The Swan River embodies the many cultural traditions that have shaped WA’s capital city and its people. Although many international students may have had glimpses of Perth’s heritage through its beautiful beaches, buildings and parks, this event will provide them with something entirely new – a genuine insight into the richness of 200 years of multi-culturalism in Perth. This one-day event, offered exclusively to onshore international students in Western Australia, will be a journey through both space and time.

The full-day Swan River educational cruise takes place in mid-July, creating a much-needed opportunity for international students to relax and recharge after a challenging first Semester in 2021. By participating, international students will make new friends, improve their mental health and wellbeing, and change their perception of Perth.

Our event will go far beyond an ordinary leisure break. It is custom-designed to be, not only a fun and eventful journey but also a genuinely educational experience. The experts on board include a Noongar Traditional Owner together with experts on Heritage and Asian Studies from UWA. This event will help international students to engage with the local community and it will provide them with stories and experiences to cherish and share.

A full-day boating event of this kind naturally creates networking and group-bonding opportunities, helping the participants extend their social circles and enhance their sense of belonging in Perth. The students will literally reach beyond Perth to Success: after exploring the Whadjuk spiritual place that is known today as Success, we will continue on to Guildford for heritage walking and lunch.

This project has the following objectives and expected results:

• To improve the physical and mental wellbeing of WA-based international students by offering an opportunity for them to relax and recharge;

• To consolidate the sense of belonging and connection of international students by increasing their awareness of Perth’s multi-cultural heritage;

• To encourage students to disseminate their positive impressions of Perth among their social network circles in their home countries;

• To create opportunities for networking among international students and between local and international students;

• To increase the brand awareness of Perth as an educational destination of the future and incentivising the production of original and organic social media content for #StudyPerth and #Lotterywest;

• To provide evidence-based recommendations for future international student initiatives.