education

Educational Tours to Far North Queensland

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Far North Queensland is a tropical paradise!

On the doorstep of the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest, you will find kilometres of pristine white sandy beaches. Just beyond the shore is the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park with its colourful display of corals, turtles and fish. The Cairns region is a must-see for innovations in coastal aquaculture and sustainable development. It has also been home to the colourful and friendly Djabugay people for over 40,000 years! Whether you’d prefer a sightseeing adventure or an immersive experience of Aboriginal Australian culture, a curriculum-based field trip or one-of-a-kind experience, Second Nature offers a variety of tour options for school and university/TAFE groups.

What We Provide 

  • Award-winning educators/ facilitators
  • Itineraries and Flyers
  • Information Sessions at your school or university
  • Transportation options (we arrange flights where necessary and provide options for ground and water transport)
  • Accommodation options (we provide quotes to utilise the most affordable and most appropriate accommodation to suit your needs)
  • Catering options (all food is covered through our fantastic range of reliable third-party providers)
  • Curriculum-based work-booklets (where requested)
  • Pre/Post Tour Activities (usually a PPP)
  • Risk Assessment (location specific)

Far North Queensland Tours for School & University/TAFE Groups

Our Domestic Tours for school and university groups are all-inclusive, affordable and fully customised. Our Far North Queensland tours are optimised to support the following units or modules:

Geography

  • Year 10 Environmental Change and Management
  • Year 11 Planning Sustainable Places
  • Year 11 Tourism (VIC)
  • Year 12 Responding to Local Land Cover Transformations (QLD) or Changing the Land (VIC)
  • Year 12 Ecosystems at Risk (NSW)

Biology

  • Year 11 Biodiversity and the Interconnectedness of Life (QLD) or Biological Diversity (NSW)
  • Year 11 How do Living Things Stay Alive (VIC)
  • Year 11 Ecosystem Dynamics (NSW)
  • Year 12 How does Life Change and Respond to Challenges over Time (VIC)

Earth and Environmental Science

  • Year 11 Earth’s Resources (NSW)
  • Year 12 Human Impacts (NSW)
  • Year 11 Living on Earth (QLD)
  • Year 12 How can Biodiversity and Development be Sustained (VIC)

Marine Science (QLD)

  • Year 11 and/or 12 Marine Biology
  • Year 11 and/or 12 Oceanography
  • Year 11 and/or 12 Conservation and Sustainability
  • Year 11 and/or 12 Marine Research Skills

Tourism (QLD)

  • Year 11 The Travel Experience
  • Year 12 Sustainable Tourism
  • Tourist Destinations and Attractions (elective)
  • Tourism Marketing (elective)
  • Types of Tourism (elective)
  • Tourism Client Groups (elective)

Agricultural Science (QLD) or Agriculture (NSW)

  • Year 11/12 Animal Science (QLD)
  • Year 11/12 Agribusiness (QLD)
  • Year 11/12 Animal Production (NSW)

Cultural

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

Undergraduate (suggestions)

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science
  • Marine Biology
  • Conservation Biology
  • Tourism

However, the flexible design of our Domestic Tours means itineraries can be adapted to fulfil curriculum requirements for any of the following subjects: Geography, Biology, Earth & Environmental Science, Marine Science, Investigating Science, Agricultural Science and Tourism. Educational institutions can experience one of our pre-existing itineraries or work with us to design an itinerary that perfectly suits their needs.

Destination Highlights

  • Participate in the Coral Watch citizen science project on the Great Barrier Reef
  • Swim amongst coral bommies with turtles and schools of tropical fish
  • Visit Cape Tribulation, where the Daintree meets the Reef
  • Fly over the canopy of the Daintree Rainforest in a gondola
  • Visit the Sciacca’s ecoganic banana farm and learn about their unique approach to sustainable farming
  • Live amongst an Australian Indigenous community just outside of Cairns
  • Spend a day at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
  • Visit the “green” region of Smithfield to investigate sustainable development
  • Enjoy day tours and overnight expeditions to Fitzroy and Green Island

More Information

Tour Outcomes
  • Increase awareness and knowledge in coral reefs, the marine life that inhabit them and the workings of the coral reef ecosystem.
  • Increase awareness of the impacts of human activities on coral reef ecosystems and encourage sustainable behaviours that minimise these
  • Foster connection and raise stewardship of Australia’s coral reefs through awareness of an individual coral reef’s health, and understanding and potential participation in reef conservation programs
  • Begin to understand the processes involved in managing our environment in a sustainable manner including some of the many issues and challenges
  • Awareness and knowledge of rainforests
  • Appreciation for the diversity of rainforest organisms
  • A basic understanding of how rainforest systems work including knowledge of food chains/webs, habitats and propagules.
  • Awareness of the impacts of human activities on rainforests both locally and globally
  • A sense of connection to and feeling of stewardship towards Australia’s rainforests
  • Describe and investigate aspects of urban planning and design
  • Describe and investigate sustainable design and green buildings
  • Describe the nature, spatial patterns and future directions of Far North Queensland tourism
  • Identify environmental, social, political and technological factors affecting Far North Queensland tourism
  • Examine the environmental, social and economic impacts of Far North Queensland tourism
Example Itinerary 1: Experience Far North Queensland Camp Program

Below is an example itinerary with a focus on environment, culture, urban dynamics and tourism in Far North Queensland.

