Reef and Rain 2023

It was an early Sunday morning on the 18th June when 58 students and seven staff arrived at JMSS ready to embark on the most exciting, picturesque, and adventure packed eight days in Far North Queensland.

On arrival in Cairns we embraced the gorgeous conditions straight away by removing the jumpers, putting on shorts, and slapping on sunscreen. The acclimatisation time was short, with the three groups heading out on their separate adventures from day two. The separate adventure programs comprised two days jam-packed with educational, experiential, and fun activities. 

The first activity for our group consisted of a trip to James Cook University, then onto Kuanda, and the following day, a comprehensive trip to Fitzroy Island. The key highlight from these activities included meeting Jamie Seymour - a marine biologist who is an expert on all marine things that can kill you with the slightest drop of venom. To get to Kuranda, students traveled in the gondola of the SkyRail. The rainforest views were fabulous, with Monarch Butterflies fluttering over the canopy. The boat ride out to Fitzroy Island was smooth sailing as the weather was glorious. We were fortunate to have a guide tell us about the Fitzroy Island reef and all the animal life. The visibility was up to 12 m, so the reef and all its glory, plus the sea turtles, were all in eyes view.

The second activity was heading out on the liveaboard boat with epic snorkeling experiences. We were up early to ensure we could make the most of the day. Once on the reef, we were blessed with another visual sensory explosion with countless encounters with Nemo, turtles, reef sharks, parrot fish, starfish, coral, and other vibrant reef life.

The last experience was a trip North over the Daintree River and into the heart of the rainforest to Cape Tribulation - a place where the rainforest meets the reef. Some groups could see the unique cassowary crossing the road on their journey others spotted a crocodile basking in the sun on the river bank. Once in the rainforest, we headed to James Cook University Research Centre and set up for the night. We were also able to be taken in the research crane up through the layers of the rainforest and above the canopy. The experience was certainly one I will never forget and an opportunity that JMSS is so lucky to experience. We were also fortunate enough to stay at the research center in the heart of the rainforest. This meant that the students needed to cook dinner for the group - Rick, our guide judged each group and awarded Group B - Team MehtaNair, the best dining experience. The students embraced their bushtucker knowledge by extracting citric acid from green ants to add flavour to the guacamole. 

While our time in Cairns was limited as we were busy with daily adventures, we still had the chance to walk along the foreshore boardwalk and peruse the night market wares. We also enjoyed the features of our Cairns accommodation, with three large resort-style pools for the students to relax in.

Thank you to Ms Vandeberg for all the organisation to ensure the trip was a huge success. Thank you to the teachers for giving up their weekends and family time to spend the 8 days supervising the students. Thank you to all the students for embracing the challenges, being excited to learn new information and respecting those around you. We would also like to thank Small World journeys for their guides, organisation of our program and ensuring that nothing was too hard while we were up there. And lastly thank you to our families for allowing us to go. For those in year 10 - look out for more information about the 2024 trip - it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I wish you all to apply for.

~ Caitlin Ryan

My Reef and Rain journey began at 6am on a cold Sunday morning at JMSS, where 60 eager year 11s embarked on a trip to sunny Cairns. Arriving in Cairns around midday, everyone quickly abandoned their jumpers and tracksuit pants for shorts and t-shirts, as the Cairns humidity set in. Our first day had us checking into our main hotel, where we enjoyed spacious beds and lavish breakfast spreads each morning. 

The next day saw my group embark upon James Cook University, where we heard from various university members on their subjects of interest, including poisonous sea creatures, various species of fish in the university aquarium and turtle rehabilitation. We also took a trip on the Sky Rail (Cairns’s version of Arthurs Seat), overlooking 7.5km of tropical rainforest. That night saw us on our first trip to the Cairns night market, where a subsequent night swim back at the hotel with our group followed. 

Our third day in Cairns saw us journey out to Fitzroy Island on a day boat where we had our snorkelling session. We also visited another turtle rehabilitation centre, seeing a 70-year-old turtle on the mend after an injury. Returning to the hotel that night we were reunited with our fellow students, who had all spent the previous night away at various locations, where we went roller-skating, with the majority of students losing their balance on their rented wheels.

Day four and five saw our group on our first journey outside the main hotel on a live-a-board boat, situated on the great barrier reef. Snorkelling at five different reef locations at morning, afternoon and evening was such a privilege, seeing various flora and fauna species. We stargazed from the roof of the boat, with an on-board photographer taking a montage of photos of our group both in and out of the water. A sunrise snorkel the following morning followed by whale watching that afternoon was just remarkable, with our return to land celebrated by a pub meal at the restaurant across the road from the hotel.

My group was stationed at the Daintree Rainforest on day six and seven. Our afternoon at the Daintree, after the two-hour drive to get there, started with some ecological surveying of a local pond, and concluded with a trip in the canopy crane, overlooking the entire Daintree Rainforest. We dined at our very own restaurant in the Daintree that night, the “Mehta-Nair dining experience”, a name to honour our two head chefs, Arjun Mehta and Arjun Nair. Our dinner included a three-course meal in which our group collaborated in the kitchen with the provided ingredients. The day concluded with a night walk in the rainforest, which was followed by a campfire with our entire group. Our journey back to the hotel saw us stop on the way for Mud Crabbing on the beach and lunch in a local town, before attending the Night Markets with our fellow students one last time, before concluding our final night in Cairns with a swim in one of the hotel pools. 

The last day was very bittersweet, because as tired as we were, it was evident that no one really wanted to leave. We were unwelcomed by the cold, Melbourne weather that we left behind, swapping high 20s for low 10s. It is hard to pick a few highlights from this trip when we were on the go each day, it all was just beyond amazing and such an incredible experience.

~  Elijana Henry

Outer Reef

JCU and Kuranda

Daintree

Fitzroy Island

Cape Tribulation