Educational Tours in Australia

Julie Hoskins, Co-ord of SS Community Service & Student Exchanges
Ruyton Girls' School

The trip went very well. David Bruce was an absolutely wonderful tour guide and driver – as always. He is always calm, hard-working, thorough, generous, articulate, thoughtful, capable and impeccably dressed! The staff and students loved him. Josie, our cook, was terrific. She was always cheerful, diligent, made great meals and accommodated a range of dietary requests with unflappable style. She had a great sense of humour, and was unfailingly kind, too.

The caravan park at Alice Springs has introduced more rules about supervision of students, which are a bit annoying considering that our girls are always well-behaved, but we managed them ok. We had a few thunderstorms at Yulara which made for some interesting nights with teachers, David and Josie running around in torrential rain, at 11 pm, pegging tents down.

Otherwise, the trip was as good as it always is. Thank you for making excellent arrangements for us.

Kym Maclean, Head of Year 9
Loreto Mandeville Hall

We engaged Across Australia Travel to coordinate our Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak – Year 9 Central Australia trip for 150 students. From the outset, Ian Wheeler, the Managing Director, was thoroughly organised. He managed all our needs and requirements ranging from visits to the sites, accommodation and meals and assisted with access permit requirements. Ian’s knowledge of the industry and what is suitable and available was clearly evident. Whenever we had a query or issue during planning and whilst on our trip, he responded quickly.

Across Australia Travel ensure they only engage with reliable companies who deliver excellent quality services. The bus driver for our group was extremely knowledgeable about the region and very supportive when we required assistance with local agencies.

I highly recommend Across Australia Travel when organising travel for school groups. Ian will ensure he tailors the trip to suit the needs of the school and the students.

Lynn Broadway, Deputy Principal
Melbourne Girls Grammer School

All the students and staff returned to school on Monday full of enthusiasm from the trip. They reported that the whole journey had run very smoothly and was wonderful from start to finish. We were impressed by the care with which the itinerary had been checked and cross-checked, the level of professionalism of the tour providers and the ease of communications with Across Australia Travel.

From day one, the quality of food, camping equipment provided and the approachability of the travel crew were all impressive. Our staff commented on the high level of organisation demonstrated in all aspects of the camping arrangements and the fair and positive way in which the crew dealt with the students in outlining and then reinforcing their expectations. Our thanks go to all those involved in making the Yr 9 Dream Time Journey such a success.

Shaun Burke, Middle School Head of Operations, English, History
Camberwell Grammar School

We were privileged to have Ian come on board to help set up a Central Australia trip for our Middle School students, which tied into our indigenous studies in Year 8. Ian’s friendly and flexible nature, ensured that we had an opportunity to work in an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory.

Reflections on the trip:

Dreams of endless red desert, timeless mountains and thriving communities flooded my mind before we departed on our eight-day camping adventure to Central Australia. The trip did not disappoint. During the first week of the September School Holidays, twenty-eight students from Year 8 and 9 and three staff, headed off to Alice Springs to begin our adventure.

We were soon accustomed to the striking heat and every stop around Alice Springs was a new experience for the staff and students. One could not help thinking how isolated the explorers and workers on the Telegraph Station must have felt when they looked at the vast endless desert, arid bushland and MacDonnell Ranges. After we explored Simpson’s Gap and heard about the importance of this site for local indigenous people, we returned to the MacDonnell Ranges Holiday Park, where we were thoroughly entertained by Rex’s display of native reptiles. At one point we managed to form a circle and Rex passed a Rainbow Serpent python around, quite an experience.

The following day in Alice, we learnt about the important role of the ‘Royal Flying Service’ and the ‘Alice Springs School of the Air’; purchased souvenirs and then we returned to the caravan park for another three-course meal. The food throughout the trip was freshly prepared at our campsite by Cheryl, who could not believe how much food we managed to eat over the eight days.

A camel ride, the physical sight of the King’s Canyon rim, the sunset with dips over-looking Uluru and the mystic gorge in Kata Tjuta with its 36 domes, were all obvious highlights, but from all reports, the students especially enjoyed constructing horticulture at the Wanmarra Community. After an Aboriginal leader warmly invited us into the community with a traditional “welcome”, we set about laying pipes, building gardens and rock wall features on a thirty-acre site. We felt that we were making a difference to the community and could see their vision for the future. Once back at School, the Year 8 students felt empowered to raise funds for the community through the Year 8 Social; so, our connection with the community will continue to grow.

It was sad to depart the bus captain and assistant, for the flight home, but we hoped that our paths might cross again in the future. A fabulous trip, organised to perfection and a unique experience for many students. This short note does not do justice to the great trip we had.

I would personally like to thank Ian Wheeler and Bayside Coaches, who provided a splendid and unique experience for our students.

Without hesitance, I warmly recommend Across Australia Travel.

