Australian Academic & Cultural Immersion Programme

Today's the day you will be bound for beautiful Sydney, Australia. Try to get some sleep on the plane as there's an action-packed programme awaiting you immediately upon arrival in Sydney.

Your flight arrives at Kingsford Smith International Airport. Upon clearing immigration and customs, you'll meet your programme coordinator and be off on your journey to discover Sydney.

You will travel directly to Narrabeen (a local beachside suburb), your home for the next few days. Following check-in procedures and the initial orientation, you’ll head off on your first adventure, a leisurely stroll to the Palm Beach lighthouse, to soak in the scenery of the stunning northern Sydney coastline. In the evening, relax, acclimatise to your new surroundings and sleep early so that you’re ready to go bright and early the following morning

Sydney is a large, diverse city and today, you’ll take a walking tour to discover all the hidden spots, as well as the most famous attractions - the Sydney Opera House, Botanical Gardens and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Get your camera ready as these are places for taking great selfies. Later in the afternoon, you’ll take a cruise on Sydney Harbour and make your way to Manly Beach, one of Sydney’s premier locations. Manly is home to trendy cafes, stunning beaches and a relaxed atmosphere that tourists and locals adore. Following a full day of exploring, you’ll get to feast on delicious, juicy kangaroo steaks - cooked outdoors on an Australian-style BBQ.

Currently ranked in the world's top 50, the USYD is the oldest university in New South Wales and is home to nearly 50,000 students from around the globe. You will take a tour of the university and marvel at the Hogwarts-like architecture, whilst learning why the USYD is so highly rated. You’ll have the chance at a behind-the-scenes look at the laboratories and business facilities, before having a Q&A session with current students. At the end of the tour, your programme host will explain your homework (yes, you have some homework in Australia) which you will present to a range of innovation experts in two days' time, no pressure.

Let’s meet Australia’s cutest and most well-known animal friends, kangaroos, wallabies and koalas. Australia places a great emphasis on conservation, and a local wildlife park responsible for keeping Australian animals healthy wants to meet you. This wildlife experience is centred around interactions with wallabies and other native Australian animals and aims to highlight the issues they face. You will learn how conservation awareness will ensure that the cute, cuddly animals survive for generations to come. In the afternoon, visit Paddy's Market, home to the cheapest souvenirs in Australia, and the Sydney Fish Market, a market of incredibly fresh seafood in the downtown area.

UNSW is the hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Australia, as well as being ranked among the world's top 100 universities. Together with USYD, these two universities are the pinnacle of education in Australia. Following a campus tour and school introduction, you will present your homework before starting your workshop focusing on innovation and leadership. This workshop is led by one of Australia's leading innovation experts, Lily Wu. Lily founded her first company in her early teens, won UNSW Entrepreneur of the Year, and mentors thousands of students around the world through her work with Austern International career boot camps. The workshop is designed to show students how innovation can mould a successful career, not only in Australia but globally. Make sure you bring a notebook, this workshop could be life-changing.

After your time at UNSW, we think it's time you blow out some cobwebs and learn to play cricket - Australia's most popular summer sport. Do you know what an LBW is? How about a caught and bowled? If not, don't worry. Link up with a local high school cricket team in Narrabeen (close to your dormitory) to learn the basics of this beautiful game. Aside from learning to play cricket, you'll have the chance to make some Aussie friends and learn more about the Australian sporting culture. To finish the day off, you'll share a BBQ dinner with your newfound cricket buddies.

Today, you are leaving Sydney for the first time and travelling 100km west, towards the rugged and famed Blue Mountains - the most picturesque mountain range in Australia. Similar to the Grand Canyon, the Blue Mountains offer stunning hikes, views, and crisp mountain air. You will hike a 9km trail that is sure to test your physical abilities, so make sure you’ve been exercising at home before boarding your flight to Australia.

Following adventures at the Blue Mountains, take a local trail to a hidden spot where wild kangaroos and rare birdlife live. This spot is only known to locals and provides a memorable opportunity to see kangaroos in the wild and witness their natural behaviour. Watch out for snakes though, stay close to your guide!

Not all Australians are blessed with or come from privileged backgrounds, and today you will see that first-hand by offering your services at a local school for severely disabled children. The students at Wairoa School near Bondi Beach cannot talk, walk or eat unassisted and require 24/7 care and support. You will spend the morning at Wairoa School, assisting local teachers with tasks and supporting the children. Your goal is simple: put a smile on their face and give them a memory to cherish. As your day comes to an end, you’ll realise that there’s nothing better in life than helping those in need.

ANSTO is Australia’s largest public research organisation and is widely recognised as an international player in the field of nuclear science and technology. As an organisation, ANSTO works across areas such as health, the environment and the nuclear fuel cycle to find solutions to some of the biggest questions in science for the benefit of all Australians.

Incredibly, ANSTO is inviting you to participate in a workshop called "Introduction to Nuclear Science" which will test your knowledge of various sciences with particular emphasis on chemistry. This experience will change the way you see the planet!

Bondi Beach is one of the most well-known beaches in the world. The beach has something for everyone, you can decide to sunbathe, swim or play beach volleyball, along with hundreds of locals and tourists alike. Following fun in the sun, you will walk from Bondi to Coogee following the South Coast. This 6km walk offers spectacular coastal views to the south, as well as views out towards the mighty Pacific Ocean. All that walking will surely work up an appetite. Luckily, the best fish n' chips in Sydney are located in Coogee, at the end of the walk. Beach days in Sydney are a part of local life and are a great way to experience for yourself, Australia's love of the ocean and beach.