Destination Boarding

In this episode of Nailing Homesickness , we meet Nouvelle , a Year 8 boarder at Canberra Girls Grammar School , whose upbringing in an Australian Defence Force family has shaped her ability to adapt, connect and grow. Having moved frequently throughout her childhood, Nouvelle shares how boarding school offered something deeply valuable - stability and a sense of belonging. While she began boardin...

What regional boarding gives bush families - confidence, community, and opportunity. This episode takes us to Macquarie Anglican Grammar School (MAGS) in Dubbo for a milestone moment for them at the end of last year: the first cohort of boarders to complete the full six-year journey from Year 7 to Year 12 at this growing regional boarding school. First, Amanda chats with Eli Kinscher, Director of...

In this episode of Nailing Homesickness , we hear from Isla, a Year 10 boarder who made the move from a farm near Dubbo to St Catherine’s in Sydney this year. With her first year of boarding still fresh in her mind, Isla shares what she found hardest about leaving home - her family, her dog, her sport and the familiarity of farm life - and what helped her through those early moments of homesicknes...

Today on Nailing Homesickness , we’re heading to a little place near Oaklands in southern New South Wales, not far from Albury and Yarrawonga, to meet Harry - a Year 8 boarder at Scotch College in Melbourne. Harry grew up working on the farm, helping his dad in the header or chaser bin at harvest, and boarding wasn’t just a new school - it was a whole new world. In Year 7 he found himself four hou...

In this episode of Nailing Homesickness , we’re heading northwest of Dubbo to chat with Lara, a Year 9 boarder at Hurlstone Agricultural High School - one of Australia’s most unique boarding schools, complete with a working farm right on campus. Lara’s boarding journey wasn’t something her family had planned. In fact, boarding only came onto the radar at the very last minute while they were explor...

Throughout the year, we’ve been following the work of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association - the ICPA - across Australia. In these short episodes, we’ll be catching up with each State Council President to hear how their delegations to Parliament have gone, what motions were carried from their State Conferences, and the wins and challenges they’ve faced along the way. These conversations ar...

In this episode of Nailing Homesickness , we’re heading a very long way from Brisbane - all the way to a cattle station in the Northern Territory, four hours south of Katherine, at the well-known Newcastle Waters. I’m chatting with Clementine, a Year 9 boarder at Stuartholme School in Brisbane, who first started boarding in Year 7. She’s one of three sisters - all boarding, all at Stuartholme - wh...

Throughout the year, we’ve been following the work of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association - the ICPA - across Australia. In these short episodes, we’ll be catching up with each State Council President to hear how their delegations to Parliament have gone, what motions were carried from their State Conferences, and the wins and challenges they’ve faced along the way. These conversations ar...

Today on Nailing Homesickness we’re chatting with Archie, a boarder at Brisbane Boys’ College who never – and I mean never – imagined he’d end up at a boarding school. Archie grew up in Gladstone in central Queensland, with strong country roots and a tight-knit group of mates. Boarding school wasn’t on the radar at all… until a BBC athletics scout spotted him at State Championships and started cal...

Throughout the year, we’ve been following the work of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association - the ICPA - across Australia. In these short episodes, we’ll be catching up with each State Council President to hear how their delegations to Parliament have gone, what motions were carried from their State Conferences, and the wins and challenges they’ve faced along the way. These conversations ar...

Special announcement:  Since recording this episode, The Hon. Bronnie Taylor has been appointed Chair of the national charity  Motherland . We’re thrilled for Bronnie and proud to support Motherland and their incredible work for rural and remote women across Australia. Congratulations, Bronnie! In this warmly honest episode of Letters from Home , Amanda sits down with Bronnie Taylor - oncology nur...

In this heartfelt episode of Letters from Home , Amanda sits down with Sarah Ryan , farmer’s wife, artist, and creator of the iconic Quandialla Candle Co . Broadcasting from her family’s merino stud in southern NSW, Sarah shares her beautifully honest story of raising three children in a tiny village school, navigating the drought years, running a creative business from a backyard studio - and ult...