Mary Fitz-Gerald, Principal
Mater Christi College

Ian has had a long standing connection with Mater Christi College in arranging travel details for our Year 11 students undertaking educational and cultural tours in Central Australia.

Over the last four years, he has extended his services to planning our student tours of Borneo. Through 2012 and 2013, Ian worked with staff to design and organise a tour of France. This was a complex exercise in that it involved travel, touring and accommodation arrangements for two groups of 24 students, eight teachers and two other accompanying adults. Based on the success of this event, we will commence planning the 2015 France tour with Ian in the next couple of months.

Ian works closely with staff in planning suitable itineraries, educational and cultural experiences, appropriate accommodation and in meeting a range of health and dietary requirements. He is also flexible with any last minute changes that may occur with student groups. Ian is thorough in his attention to detail which goes a long way towards ensuring positive experiences for all.

Elizabeth Nevins, Head of Year Ten & Head of Middle School
Lilydale High School

We had such a wonderful time with Joe, Josie, Rod and Peter. They were all such lovely people, they took a real interest in the kids and really made a huge huge effort to help make this the trip of a lifetime for the students. 

Joe and Rod had so much knowledge about the culture and they were so passionate when passing this information onto the students. It was really fabulous. 

Joe is possibly the kindest person I have ever met – he went above and beyond for the kids and especially the staff and no task was too much for him. He really did make the camp for Bus 1. I cannot thank him enough!!

This was my second trip with Rod, and he is always great to chat with, he has so much knowledge about the area and he manages the kids so well and with ease – must be the ex-school teacher in him hehe! 

Josie and Peter were fabulous cooks! The food was delicious and they always did everything they could (and more) to make sure everyone had something they liked or that they could  eat. They were so kind and caring always and the kids absolutely adored them! 

It is so important on a trip like this to have a good team, who are excited and passionate about what they do. This team worked so well together, Joe and Rod gave us endless laughs, and the dynamic between Joe and Josie is second to none – they had us laughing every day! Peter said he was on his first trip – I would never have guessed that, because he was so well organised and professional and seemed to just fit right in!

I honestly cannot speak more highly of this team and neither can my staff or students who were on Bus 1 and 2. Thank you so much to all of them, although thank you doesn’t seem enough!! I hope they are available for our camp next year 🙂

As the two camps didn’t meet up this year, I did not get the chance to meet the drivers or cooks on the second camp, however, in speaking with my staff, they have also been very positive about the drivers and cooks and expressed their thanks towards them as well. They got along well with the kids and staff on bus 3 and 4 and were always there to assist in any way. Please let them know we are very thankful and grateful to them for everything they did for the students and staff on the camp 🙂

I really am very thankful and it’s not only a real credit to those staff, but also to your company and look forward to the 2020 tour 🙂

Lynn Broadway, Deputy Principal: Staffing and Operations
Melbourne Girls Grammar

Melbourne Girls Grammar has been working with Across Australia Travel since August 2010 when we began to discuss the concept of a 3 week journey from Darwin to Uluru in the NT for all our Year 9 students to take place in July 2011. We had asked a number of other single sex girls schools for recommendations and staff at Strathcona warmly endorsed the services of Across Australia Travel who had been running annual trips to the NT for several years.

After an initial phone call of inquiry, Ian Wheeler arranged to visit our staff at the School in Melbourne and we discussed our expectations and requirements. We had some very specific educational experiences in mind for our Year 9 students and were keen to improve on the experiences we had in 2010 with another tour provider who had failed to meet our expectations.

Ian was very attentive to our requirements and willing to embrace our vision. Our journey was to “Search for the Rainbow Serpent” between Darwin to Uluru and to try to give our 100 students authentic interactions with indigenous cultures, acknowledging that these cultures vary considerably as you travel south from Darwin through the different language groups.

We also threw in the challenge of organising for 100 students to stay overnight in the classrooms at the Elliott School and experience an amazing cultural immersion program. This proved to be an invaluable experience for our students as well as the indigenous students at the School who organised cultural tours of the local environment and wonderful of bush tucker and painting activities. Ian worked with Bayside Coaches to ensure that this was an extremely positive goodwill activity which had very positive outcomes in developing the relationship between the two schools. On two of our trips, Ian was willing to incorporate an overnight stay at Elliott School. The School hosted a number of activities and allowed our students to sleep in the classrooms overnight. Ian and the tour company (Bayside Coaches) were very open to every challenge and were happy to incorporate putting on a BBQ dinner for the Elliott students on the evenings of our visits. This demonstrated a real willingness to work closely with the client to ensure that a unique opportunity was provided for our students. This is still remembered as a true highlight of the journey by many of our girls.

In all our discussions with Ian, no request was too difficult or impossible and he was always willing to try to meet our needs. He made some initial suggestions which he felt would enhance our Journey, including the idea of canoeing in Nitmiluk Gorge and encouraging us to work with budding indigenous tourist operators and evaluate their programs. We were happy to embrace such organisations and to provide feedback from the students and the staff.

