagoon.  If you leave later in the day, you can choose following option:

OPTIONAL Service Project: Alternatively, you can participate in a service project for the homeless by making special bags for a local charity using upcycled materials (which helps them save money!) You then put it the bags food and hygiene items most needed by those living on the street.  Rosies Friends on The Street is a not-for-profit organisation that will then distribute the packs you make.  In addition, a representative from Rosies will speak to you about how members of the Cairns community become homeless, and how your gift will help. 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. (on request, no extra cost)

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

Meals Included: Breakfast
CAS outcomes: Creativity, Activity

Check out this tour's educational outcomes
“I enjoyed the bush walk with Roy and the elder from Cairns. I learned about keeping the environment clean to better our land and future. [Guides] were wonderful.”
– Marissa Donation, student, Newman Senior High School, Newman WA (August ’19)

How Your Trip Makes The World A Better Place

We’re not talking rainbows and unicorns. We’re talking about how we have put significant thought into how to make our student tours as safe as they possibly can be while still being fun; encouraging students to learn about and contribute to the community they are travelling in; and teaching them what “sustainability” really means.

Sustainability

We are determined and motivated to be the most sustainable business we can be. This is why we run our office on renewable energy, voluntarily offset our carbon emissions, and fulfilling our policy to give at least 5% of our annual net profits to local environmental and community organisations and charities. Here’s what else we are doing:

HELPING THE REEF: In addition to the coral tree we sponsor, we pay to care for a coral at Fitzroy Island through our partner. The coral propagation happening there is unprecedented and is being celebrated as a significant project to help save the reef. Each of our groups that visit the reef receives...


a certificate on the tour


ADOPTING A RAINFOREST PLOT IN YOUR NAME: We make a donation to Rainforest Rescue for every group that visits the rainforest. On your excursion, your group will be presented with a certificate detailing the significance of this gift to the environment. In 2018-19, we purchased more than 100 square metres of rainforest adopted in our groups’ names.

CREATIVE WASTE REDUCTION: We give you your own water bottle and cloth shopping bag to eliminate the need for disposable bottles and plastic bags (and saves them from going in landfills!) We also recycle BOTH our hard plastics and soft plastics (through RedCycle) and have transitioned into NO WASTE snacks and NO WASTE lunches. Our food scraps get composted and put into our community garden, our bin liners are paper (not plastic) and we even wipe our bums with Who Gives a Crap 100% recycled toilet paper!

Community

SUPPORTING OUR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY: It is our policy to include a talk or an activity with an Aboriginal person on every trip we offer. By taking this trip, you are supporting grassroots indigenous tourism ventures and encouraging Aboriginal pride in culture. Additionally, our student community service project involves students in making “Moon Sick Care Bags” which supply re-usable sanitary products to Aboriginal women in remote communities — this helps both Indigenous women AND the environment! (Ask us how your group can do this on their tour)


SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES: It is our policy to use locally owned suppliers and businesses unless their standards are not up to par (for example, if they have a bad environmental record).

VOLUNTEERING IN OUR COMMUNITY: Small World staff are incentivised to volunteer in the community, and are given time to do so during work hours. As a team, we also clean up our local mangroves once a quarter, recognising their importance at the nursery to the Great Barrier Reef.

Safety

SUPERB SAFETY RECORD: We’ve had thousands of students travel with us, and our safety record is excellent. Ask us for teacher references specifically regarding safety.

RISK ASSESSMENT FOR EVERY TRIP: We do a risk assessment for every student tour we run, and is sent to your organising teacher. We have safety protocols for our activities and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Manual that documents these protocols. We also have a complete Crisis Management Plan. In addition...

students are given a safety briefing during orientation that addresses hazards and risks for this region.


SAFE BUSES: All of our buses are equipped with seatbelts for every seat. While this is not a Queensland law to have them, we feel your safety is a priority. Our guides do safety checks at the start of each day of the trip. In addition, vehicles go through a Department of Transport safety inspection every 12 months.

SAFE GUIDES: Small World Journeys’ guides hold current Senior First Aid and CPR certificates, along with government-issued Driver’s Authority (if driving) and Working With Children cards (also known as a Blue Card) after passing a thorough background check. For more information on our guides, see About Us.

We do custom trips!

Still haven’t found exactly what you are looking for? All our tours are fully customisable and can be catered to suit your time-frame, student interests and budget. A geography excursion to the Great Barrier Reef? A biology excursion to the Daintree Rainforest? An Aboriginal culture excursion? Our educational trips in Queensland and New South Wales are hand-crafted for those who cannot find exactly what they want from the inflexible set itineraries of large tour operators.

If you are looking for a science trip, ecology trip, Aboriginal culture, or just a sample of the best of Australia – we can help.

0
location_icon
Home
WordPress Image Lightbox