In this two part episode of Letters from Home, we’re joined by Tannas Godfrey , whose story is one of quiet determination and incredible adaptability. Tannas grew up on North Stradbroke Island, where life revolved around the surf club, small-town friendships and salt-sprayed independence. But when school on the island finished at Year 8, her parents made a brave decision that would change everythi...

In this two part episode of Letters from Home, we’re joined by Tannas Godfrey , whose story is one of quiet determination and incredible adaptability. Tannas grew up on North Stradbroke Island, where life revolved around the surf club, small-town friendships and salt-sprayed independence. But when school on the island finished at Year 8, her parents made a brave decision that would change everythi...

Some families spend generations in one postcode. Paddocks and fence lines become the story of a life. Today’s guest, Kate B*, has lived a very different rhythm - one defined by movement. As a Defence Force wife, Kate has packed up her family nine times in just over twenty years, moving interstate and overseas, sometimes with months to plan… and sometimes with only six weeks’ notice, like the posti...

In the second half of our conversation with  Kimberley Wilson  from Rutchillo Station near Julia Creek, we pick up where we left off - talking about her daughter  Cadence , a bush kid turned medical student whose journey began in a tiny schoolroom on the family’s outback station. After almost two decades as a home educator, Kimberley has seen education evolve across the airwaves and through the se...

In this two part episode of Letters from Home , we travel to Rutchillo Station near Julia Creek to meet Kimberley Wilson - a woman of the outback whose story will both humble and inspire you. Kimberley has spent nearly two decades teaching her children through School of the Air , balancing lessons with station life and community commitments. In this heartfelt two-part conversation, she opens up ab...

Today I’m with Richard Stokes. Richard is the CEO of the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA). ABSA, as the leading authority in Australia on boarding for school-aged children, promotes the interests and well-being of boarders, boarding staff, boarding parents and boarding institutions in Australia. It is an organisation that fosters collegiality and professionalism at a regional and fed...

Here we are another episode of Destination Boarding - The Podcast, and this one is part of our Summit Series where we expand on the panel discussions we had for our Australian Boarding Schools Summit.   One of those topics was 'Big or Small, does size really matter when it comes to boarding cohorts?' We speak to families often about this very topic, and there’s obviously pro’s and con’s fo...

Today’s episode is a particularly special one. We’re speaking with Sally Sweeney, CEO of Dolly’s Dream, an organisation that holds deep significance for so many rural and remote families across Australia. Founded in memory of Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett, who tragically took her own life at just 14 years old following relentless bullying and cyberbullying, Dolly’s Dream has become a national movement advoc...

Welcome back and thanks for putting us in your ears. The best thing you can do for our little podcast is follow it and share it with your friends. Some episodes may be of particular interest to you or someone you know and we’d love it if you helped more families to know the story of Australian boarding schools. This week I’m chatting with Rebecca Ryan from Gunnedah. You might remember Rebecca from...

Welcome back to another week of  Destination Boarding , where we continue to deep dive into the big conversations around our Australian Boarding Schools Summit topics. In today’s episode, I’m joined by Allysia Heness-Pugh, Director of Boarding at Ascham School. For almost 140 years, Ascham has offered an outstanding education for girls, with boarding sitting firmly at the heart of that legacy—ensu...

In this episode I chat with Wendy Henning from Glenmorgan in the ‘middle of everywhere’ Queensland as Wendy aptly puts it. Wendy is the State President of the Queensland ICPA, a role she clearly cherishes for the peak parent body advocating for Rural, Regional and Remote Children’s education. For nine years she has been on their State Council and now at the helm, Wendy brings an engaging warmth an...

Welcome back to  Destination Boarding , where we dive into the conversations that matter most for boarding school families—whether you're just starting your journey or you're deep in it already. In this expert episode, I’m catching up with Richard Stokes, the CEO of the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA) . If you’re not familiar with ABSA, they’re the go-to organisation for boa...

Hello to you all it’s lovely to have you back here at Destination Boarding. We’re popping into your podcast feed with a few BONUS episodes in addition to our weekly drop. They’re short and straight to the heart and I know they will resonate with you. This episode I’m catching up Kirsty Wiggins - you might remember we spoke with Kirsty at the beginning of this year, and we really dived deep into th...