The best edutourism experiences in Queensland

Combining one-of-a-kind edutourism experiences with an enviable climate most can only dream of, where better to work on yourself – and your tan – than Queensland? Volunteer at a turtle rehabilitation centre or wildlife sanctuary, unleash your inner marine biologist on the Great Barrier Reef, or complete a semester at one of Queensland’s world-renowned universities; your education options are as vast as the state is diverse.

For truly transformative experiences found nowhere else, these are the best edutourism experiences in Queensland. BYO imagination and your sense of adventure.

Study Abroad programs

Where better to dabble in edutourism than Queensland; where you can hit the beach, or the bush, after hitting the books. A semester, local short course, or educative day trip will make your trip all the more memorable. The incredible scenery and lifestyle in Queensland is just the icing on the cake.

Queensland has some of the best universities in the country, all boasting excellent exchange programs that cater to even the most niche subjects. QUT, Bond University, CQ University, USC, UQ and Griffith University all offer top-notch semester exchanges, ideal if you’re looking to bolster your study while spending a few months in the sunshine.

While you settle into Queensland life, brush up on your communication skills with AusID Global; a fantastic tool that help international students immerse into Australian culture through interactive training programs. Education by Recreation study tours is a great way to meet fellow students, focusing on personal connections and language skills while embarking on educational trips, lectures and programs all designed to help immerse students into everyday life in Australia.  

A great way for international students to connect with their surroundings in the first weeks of arriving in Queensland, Adventure Day Trips offers a series of tours designed to make connections here in Aus. Make lifelong friends and build your social network while exploring iconic destinations like Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

Craving something a little ‘out of the box’ with your overseas study? Australian International Student Tours’ curriculum includes leading courses in marine science, STEM, arts, and sport programs, as well as leadership and team building topics, while Higher Ground Austronautics Academy, part of their ‘My Resilience’ program, combines STEM learning with underwater and pool-based scuba to simulate a NASA neutral buoyancy lab. That ought to do it.

Field studies in Australia is exactly as you’d imagine; blending impossibly beautiful landscapes and unique wildlife with courses allowing you to explore it all. Second Nature Education is just one of Queensland’s edutourism options taking the classroom outside, with habitat and location studies offered in some choice tropical locations. Beats study hall…

Instead of cramming for your next language test, Union Institute of Language’s study tours will not only level up your linguistics, but their planned excursions also hit up some of the most beautiful beaches in Queensland. With locations in Brisbane and Cairns, you couldn’t choose two finer bases to explore Queensland’s backyard.

Island edutourism experiences

It’s a well-known fact that Queensland’s coastline boasts some of the most beautiful islands in the country. As well as warm, turquoise waters, impossibly golden beaches, and lush, untouched forests, this is Great Barrier Reef territory; meaning the wonders are just as bountiful below the ocean’s surface as on land.

Learn with your eyes wide open and explore some of the Whitsunday Coast’s lesser-known spots with Sacred Voyage Tours. Swim in secret watering holes and volcanic rock pools, encounter local wildlife and take in your surrounds as you walk under ancient forest canopies. There are some things books can’t teach. Local guides arrange exclusive expeditions for both school age and adult travellers, keen to understand the history and importance of this pristine section of QLD.

Nestled in the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort is an award-winning eco-tourism operator taking edutourism next level. Guests are not only encouraged to enjoy the spoils of the island (the impossibly beautiful beaches and proximity to the Reef means manta and turtle sightings are all but guaranteed) but to immerse themselves in guided tours, expert-led presentations, and activities such as reef monitoring and revegetation sessions, all contributing to the ongoing protection of the region.

Kingfisher Bay Resort on the Fraser Coast, has the dream situation of combining outdoor learning with the incomparable backdrop of Fraser Island. Offering both half and full day tours, guests will learn about the rich history of Fraser; hear the stories of the Butchulla people who have lived on the island for over 5,500 years, take a guided walk with the island’s dedicated rangers, and visit iconic areas of the island.

Experience island life with Trailblazer Tours. Their unique ‘study tour’ experiences hit up Moreton Island, Fraser Island, and areas in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, dialling up the adventure as guests learn about the unique environments they visit. Guests will have the opportunity to snorkel coral reef, swim with turtles, and kayak off the coast, leaving with a better understand (and first-hand account) of this incredible part of the world.

Marine conservation experiences 

Three words: Great Barrier Reef. Queensland’s ocean icon, one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, choosing to study marine conservation here means helping the Reef survive and thrive for generations to come.

