Semester in Australia - Outdoor Education

  Australia

• Western Australia: 
Broome

Term: Fall, Spring, Summer 

Description: Australian semesters are expeditions of discovery in a land of great contrasts.

The spring semester consists of canoeing, backpacking and cultural sections. For 75 days, you'll travel as a group through northwestern Australia's Kimberley region, a place so remote you'll get there by four-wheel drive vehicle or light plane, and you won't return to civilization until the semester ends.

The summer semester includes backpacking, sea kayaking, sailing and cultural sections, where you'll explore the Kimberley and the Pilbara regions, learning how to be comfortable in both bush and marine environments.

You'll see crocodiles, kangaroos, wallabies, geckos, cockatoos, kookaburras and honeyeaters, as well as huge termite mounds. Both semesters also spend time on the coast, with opportunities to see turtles, a variety of reef fish species, coral and other marine animals. The uniqueness of Australia's natural surroundings makes this an ideal place for you to challenge yourself, learn and have fun.

* Canoeing
(Spring only) During this five-week section, you'll travel through the heart of the Kimberley, both by canoe and on foot. You'll paddle and portage your boat and gear down the Drysdale River, one of the most remote rivers in the world, while you learn the intricacies of canoe travel and develop your leadership style. You'll also take exploratory day hikes into the wilderness.

* Sea Kayaking
(Summer only) You'll begin your sea kayaking adventure in the waters surrounding the Dampier Archipelago, a group of 42 rocky islands offering scrubby eucalyptus valleys and isolated coral reefs. Here you'll have the opportunity to learn sea kayaking skills, explore the colorful marine ecosystem, and visit the most prolific Aboriginal petroglyph site in the world.

* Backpacking
Your backpacking section will be in the Kimberley, in areas that offer everything from gorges and grasslands to billabongs (water holes) and waterfalls. You'll learn about the local cattle stations and how to backpack effectively in this hot, dry environment. You may also use everything you've learned up until now on a student expedition.

* Cultural
(Spring only) You'll head out by bus and small boat to the Bardi Aboriginal homelands for a week on the coast and islands of the Indian Ocean. You'll study the marine ecology and learn Bardi crafts and traditions like boomerang and spear making.

(Summer only) You'll visit a local Aboriginal community, like Jarlmadangah, for a few days where you will learn about their traditional and present day lifestyles.

* Sailing
(Summer only) To round out your coastal skills, you'll spend a week aboard a large, traditional 55-foot sailing yacht exploring the Broome coastline. You will learn the fundamentals of basic coastal cruising, which includes maneuvering a vessel under power and sail, along with coastal navigation and seamanship.

Highlights: NOLS is the leader in wilderness education. All NOLS courses offers teaching in leadership skills, outdoor skills, and environmental education. The skills learned on a NOLS course will be brought back to your everyday life. NOLS uses the wilderness as a functional classroom.

NOLS offers courses in backpacking, sea kayaking, canoeing, and coastal aboriginal studies. On an Australian NOLS course you will explore the wild wilderness while gaining educational skills.

Scholarships, and college credits are available.

Australia. Merely the word brings to mind dozens of images, of unusual wildlife and wide open space, of flora found nowhere else on Earth, of friendly people and different cultures. The Land Down Under is a wild continent that awaits discovery. It's a land of waterfalls and crocodiles, of adventure and exploration.

NOLS has been in Australia for almost a decade, and in that time we've concentrated our explorations in northwestern Australia, a place called the Kimberley. The region is recognized as being the most remote territory in a continent known for its sparse population and untraveled expanse.

On your course, you too will discover this remote place, learning from your instructors - natives of Australia and countries worldwide - and enjoying a unique opportunity to explore a region not known to many. Our Australia headquarters are located in Broome, a community of less than 14,000 that was founded in the 1880s as a hub of the pearling industry.

You will spend a day or so in this interesting little town before traveling into the field via four-wheel drive or plane. For a number of years NOLS has been involved with local Aboriginal groups. As a result, many NOLS courses have fantastic opportunities to mingle with these people, learning from them and their way of life.

College Credit:
(Optional)

16 Semester Credit Hours
2 Hours Biology
2 Hours Environmental Ethics
4 Hours Leadership Techniques
4 Hours Skills Practicum
4 Hours Risk Assessment

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Spring: USD 12,600 ; Summer: USD 10,250

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Australia Independently

Scholarships are Available. Each year NOLS offers over USD 800,000 dollars in scholarship assistance. Scholarship aid is available to applicants who show great potential to excel as NOLS students and who would be unable to attend without financial aid. These scholarship dollars are made available through the generosity of alumni and friends to the NOLS Fund. Our graduates realize the great impact a NOLS education has and volunteer both time and money to further the school's mission.

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Job and Internship Network

NOLS The National Outdoor Leadership School's Mission Statement: The mission of the National Outdoor Leadership School is to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment.

Year Founded: 1965