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Since 2016, the Discipline of Geography and Sustainability in the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ of ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s (UOW) School of Social Sciences has partnered with  to deliver a two-week international field trip to South India, funded by the New Colombo Plan.

This February marked our fifth visit to the Western Ghats, with more than 100 students having participated in the program to date. Each year, this immersive learning experience brings together 20 students from across the humanities, social sciences and environmental sciences to explore one of India’s most significant cultural and biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats.

Field-based learning deepens student understanding through direct engagement with landscapes, communities and global issues. It also fosters empathy, adaptability and cross-cultural understanding. This year’s students met with conservation practitioners, Indigenous knowledge holders, NGO leaders and researchers, gaining valuable insight into sustainability and development, human-environment interactions, and Indigenous land rights and conservation.

The reflections shared here reveal how experiential learning in this context encourages students to think critically about conservation practices, colonial legacies, and the ethical and cultural complexities of environmental governance. There was also plenty of dancing, weaving, cooking and music — shared experiences that build trust, respect and human connection, far beyond what’s possible through traditional classroom or tourist experiences.

It’s been a privilege for Geography and Sustainability staff to support this learning journey alongside our partners at Dakshin Endeavours. A huge thank you to this year’s 20 students for their respect, curiosity and thoughtful engagement. We can’t wait to see how you carry this life-changing experience into your future studies and careers.

Below, three students reflect on what the experience meant to them:

Andrew Dodds

Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours)

“The Western Ghats India trip was simply incredible. Of course, experiencing the Western Ghats firsthand was spectacular, but what surprised me most was how the trip influenced my everyday life back home.

Firstly, the basic phrases I was able to pick up in the local languages of Hindi and Malayalam have proved very useful. I have met many Hindi speakers around the UOW ¾«¶«´«Ã½ campus and knowing how to speak just a small amount of Hindi brings a smile to their face and leads to a deeper connection. I have found these interactions very rewarding. 

The Hindi and Malayalam phrases I learnt on the trip have come in handy, and even on campus, the Hindi I picked up has allowed me to make some amazing connections with other students at UOW – connections I wouldn’t have been able to make before. In fact, a few of my uni mates are still getting annoyed with me for saying “bhai” (brother) all the time!

The trip to India also challenged my way of thinking in a beneficial way. In this age of globalisation and geopolitics it is so easy to develop misconceptions about other countries, their practices and their beliefs. For example, I underestimated how important environmental issues were to the Indian population. We had the pleasure of meeting many world-class environmental experts, including our fantastic hosts from Dakshin Endeavours who exemplified the genuine desire for sustainability in India. I was also amazed to learn about the attitude of local people towards animals, such as elephants, that enter populated regions. The way in which Indian people interact with these animals is much more forgiving than in western nations.

Finally, I became close to other students on the trip. Friendships were formed that are stronger than ever. This has made me feel socially connected in my final year of study. Overall, the first-hand experiences, knowledge and friendships that came from the Western Ghats field trip are priceless. I would strongly recommend the trip to all eligible students."

Bethanie Durham

Bachelor of Science, major in Human Geography 

“Our 2025 February trip to the Western Ghats in India was certainly one to remember. The two-and-a-half-week trip was jam-packed with experiences that made us think about the importance of India’s rich cultural heritage and possible ways forward, considering the impacts of climate change are already on our doorstep. Do traditional practices stay the same, or change and adapt, or do we create new pathways forward? We saw resourceful and adaptive responses to a changing climate while keeping the heart and essence of practices traditional and beneficial for everyone.

For me, the message of coexistence stood out in India, demonstrated by the intertwined relationship and livelihoods with elephants. This idea was crafted into a global message from invasive lantana that the locals constructed into real-life scale elephants. This is a triple win: a coexistence message about living harmoniously with animals, jobs for local people, and getting rid of invasive lantana. A peace and understanding have been cultivated between India and their elephants. This beckoned the question: what could be explored more critically in Australia? My first thought drifted to our relationship with sharks.

Another strong takeaway for me came from the awe and appreciation from experiences with Indigenous people who shared cultural arts, performances and food with us. It was a special experience that I felt honoured to be part of. Dining with families, acting as if the food wasn't spicy – but still delicious! Participating in local traditional dances, pottery making, puppeteering, and visiting local temples were all highlight experiences. It made me feel reflective again of home and of First Nations people here. How much more knowledge and culture is there to be celebrated?

I am grateful for this expansive experience, as I would not have been able to replicate this if I tried. For this I want to thank our amazing partners – Dakshin Endeavours; and from the Discipline of Geography and Sustainability here at UOW; and finally, the Hornbills!”

Emily Thompson

Bachelor of Geography, minor in Human Geography 

“I am enrolled in my second year of a Bachelor of Geography. This trip to India has brought out the very foundation of my degree — that human and physical geographies are deeply and intrinsically combined. We travelled across three states of southern India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka), watching the landscape change from the beaches of the Arabian Sea into the deep depths of the Western Ghats mountain range. On this journey, we met and engaged with young school children — ambassadors for resilience against climate change — multigenerational families carrying on traditional art forms, farmers who understand the world better than many scientists could ever imagine, and small Indigenous communities living in and caring for their forests. We also spent a couple of days in Bengaluru (Bangalore), India’s fourth-largest city and home to more than 14 million people.

Whether it was by a simple smile and head nod, a fumbled “Namaskaram” (“hello” in Malayalam), a shared meal in their backyard, or confronting conversations about humans interacting with wildlife, I truly felt connected to and welcomed by all these people — despite strong language and cultural barriers. These little interactions will always be important to me personally and through my studies, knowing that even in a whole other continent (and hemisphere), there are still people who care for the world and its inhabitants.

This trip has also highlighted how important cross-cultural learning and the sharing of knowledge and skills are. We watched older women, highly skilled in traditional bamboo weaving, teaching young women the craft in order to pass on the traditions. In turn, the young women are adapting these skills to match the changing needs of the markets — such as adding ‘vegan leather’ (dried coconut) into the mat weaving to create contemporary designs, save on resources and reduce waste.

We had the luxury of Dakshin Endeavours coordinators Asha, Rose, Suraj and Shivangi (as well as many others behind the scenes) accompanying us throughout the entire journey. These amazing people are the reason our experience was so incredible. They cared for us when we were tired, sick or overwhelmed. They also immersed us in southern Indian cultures in ways we could never have hoped to see — via food, music, dance and so much more. Of course, the 20 students I travelled with (along with Laura and Elyse, our subject coordinators) are people who I will never forget. Truly lifelong friendships and memories that will stick with me forever.

On a final note, I will never forget waking up at 1 am to watch an elephant walk right past our cabin window and have a snack on a patch of grass.”