| Housing Options: | Hotel |
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Program Base Price: $3,489 - $3,689*
Estimated Airfare: $3099 – $3299
(estimated additional cost based on recent airline prices)
Dates: Dec 26, 2022 – Jan 09, 2023
Scholarships: Yes (see scholarships page)
Participants will stay the first seven nights at Pacific Hotel Cairns, located on the Esplanade overlooking Trinity Harbour. The Esplanade Lagoon and Parklands, the Sea Port, the Reef Fleet Terminal, Reef Casino, art galleries, shopping and dining are situated right at the hotel’s front door. All rooms and suites feature balconies with superb views of the harbour and parklands. Enjoy the hotel's Bushfire Restaurant and Sugarcane Rhumbar which complete the picture of a boutique style hotel.
The last five nights will be spent at Travelodge Hotel Melbourne Southbank, located in Southbank, 600 metres from the Southbank Promenade on the Yarra River, 600 metres from Flinders Station Train Station and 900 metres from Bourke Street Mall. It is within easy walking distance to restaurants and cafes, impressive shopping, renowned art galleries and the Crown Entertainment Complex. The hotel offers comfortable and modern rooms with kitchenettes.
A hot breakfast buffet is provided daily.
Discover the diversity of Australia–the people, plants, and animals. On this smallest, most temperate of continents, where flora and fauna are both diverse and unique, and native Aboriginal culture blends European with Asian counterparts, participants explore the richness of a world apart. Within just the geographic region of Victoria and Queensland can be found over a dozen very distinctive and unique ecosystems and cultures. Explore the cities of Cairns and Melbourne as well as the rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, to gain a unique perspective on the world in all its variety.
Despite 200 years of European colonization and suppression, many traditional indigenous societies in Australia have retained their cultural traditions and connection to place. This class delves into the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies and how they have endured into contemporary times. We'll meet with traditional culture keepers and visit museums and cultural sites to deepen your understanding of such traditional life patterns as kinship, foodways, and aboriginal artistic expression. In Melbourne, we'll further explore the impact of colonization on the people and their land. Throughout our trip, you will come to appreciate the resiliency of traditions in the modern world.
“This course is unique among the CCSA programs as it allows students to learn from non-Western peoples who have occupied the continent of Australia for an estimated 70,000 years, and is an opportunity to hear the traditional stories and explore lifeways to understand how the resilience of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders keeps them connected to Country and true to their heritage.” – Denise Knisely
Swim with turtles at the Great Barrier Reef, observe kangaroos in the wild, participate in a conservation project to preserve a koala habitat, and hike in the tropical rainforests in Queensland. This course will focus on the biodiversity of selected Australian terrestrial ecosystems (tropical rainforests, eucalyptus forests and mangroves) and the marine ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef, and will include an examination of the ecological consequences of human activities on these ecosystems.
“My personal teaching philosophy is one where I believe students learn best by "doing" biology and by observing biodiversity in the natural setting, and not just by looking at pictures or videos.” – Dr. Ruth Beattie
Given the location and topic, this course appeals to a wide range of life science majors.