Boasting some hefty edutourism awards, Down Under Cruise and Dive and Billy Tea Safaris offer some of the best eco-friendly excursions to the Great Barrier Reef and Tropical North Queensland. Whether you hit the Reef for educational tours with dedicated marine biologists, or head to the Wet Tropics with an accredited guide, groups of all ages will come away with a sense of wonder.

The only operator with access to Normanby Island, Frankland Islands Reef Criuse is a no-brainer for anyone wanting to get away from the traditional tourist throngs. This full-day excursion gives guests unprecedented access to this idyllic island, with scuba diving options and unique snorkel safari a memorable opportunity to see the magic of the Reef first-hand.

Become a ‘Marine Biologist for a day’ with Sunlover Reef Cruises’ hands-on program. Students spend time learning about the Reef and its inhabitants from an expert marine biologist, all while in the comfort of their underwater classroom. The Townsville North Queensland Edutourism Consortium is equally immersive, connecting students to a wealth of local edutourism operators, each offering world-class study in a variety of fields. And where better to connect eager students wanting to learn about the land; Townsville serves as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, World Heritage Wet Tropics and National Parks, prevalent Indigenous culture, and the Outback.

Even if you can’t get to Queensland, you can still immerse yourself in the beauty of the Reef. Great Barrier Reef Academy was established in response to COVID-19, offering virtual study tours and courses to students wishing to learn about the Reef form the comfort of their home.

Indigenous edutourism

With over 50,000 years of continuous history, there’s nowhere better to learn about Indigenous culture in Australia than Queensland. From the Reef to the rich soils of the Outback, hear the land’s ancient stories from Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people and learn about the oldest culture on earth.

Board the Milbi and head offshore to explore the islands and Aboriginal culture of the Great Sandy Straights with Hervey Bay Eco Marine Tours. Catering for students of all ages, fuel your mind with the incredible beauty of the Hervey Bay region while learning about its unique marine diversity and rich culture. 

Learn from the experts; join local traditional owners through Culture Connect in Tropical North Queensland, gaining unprecedented access to the world’s oldest continuous culture. Connecting students first-hand to Indigenous practices, explore the land through shared experiences, taking in the incredible scenery, ancient rock art galleries, and iconic stories of the Dreamtime.

Wildlife experiences 

There’s nowhere quite like Queensland. Its flora and fauna are some of the rarest, most biologically diverse on earth, its inhabitants (furry or otherwise) some of the most iconic. Connecting with nature is second nature here; you can’t help but have it leave its mark on you.

Something guaranteed to stir the soul is to hang with turtle hatchlings up in northern Queensland. As well as its multi-day Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation volunteer program, Study n’ Volunteer Australia offers a variety of edutourism experiences across the state, ranging from wildlife conservation, agriculture, and environmental and community care.

Sign up for a wildlife volunteer placement with the CAPTA Group in Cairns. Their four-, six- and eight-week Wildlife Volunteer Program is set in some particularly beautiful habitats (Rainforestation Nature Park, Wildlife Habitat, The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and Cairns ZOOM) offers three distinct areas of study: wildlife, nature, and rainforest. Down on the Gold Coast, go behind the scenes at Dreamworld with Dreamworld Educational Tours. Learn about Australia’s native wildlife from expert handlers, tour the veterinary facilities, and get hands-on at food preparation areas and habitats.

Not your average classroom subject, Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures is an award-winning edutourism tour guide in the heart of the Wet Tropics. Famous for its educational boat cruises, spot crocs and learn about these ancient creatures as you sail through the picturesque Wangetti Valley.

Take your edutourism Outback 

Spanning more than 900,000m2, it’s hard not to feel the magic of the Queensland Outback draw you in. Unleash the imagination of all ages in the red dirt; from ancient caves and dinosaur fossils, to rock formations and tales of the Dreamtime, you’ll uncover a myriad of landscapes out west.

Swap classes for caves; the Capricorn Caves to be precise. Just north of Rockhampton, these 400-million-year-old caves are a unique learning environment, where students can soak up the history of the landscape first-hand. Partnering with Queensland Museum, expert guides enable groups to navigate ancient rock formations and spot rare wildlife. With multi-day options and large group lodgings nearby, this is a dream outback experience for any budding palaeontologist.

For an edutourism experience with grassroots spirit, dinner with a local family or a farm stay makes for quite the true-blue Aussie experience. With properties across Queensland, Australian farm tourism provides educational, interactive farming experiences, while Aussie Home Visit and ASAP Homestays organises visits with local families to enjoy authentic Aussie hospitality – and iconic Aussie BBQ.