Overview
Join us on an unforgettable journey through the Australian outback. After arriving in Sydney and seeing the city, we'll fly to the Northern Territory where the real outback awaits you. Over the next few weeks we'll travel across the vast rural outback camping, hiking and learning from the aboriginal people who live there. We'll stop along the way to do some community service projects that will allow you to interact with the local people. You'll also have fun learning to play the didgeridoo, throw a boomerang, hike through magnificent landscapes and explore national parks.
Highlights Include:
- Discover the real outback
- Learn about aboriginal culture
- Become a boomerang pro
- Play the didgeridoo
- Explore beautiful Sydney
Community Service
We'll do some community service projects at some national parks along the way. But we will also stop in two communities for a few days where we will volunteer at an aboriginal school. The students here have traditionally been very isolated from the rest of the world and the school has asked us not to do manual labor, but instead to do activities with the local students and engage in cultural exchange. You'll work directly with the children, doing educational games, sports and forming friendships.
Learning
The aboriginal people are indigenous to Australia and have a unique and beautiful culture. We will learn about the issues they are facing in contemporary Australia as well as about their medicine, music and art. You'll go on hikes to identify medicinal plants that are used by the aboriginal people, have a workshop on aboriginal spirituality, and even learn to do the unique form of dot painting practiced in the outback.
Excursions
The entire journey is an excursion full of adventure and breathtaking scenery. We'll visit a crocodile park, take a wilderness river cruise, explore remote deserts, hike through massive canyons and visit the famous Ayers Rock, a place of great importance to the aboriginal people. You'll also spend a couple of days in the cosmopolitan city of Sydney and its surrounding beaches.
Lodging
While we are in Sydney we will stay at a local hostel. However, as we travel through the heart of the outback we will be camping in two-person tents. We'll provide the tents and mattresses and you bring your sleeping bag. You'll be well taken care of by our camp crew including a professional cook, porter, and driver and of course your GLA program leaders. This will be an experience you'll never forget!