AAT organised our Year 9 Journeys from Darwin to Uluru in 2011 and 2012 and did an excellent job. We then reviewed our offerings in line with further challenging our students and allowing for greater choice, we made changes to the Yr 9 Northern Territory experience which required further planning and consultation. The trip became one of three options and we focused on the northern part of the NT instead of travelling from North to South. This involved a complete re-think of the program and experiences on offer and Ian was very eager to please as we incorporated an outdoor camping experience at the working cattle station – Mt Bundy Station.

After every trip, Ian paid a personal visit to the School to gather feedback on the trip and to offer suggestions for possible changes in future journeys. He was also keen to know how the trip could be enhanced for the students and staff. He responded to special requests for dietary requirements and menu planning and offered suggestions about new providers or other tourist experiences he had heard of. These have included bush tucker tours, a walking tour of Darwin, ranger talks at Nitmiluk Gorge, Katherine Gorge, Uluru and Kakadu, tours and a lecture about the Ranger Uranium Mine at Jabiru.

We are currently working with AAT to develop a Northern Territory experience for all our (120) Year 8 students in the Uluru and Alice Springs area in June 2016 and Ian has been very responsive to our needs and feedback in ensuring that the high standard of trips is maintained.

At MGGS our parents and staff have very high expectations and it is a real testament to this company that we have not had any negative feedback or issues about the trips or the tour providers AAT with our parents or staff accompanying them.

In my experience, AAT offers unique services in the planning, consultation, delivery and evaluation of travel experiences and I warmly endorse their services.

Martin Smith, HPE / Outdoor Education Coordinator
Wodonga Senior Secondary College

Staff and students from the College recently did a 16-day Central Australia trip organised by AAT. We flew to Darwin and then bussed our way back to Wodonga, taking in the iconic places that the Australian Outback has to offer.

The trip went exceptionally well and a large part of that was due to the work done by Ian. An itinerary was worked out and included activities that I had never done before and I have been taking students to Central Australia since 1985. The students particularly enjoyed the couple of days working with a remote community on the Karrke Project.

Overall, we had an excellent time and the students gained an enormous amount from it. I had one parent comment that it “was the best investment in their son’s education that they have made”.

I would not hesitate to recommend Ian & AAT to anyone looking to provide a unique and rewarding Central Australian experience for their students.

Elizabeth Nevins, Head of Year Ten & Head of Middle School
Lilydale High School

We had such a wonderful time with Joe, Josie, Rod and Peter. They were all such lovely people, they took a real interest in the kids and really made a huge huge effort to help make this the trip of a lifetime for the students. 

Joe and Rod had so much knowledge about the culture and they were so passionate when passing this information onto the students. It was really fabulous. 

Joe is possibly the kindest person I have ever met – he went above and beyond for the kids and especially the staff and no task was too much for him. He really did make the camp for Bus 1. I cannot thank him enough!!

This was my second trip with Rod, and he is always great to chat with, he has so much knowledge about the area and he manages the kids so well and with ease – must be the ex-school teacher in him hehe! 

Josie and Peter were fabulous cooks! The food was delicious and they always did everything they could (and more) to make sure everyone had something they liked or that they could  eat. They were so kind and caring always and the kids absolutely adored them! 

It is so important on a trip like this to have a good team, who are excited and passionate about what they do. This team worked so well together, Joe and Rod gave us endless laughs, and the dynamic between Joe and Josie is second to none – they had us laughing every day! Peter said he was on his first trip – I would never have guessed that, because he was so well organised and professional and seemed to just fit right in!

I honestly cannot speak more highly of this team and neither can my staff or students who were on Bus 1 and 2. Thank you so much to all of them, although thank you doesn’t seem enough!! I hope they are available for our camp next year 🙂

As the two camps didn’t meet up this year, I did not get the chance to meet the drivers or cooks on the second camp, however, in speaking with my staff, they have also been very positive about the drivers and cooks and expressed their thanks towards them as well. They got along well with the kids and staff on bus 3 and 4 and were always there to assist in any way. Please let them know we are very thankful and grateful to them for everything they did for the students and staff on the camp 🙂

I really am very thankful and it’s not only a real credit to those staff, but also to your company and look forward to the 2020 tour 🙂

Stephen Salisbury,
Bayside Christian College

Bayside Christian College has employed the services of Ian Wheeler of Across Australia Travel, for the last 5 years, to plan and organise our Grade 6 Canberra camp. In all my dealings with Ian I have found him professional, friendly and helpful. The drivers he has hired have all been wonderful with the students and adults alike and very experienced. With Ian’s planning, it has meant that our teachers could concentrate on preparing the students and ensuring that they got the most out of the trip. The services of Ian Wheeler at Across Australia Travel have been invaluable to our Canberra experience.