The NORTHSTAR expedition is shaped as a rite of passage. Each day follows a direction on the compass, and the whole week moves your child from stepping away, to being tested, to coming home changed.
Rites of passage around the world share three stages. The NORTHSTAR week is built on them.
Leaving home, phones and routines behind marks a clear break. Your child knows this week is different.
The in between time. Real challenge, new skills and honest reflection, guided by The NORTHSTAR Way™ one direction at a time.
Growth is recognised in front of the crew, then welcomed by family. The change is named, so it lasts.
Circle time in the high country. Everyone has a place, and everyone is heard.
Days 2 to 5 share a rhythm, so expeditioners always know what comes next. Activities adapt to weather, conditions and the crew.
Circles are the heart of The NORTHSTAR Way™. Each crew sits together with its Facilitators to share, listen and reflect. There is no right answer and no one is put on the spot.
Morning circles set the direction. Evening circles turn adventure into learning. Over the week, circles are where expeditioners begin to put words to who they are.
A guide to how the week unfolds. Plans adapt to weather, conditions and the crew.
The leaving ceremony in North Sydney marks the moment. Families say goodbye, phones are handed in and the coach heads for the mountains. By evening the crew has settled into their lodges, met their NORTHSTAR Facilitators and sat in their first circle, where crew agreements are made.
Finding your bearings. Crews take on navigation and orientation challenges on land and water, learning to notice when they drift off course and how to find their way back. The evening circle turns inwards: what do I value, and what is my North?
Team challenges where nobody succeeds unless everyone does. Expeditioners learn to listen, to back each other and to ask for help when they need it. The day ends with the crew preparing together for the big day ahead.
The defining adventure of the week. Weather permitting, the crew heads into the high country for a big alpine day: wide landscapes, tired legs and real pride, balanced with time to rest and recover.
Who are you when it gets hard? Adventures take each expeditioner to the edge of their comfort zone, always by choice and always supported. The day closes with a quiet, reflective experience that many remember long after they are home.
After a final adventure, each expeditioner shapes their own North Star: who they are, what they stand for and who they want to become. That night the Final Circle recognises every expeditioner in front of the crew, and each receives their NORTHSTAR Compass.
A final morning together and goodbyes to new friends and the mountains. The coach returns to North Sydney for the homecoming, where families welcome back the person who left a week ago, a little more sure of who they are. Then 30 days of follow up help carry it into everyday life.
Four expeditions in 2027: January, April, September and December. Secure a place with a $1,000 deposit.
Choose your datesTHAT MOMENT WHEN YOU FEEL PROUD OF THE PERSON YOU ARE BECOMING.