DAY 1

09:10 Arrive at Cairns Airport
09:40 Depart Cairns Airport for Hotel to drop off luggage.
10:15 Depart Hotel for Ecoganic Banana Farm
11:45 Arrive at Banana Farm for Activity Session 1
12:45 Lunch
13:15 Stay at Banana Farm for Activity Session 2
14:15 Afternoon tea
14:30 Stay at Banana Farm for Activity Session 3
15:30 Depart Banana Farm for Hotel
17:00 Arrive at Hotel and enjoy free time!
18:00 Depart Hotel for Dinner
18:30 Dinner
19:30 Depart dinner for Hotel
20:00 Enjoy a Presentation on the Great Barrier Reef
21:00 End set day program

DAY 2

06:00 Breakfast
07:30 Depart accommodation to Cairns Reef Terminal
08:15 Depart terminal by catamaran for the outer Great Barrier Reef
10:00 Arrive at outer GBR. Enjoy morning tea and a Safety & Information briefing
10:30 Activity Session 1: Introductory snorkel on viewing and sampling techniques and basic identification of marine organisms
12:00 Enjoy a buffet lunch on board the catamaran
12:30 Activity Session 2: Undertake a coral reef structure ID activity
13:45 Activity Session 3: Undertake a reef fish ID activity
14:45 Depart outer GBR for Cairns Reef Terminal
16:30 Depart Cairns Reef Terminal for Accommodation
17:00 Arrive at Accommodation. Free time before dinner
18:00 Dinner
19:30 End set day program

 

DAY 3

06:30 Breakfast
08:00 Depart accommodation for Daintree Rainforest
09:45 Arrive at Mossman Gorge Information Centre
10:00 Shuttle into Mossman Gorge track head
10:15 Enjoy morning tea while listening to a talk and demonstrate how to use rainforest equipment
10:45 Walk into Site 1
11:00 Session 1 Activities (undisturbed rainforest) at Mossman Gorge section of Daintree National Park
12:00 Walk to next site for Session 2 Activities
12:15 Session 2 Activities (disturbed rainforest) at Mossman Gorge section of Daintree National Park
13:15 Walk back to Mossman Gorge Track head for Lunch
13:30 Lunch
14:00 Walk back to the car park for shuttle
14:15 Shuttle back to Mossman Gorge Information Centre
14:30 Depart Daintree Forest for Accommodation
16:15 Arrive at Accommodation. Free time until dinner
18:00 Dinner
19:30 Movie – experience the amazing ‘Samsara’ (optional) or enjoy a night spotlight walk – or both!
21:30 End set day program.

DAY 4

07:00 Breakfast
08:00 Check out of accommodation
08:15 Depart accommodation for Kenfrost Homes in Smithfield
08:30 Arrive at Kenfrost Homes for a talk and a site inspection of the development
10:00 Depart Kenfrost Homes for the Council Chambers. Enjoy morning tea on the way
10:30 Arrive at the Council Chambers and have a talk about urban planning.
11:30 Depart Council Chambers for James Cook University
12:00 Arrive at James Cook University for a talk from an Academic on urban planning
13:15 Depart James Cook University for Kuranda
13:45 Lunch in the park at Kuranda
14:15 Revision Session
15:00 Depart Kuranda for Mangrove boardwalk
16:00 Interpretational mangrove walk along the boardwalk at the airport
16:45 Depart for Cairns Airport
 17:15 End entire program with Second Nature Education J  We hope you had an incredible experience!
Example Itinerary 2: Rainforest to Reef Tour

Below is an example itinerary with a focus on environment and culture in Far North Queensland.

Day 1 Arrive in Cairns. Art galleries and Night Market
Day 2 Butterfly Sanctuary, Kuranda Markets, Army Duck Tour, Pamagirri Experience and Skyrail
Day 3 Glass-bottomed boat and snorkeling on Great Barrier Reef
Day 4 Lake Barrine, Lake Eacham, Cathedral Fig, Curtain Fig, Millaa Millaa Falls, Paronella Park
Day 5 Cape Tribulation, Kuki Boardwalk, Mossman Gorge, Daintree River Cruise
Day 6 Jungle Surfing, Alexandra Range Lookout, Myall Beach, Port Douglas and return to Cairns
Day 7 Cairns lagoon and shopping precinct
Central East Australia Fly-Around

Below is an example itinerary with a focus on environment and culture in Australia

Day 1 Arrive in Darwin
Day 2 Military Museum, Charles Darwin Park, Cruise, Aviation Heritage Centre and Crocosaurus Cove and Mindil Beach Sunset Market
Day 3 Darwin City Tour
Day 4 Kakadu National Park
Day 5 Katherine Gorge and overnight in Mataranka
Day 6 Mataranka -> Alice Springs (via Devil’s Marbles)
Day 7 Alice Springs -> Uluru. Base Tour of Uluru
Day 8 Aboriginal Australian Experience. Uluru -> Sydney
Day 9 Sydney -> Canberra. Parliament House
Day 10 Australian War Memorial and Questacon
Day 11 Canberra -> Sydney. Don Bradman Museum
Day 12 Sydney City Tour and Dinner Cruise
Day 13 Depart Sydney. End entire program.
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