Australia: Animal Conservation

Rustic’s Sunshine Coast Base House and Byron Bay Lodinging – Students will sleep 4-6 in a room on bunk beds with males and females in separate rooms. Each room has an en-suite bathroom with private American-style bathrooms and hot-water showers.

Toowoomba – Students stay at 3+ star accommodation with 4 separate beds per room.

Brisbane City YHA Hostel – Students sleep in private quad-share rooms.

There is electricity, hot water and flushing toilets throughout the program.

Rustic Pathways works with local community leaders and organizations to identify and prioritize the needs of each community. Please refer to the itinerary for a description of the various service projects in this program. Please note that while we try our best to ensure we provide our advertised projects, some changes may occur due to the communities and project partners we work with.

Australia Zoo – Depending on the tasks, the students will be working in pairs or small groups. Some of the tasks include helping zookeepers with the maintenance of the animal enclosures (painting, cleaning, scooping poop). The students will also help with preparing food, feeding animals, etc. Students will work in a different section of the zoo each day.

Wildlife Rehabilitation – The idea for this section is to have students practice their recently learned skills. They will be split into groups and will be asked to help with the daily tasks at the wildlife rehab center. 

Very little physicality required–mostly traveling or learning.

Food in Australia is quite similar to American cuisine, with options such as pasta, sandwiches, salads, grilled meats, and pizza. We focus on providing fresh, healthy home-cooked meals. The group will prepare meals together and will eat at local restaurants once a week. Vegetarian diets and other common dietary requirements can easily be accommodated.

Dietary Requirements/Food Allergies – we can easily accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other common dietary requirements on this program. Please make sure to include this in your medical form so that our staff can prepare and we recommend bringing along some of your own favorite snacks!

Water from the tap is safe to drink and access to drinking water is provided throughout the program in Australia. We ask students to bring reusable water bottles in order to reduce plastic usage.

It is Australia’s winter time, but the weather is generally warm in this part of the country. June/July/August in Queensland is the drier time of year, and normally the days have clear blue skies and sunshine. Temperatures will range from 65 – 75 degrees Fahrenheit through the day, but it does get quite cool at night. The water temperature at the beach will generally be around 66 – 69 degrees Fahrenheit.

Flights – The flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane is approximately 14 hours one-way. This program does not have any internal flights.

Visa – Nearly all nationalities will require a visa to enter Australia. Residents of the USA should apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), which is an online visa found at eta.immi.gov.au and costs US$25. Residents of Europe may be eligible for a free eVisitor visa. Other nationalities may require a Visitor Visa (e600), which costs approximately AU$130. Visa costs are not included in our program prices.

Internal Travel – This program travels to a few core places while moving every 3-4 days. This offers a good chance to get to know a few places well. Rustic Pathways’ program leaders will drive students in 8-seater or 12-seater vans throughout the program.

Students are allowed to bring phones on their Rustic Pathways program but must abide by our cell phone policy. Students will not be allowed to use their phones during group activities, nor at any other time where it is disruptive to the group dynamic. If students are unable to abide by this policy, disciplinary action may be taken.

We want to encourage students to disconnect in order to fully immerse themselves in the experience and get the most out of their program. That being said, students will have access to wifi at times during this itinerary while in the larger towns. Parents will have access to our 24/7 emergency number and will also receive updates from our staff once your student is in country.

Generally, students have access to email once per week. Public phones are available several times during the program.

Checked luggage fees, personal gifts, internet, phone calls, and snacks are not included. All other costs (accommodation, meals, in-country transportation, and activities) are included in the program price. We generally suggest $200-$300 for spending money.

Generally there is the opportunity for self-service laundry once per week.

In general, Australians dress fairly casually. However, when students are visiting local Indigenous communities or participating in service projects, it is important to show respect at all times. The requirements are fairly straightforward and the same for all genders:

Shorts: Great for service. Basketball-style only; no running or soccer-style shorts. Rule of thumb is that the bottom of the shorts should be approaching the kneecap.
Loose-fitting pants.
Tops: Shoulders must be covered – No tank tops or spaghetti straps.

If you arrive and your clothing is deemed unacceptable by your Program Leaders, you’ll have to purchase appropriate clothing before service work begins. The sun is very strong in Australia due to the hole in the ozone layer. This means much higher, more severe levels of UV radiation get through to ground level.
Therefore sun safety is very important and we recommend taking preventative measures to reduce the risk of sun damage. We require tops that cover your shoulders and suggest a hat (preferably wide brim) and sunglasses.

Ensuring the safety of your teen as they travel with Rustic Pathways is a top priority. Please review our Health and Safety measures.

Our Travel Protection Plan helps protect our participants, their belongings, and their travel investment in those unforeseen circumstances that may arise during travel. Learn more about the plan offered through our partner.

If any of your questions were not answered, our Global Program Advisors are here to help! Give us a call at 800.321.4353 or request a call here.