2027 Planned Itinerary

The 2027 program runs May 11 to June 3, departing the United States on May 9 — you lose a day crossing the Pacific.

The itinerary below is the current plan and is subject to change for reasons beyond our control. Download the 2027 itinerary brochure (PDF).

David Bobbermen, Executive Officer of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association, speaking to the cohort in Brisbane, 2026. Photo: Rhonda Evans.

Visit the Queensland Parliament.
Meet and talk with sitting Members of Parliament.
Meet with state officials at the Office of the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage.
Meet with representatives from CANEGROWERS.
Guest speaker from the Queensland Seafood Industry Association.
Meet with staff at the Environmental Defenders Office.
Visit the world’s largest koala sanctuary, where you’ll also see platypuses, Tasmanian devils, dingoes, wombats, and wallabies, and hand-feed kangaroos.
Walking tour of Brisbane with a local guide.
Enjoy a free day to explore the city’s museums, shopping, and cafés.

Catelyn Toney at the Hands On Wildlife session, Townsville, 2023. Photo: Rhonda Evans.

Meet with a ranger from Hands On Wildlife and get to know Australia’s unique native animals.
Tour of the Port of Townsville.
Meet with officials from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority headquarters.
Learn from an expert about the different fisheries that operate within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Learn how policy, zoning, and permitting work in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Learn from a Griffith University professor about how journalists cover the reef.
In your free time, hike to the top of Castle Hill and swim at the Strand.

The 2026 cohort with local guide Tim Bee at the Magnetic Island Koala Hospital, 2026. Photo: Rhonda Evans.

Tour Magnetic Island with a local guide.
Meet a panel of local residents who talk about the challenges of protecting the island’s World Heritage values.
Visit the rock wallabies at Geoffrey Bay and Nelly Bay.
Go to the Toad Races at the Arcadia Hotel.
Explore the island by boat and snorkel the fringing reefs with a Master Reef Guide.
Watch a documentary about Magnetic Island and learn from the filmmaker, who is also a marine scientist.
Hike to Radical Bay with a local and learn about the politics of development on the island.
On your free day, explore the island’s beaches and hiking trails, including the Forts walk, where you can see koalas in the wild.

Marine debris survey at Alva Beach, 2026. Photo: Rhonda Evans.

Visit a working sugarcane farm.
Talk with a cane farmer about working under government policy and keeping fertilizer and sediment runoff out of reef waters.
Engage in a marine conservation field activity at Alva Beach.
Conduct a beach cleanup and microplastics survey for entry into the Australian Marine Debris Database.
Learn how the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to protect the reef and recognize their connection to sea country.

The reef from the air, 2026. Photo: Rhonda Evans.

Travel by coach with a stop for lunch at Mission Beach.
Visit the Forever Reef Project’s coral biobank, the world’s largest collection of hard corals.
Enjoy two full-day snorkel trips on the Great Barrier Reef.
Hike through the Daintree Rainforest, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Wet Tropics, with Kuku Yalanji guides.
Visit Mossman Gorge with Kuku Yalanji guides and swim in its crystal-clear waters.
Meet with the editor of a local newspaper to learn about the main issues facing the region and the reef.
Meet with a representative from the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
Learn about the Indigenous rangers program.
Learn from marine biologists about the evolution of coral reefs and how to identify reef fish.
Farewell dinner.

Depart for the United States — or go walkabout on your own Australian adventure.

Questions about the itinerary: email Rhonda Evans at revans@austin.utexas.edu.