A total of 137 people took part in the three trips that travelled to Australia in the summer of 2006. The Koalas and Wombats leaving on the 4th July, the Skippies and Wallabies on the 11th and the Possums and Dingoes on the 25th. This was the culmination of many months of hard work fundraising. The Oz Experience is still the single biggest fundraiser for The Joshua Foundation.

Once again the groups flew with Emirates and had a stopover in Singapore on the way out to Australia. This year all groups stayed in the Robertson Quay Hotel, with many team members spending the evening swimming in the outdoor pool, which juts out over the river.

The groups flying to Melbourne left Singapore on afternoon flights followed by the Brisbane teams on evening flights.

Once in Australia the Melbourne teams visited Ramsey Street and a Wildlife Park in the Grampians.

They visited the children’s oncology ward in the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. The groups all stayed at the Melbourne Metro before leaving for their conservation work in the Grampians staying in Halls Gap. The Wombats and Skippies going to Camp Aginda and the Possums going to Eco Lodge. They took part in habitat restoration projects in Dunkeld, Parks Victoria and Wimmera.

The Koalas and Wallabies stayed in Brisbane City YHA whilst the Dingoes were pioneers, staying in Coolangatta YHA on the coast. The change of venue was due to refurbishment at Brisbane City YHA. All Brisbane teams then visited the Steve Irwin zoo before starting their conservation work. All teams stayed at the villas in Kooralbyn and took part in conservation work on our land in Kooralbyn (Gilgal) and on Mt. Barney and Mt. Edward. They removed weeds and undertook maintenance and repair of walking tracks.

We picked them all up of the floor after their work and took them to the jewel of Australia- Sydney. The groups all had a chance to relax and take in some sights. There was the trip to the Blue Mountains which continued the environmental aspect of the trip; the now annual visit to the impressive Jewish Museum where we renewed old friendships and the fabulous climb of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Some more daring team members also took to the water in the Harbour Jet which meant seeing Sydney from all angles!

All teams experienced the joys of mass self-catering. Never was teamwork so important!

With the work element over, the Melbourne and Brisbane teams took internal flights with Virgin Blue to begin their stay in Sydney. This was the first time the two teams had seen each other since Singapore. The teams were now well established and friendly rivalry ensued.

The highlight of the stay in Sydney is always the Bridge climb and this year was no different.

Group photos were taken outside the Opera House.

Many took the exhilarating Harbour Jet ride and went for a meal in the revolving Tower.

The annual trip to the Sydney Jewish Museum was especially moving. The tour guide, Eddy, reduced everyone to tears with his recollections of his survival from Auschwitz. It was particularly poignant to our teams as he was 18 at the time of his internment.

The final trip members were able to take part in the “Butterflies of Hope” on Sunday 6th August when Green Park, Darlinghurst was transformed into a field of butterflies. Each butterfly had a message of hope, remembering all children killed in the Holocaust and all children currently experiencing the terrible effects of armed conflict. Team members from all trips had left butterflies and the messages on them were very moving. They were a tribute to you all.

The trips were rounded off with a farewell meal at Hard Rock Café.

We hope that all 2006 team members stay in contact and that they will remember their experience for the rest of their lives. Thank you for all your hard work in fundraising and for the way in which you conducted yourselves throughout the trip. You were a credit to yourselves and us!!

(Team members -Team reports and photos will be available shortly on your 2006 log in page)

For more information about the Oz Experience, visit the oz experience website