Bellbunya Sustainable Community (AKA Paradise)

I have always wanted to visit Australia. However, it seemed so far away; out of reach for me. When I heard about ISV, such a trip didn't seem so impossible, and I signed up shortly after. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
My 4 weeks with ISV Australia were life changing. It is easy to throw around words like that on paper, but truly experiencing it is something different all together. From day one at Bellbunya Sustainable Community in the Queensland Sunshine Coast, I felt at home. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be surrounded by such inspiring people, working amidst the most beautiful flora and fauna under the winter sunshine. Not once did I miss home, for I had found a new one, with 11 people who became like family to me. The bush regeneration work we did was hard but rewarding, and it was really wonderful to see the lingering achievements of past ISV groups in the area. I hope to return one day to see the trees we planted and visit the extraordinary people I met on project.
The reward for all that hard work was the adventure tour of a lifetime. When they say 2 weeks of action-packed, adrenaline-fueled activities, they mean it! Not only did we get the opportunity to jump out of planes and off bridges, but we got to experience things so uniquely Australian, from the Great Barrier Reef and local Aboriginal culture, to World Heritage sites and Vegemite! We covered the beautiful eastern coastline of the country with a fearless leader named Brodie, who truly is a fountain of knowledge on local history, activities, and hotspots.
Leaving my new ISV family at the end of the tour was really tough, but those are friends I know I will hold on to in the future. Not only did I leave with heaps of pictures and memories and great new friends, but with a greater understanding of life in another country, and how the ideals that we sought to understand there can be applied to my life back home. It can seem scary to sign up, to pack and say goodbye to home, but I promise you, it is worth it every step of the way.