Education has always been at the heart of the Cape to Cape Explorers ethos and vision.
Founder and Managing Director Gene Hardy began the business with schools and youth groups as a focus. Gene trained as a teacher and put his skills to good use running the initial school camps that launched the Cape to Cape business.
Since then, the Education division of Cape to Cape Explorers has grown to provide a range of educational experiences and camps servicing Local, State, Interstate and International schools and youth groups.
Cape to Cape Education Vision and Ethos
Education – Adventure – Challenge – Stewardship – Connection to self and country
Local knowledge, cultural connection and environmentally responsible business practices make Cape to Cape Explorer Tours the best in the business. We have a passion for walking, adventure and education and for people.
At Cape to Cape Explorer Tours we pride ourselves on creating the highest quality educational experiences available. We are a multi-award-winning local company, who support the development of young people and our community.
Our guides and staff all live in the area, are professionally trained and have an intimate knowledge of both the Cape to Cape Track, Margaret River region, Albany and the Great Southern along with the Northwest of Australia (Ningaloo).
Our Ethos:
- To run meaningful Schools and Youth programs that inspire young people to grow through adventure and challenge.
- To facilitate environmentally and sustainably focused programs that promote mindfulness, connection to country and self and that showcase the power of mother nature.
- To create a stewardship program that ALL schools and youth groups will contribute to.
- To focus on environmental management, sustainability, conservation and ecology.
- To provide educational experiences that tie in with school’s curriculum and ATAR syllabus’
Gene Hardy
Founder and Managing Director
Gene counts himself as one of the luckiest men alive. Born and bred in Margaret River, his childhood was spent out in the bush or on the beach, chasing fish, or waves, or his three brothers. A natural waterman, Gene started surfing competitively and eventually continued to travel the world as a surf journalist.
He developed environmental, interpretive and team building programs in both Australia and the UK. And worked for a number of conservation agencies and NGOs. Gene is the Vice-President of the Friends of the Cape to Cape Track, sat on the Board for the Margaret River region’s tourism association, and the National Board for coastal conservation group Surfrider Foundation.
Surfing alongside him most days are his wife Sunny and their girls Willow and Olive. Gene started Cape To Cape Explorer Tours in 2010 to share the magic of Margaret River with visitors.”
James Hartley
Schools and Youth Program Manager
James moved to the South-West and instantly fell in love with the rugged beauty and incredible scenery here. Margaret River is now home amid the wild seas, magical forests and ancient landscapes which “sing to my heart and feed my soul”, says James.
He has a background in teaching, facilitated youth expeditions across the globe including to Nepal and Uganda, and worked in schools in the UK and internationally.
Now, his role is to engage local, interstate and international schools in camps that immerse students in our pristine and rugged environment.
In doing so, he helps foster a love of place and nature, developing a sense of belonging and ecological responsibility that students can take away with them to “ripple out to communities far and wide”
Our great value schools and youth packages include:
Professional staff: Experienced, qualified facilitators with specialised training.
Pre-camp support: All logistics, risk management plans, insurances, transport, materials and resources.
Fun and engaging activities: Interesting, fun challenges and activities with a learning and development focus.
Safety focused: World-class emergency response services on stand-by 24hrs a day, with guides who are trained and first aid qualified.
Fresh and delicious catering: All meals prepared by our professional in-house catering operation, with a focus on fresh, high quality meals that consider dietary and food allergy requirements.
Peace of mind: Boasting more than a decade of experience, our award-winning business comes with outstanding testimonials from leading Australian and international schools.
Flexible timing: We can cater for school bookings for much of the calendar year. Margaret River and Albany Camps can run at almost any time of year and Exmouth camp is best between the months of may to August.