Sustainability Warriors

• Complete a service project for women in remote communities
• Spend time on country with an Indigenous guide and his family
• Contribute to ongoing efforts in reef health monitoring
• Participate in a sustainability presentation with Small World Journeys’ owner
• Visit a turtle rehabilitation centre
• Plant native trees to help revitalise a degraded tropical landscape
• Plunge into a dazzling show of colour and life at the outer Great Barrier Reef and help the reef with a community service project
• Enjoy a refreshing splash down a natural rainforest waterslide

• Risk assessment
• Cairns airport transfers
• All activities as described in the itinerary
• Transportation to activities
• Small World Journeys guide for Days 1, 2, 3, and 5
• Marine biologist on Day 4
• Specialty guides and Indigenous educators
• 4 nights central Cairns 3-star hotel (2, 3 or 4-share rooms)*
• All breakfasts
• All lunches
• All dinners except on Day 4
• Mask, fins, snorkel, lycra/wet suit hire on reef trip
• 101 Marine Animals of the Great Barrier Reef field guide for each student
• National Park and Marine Park taxes and levies
• Trees for replanting, craft materials & stencil materials for service projects
• 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)
• NEW: 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, 2026.

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

• Service Project for the Reef (done in conjunction with mangrove workshop)

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 are quite a few activities:

Rainforest Walk/Swim & Damper Making

The park and toilets are not accessible for wheelchair or mobility devices. There are no toilets on site. 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 read the interpretive panels along the walk.

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.

Great Barrier 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.

Wooroonooran National Park: Josephine Falls

The toilets, picnic shelter and picnic tables in the car park area are wheelchair and mobility device-accessible. Wheelchair and mobility device access is available to the viewing platform at the top area. Stairs lead to the bottom pool where swimming takes place. People with hearing impairments can read the interpretive panels at the falls. There is a spot on site where a person who is neurodivergent could find a quiet space with reduced stimuli.

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.

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.

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.

Arrive in Cairns: Welcome to the tropics! You are met at the airport by one of our staff and given a safety talk and orientation on what to expect.

Sustainability Talk: First activity is an interactive presentation on perceptions and practices of sustainability. This fun activity quizzes students on their current understanding of sustainability and introduces new concepts in a game show-type format.  The game creates thought-provoking concepts as well as plenty of laughs, which is a good tone set for the rest of the trip.

Community Service Project: Next you learn to make “Moon Pads” to distribute to women in need. Moon Pads provide women with a healthier, more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to disposable sanitary products. This service project provides free reusable, washable menstrual pads to girls who miss school when menstruating and face other barriers during that time of the month!

During this activity you master some basic sewing skills, gain an understanding of the complex cultural barriers that affect women in the poorest communities in the world, and learn about the environmental and social benefits of reusable sanitary products.

The Moon Pads are given to women in Indigenous communities (or to the Indigenous Health unit of Queensland Health)—places where there is still a stigma around menstruation and these products are gratefully received.

(Note: Alternatives to this project are available, such as making comfort packs for Cairns’ homeless and needy people – just ask us)

Accommodation: Cairns 3-star hotel
Meals Included: Dinner

Rainforest Discovery with Indigenous Guide: Today you discover the rainforest through the eyes of an Indigenous guide and visit sites important to the Bundaburra Yidinji people. Beginning at a sacred tree and continuing to crater lakes, you learn how seasons dictated life for these rainforest people, how they hunted and experienced rites of passage. Your guide explains how his ancestors found their way through dense rainforest, made shelter and learned which native plants were tasty to eat and those that served as weapons and medicine. He also shares a poignant creation story.

Indigenous Family Time on Country: Crossing into the more arid Mbabaram country, you get an opportunity to spend time on Native Title land with members of your guide’s family. Your guide explains connections to ancestors, the importance of land and the significance of moieties – the social and ritual groups into which his people were divided. A short bush walk introduces you to native species used for food and the kinds of trees that are fashioned into the iconic Indigenous instrument: the didgeridoo. Later you sample homemade damper and jam from rainforest berries.

Cuisine & Culture:  This evening you have a special treat: a migrant now living in Cairns shares her story and her love of cooking with you.  You learn how to prepare a delicious meal from her home country, and armed with the recipe you can also re-create this meal when you return home.  In a time when the plight of migrants is widely discussed, this activity will allow you to understand circumstances in the world that cause people to flee their countries and will humanize this struggle.  You gain some culinary skills, feast on a fantastic meal, and perhaps make a new friend.

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

Mangrove Boardwalk Discovery: Your first stop today is a 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. You learn how mangroves deal with a lot of salt in their diet, how they act as the baby nurseries of the Great Barrier Reef and why both humans and the reef rely on these complex systems.

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.

Service Project for the Reef:  You next service project involves working together to protect waterways, ocean and reef.  By stenciling messages on drains, you 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.

Future of The Reef Talk: In the evening back in Cairns you attend a unique presentation on the future of the Great Barrier Reef.  Your marine naturalist 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 3-star hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

The Great Barrier Reef:  Today you head off early to the Great Barrier Reef – a UNSECO World-Heritage site and a “must-see” for any student visiting Cairns.  Your boat whisks you to the rainforest-draped island of Fitzroy, where a gorgeous fringing reef is accessible directly from shore.  Your guide gives you an orientation on how to use your snorkel gear, and then you explore the rainbow of life at the reef.

CoralWatch Data Collection:  At the reef you also 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.

Water Quality Testing:  On the island you learn to measure water quality using chemical tests. Small World Journeys collects these tallies from each group that visits Fitzroy Island so we can log this data, analyse the results over time, and look for any long term trends.

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.

Turtle Rehabilitation Centre: During your visit 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.

Microplastic Service Project: Following your visit to the turtle rehab centre, you comb the beach, looking for the micro plastics that may have washed ashore along with other rubbish that potentially injures or sickens turtles. This cleanup helps leave the reefs better than when you arrived, contributing to its sustainability.

Accommodation: Cairns budget accommodation
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

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 with shovels and gloves, you 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.

National Park & Josephine Falls: Later you are treated to a visit to one of the most picturesque places in Queensland! In the company of your Small World Journeys guide you take an easy walk through the jungle, listening for the call of the king parrot and the bowerbird and emerge at Josephine Falls, where Josephine Creek plunges down a gorgeous set of cascades. Below the falls, boulders surround a fun swimming hole and a natural water slide down a smooth sloping rock face.  This is easily students’ favourite place in the entire region.

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

Meals Included: Breakfast