In 2002 outback Queensland was facing one of the worst droughts in history. Life on the land was bleak and families were doing it tough.
The Rotary Club of Surfers Paradise Central looked at the plight of their rural colleagues and decided that something needed to be done!
Whilst nothing could be done about the weather patterns, the club could at least give the kids of the outback a break and in January 2003, 350 kids from far western Queensland arrived in Brisbane to enjoy the holiday of a lifetime. As a result, the ‘Bush to Beach’ initiative was born.
With the drought still prominent throughout Queensland and more importantly with the south east corner of Queensland now experiencing extreme water shortages, the Rotary Club of Surfers Paradise Central once again ran this initiative in September 2006 but with a twist. They took 100 “city” kids to Longreach to experience the trip of a lifetime. The overall aim of this trip was to leave the children with an appreciation of our natural resources and encourage them to conserve water at home. It was an opportunity for them to see, first hand, the harsh realities of life in the bush.
They spent six days and seven nights in Longreach and surrounding districts learning about life in the outback. The children were accommodated at the Australian Agricultural College and during their stay they participated in college activities, spent time at the School of Distance Education and at helped out at “Bimbah” - a 63,000 acre sheep and cattle property where water plays an important part of everyday life.
In July 2007, a return to “Bush to Beach” saw 100 “bush” kids aged between 12-14 brought to the ‘city’ for time away from their drought stricken land. On Monday 2nd July the ‘Spirit of the Outback’ train departed Longreach station with 100 “bush” kids aged 12 to 14 arriving at Roma Street.
The week-long trip in July was funded by McDonald’s, Network Ten, QR’s Traveltrain Holidays and Queensland Government’s Department of the Premier and Cabinet and The Department of Communities. As well as being educational trip, it was also designed to give both the country kids and parents a well-deserved break.
While in the southeast, the 100 children, aged between 10 and 14 years, stayed in Brisbane and their itinerary included a day at Coolangatta beach, a visit to Whitewater World, Seaworld and seats at Suncorp Stadium to see the Brisbane Broncos play the Gold Coast Titans.
The week was a valuable experience for both the country and city kids and everyone involved took some memorable moments away with them.
‘Beach to Bush’ and “Bush to Beach” was an excellent opportunity to educate children about the importance of saving water in a fun and interactive way. They began friendships, gained support for and learnt from each other. It was an opportunity to assist in the growth of our future and to develop them as Queensland’s Water Ambassadors.
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