Coodlie Park PTY LTD / Australian Wildlife Adventures

Placement organization

Name of organization: Coodlie Park PTY LTD / Australian Wildlife Adventures
Town/city: Port Kenny, South Australia
Country: Australië
Website: http://thetraveller.net.au/

Name of student: Stèphanie Kouwenhoven

Specialist area: MT
Placement period: 2014-2015

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour operator
Organization’s activities: Coodlie Park PTY LTD is the main name of which this organisations operates from.
Within this organization it collects four other products:
– Coodlie Park offer three types of accommodations: bushcamp, pioneer rooms and two private cottages.
– Nullarbor Traveller: offers camping with all the meals included tours which mostly appeals to backpackers camping enthusiasts, and FIT travellers who want to experience up close and first hand the real Australia – its outback and coast, the amazing landscapes, abundant wildlife and awesome wildlife encounters.

– Great Australian Bight Safaris: offers tours that have the comfort of civilization with all accommodation and meals provided during the tours.

– Xplore Eyre: offers tailored tours to the individual guest and features luxury accommodation, executive vehicles, small groups and culinary feast and incorporates via rail, land and air.
Target group of the organization: No specific target group, but mostly we get travellers between the age of 18-25 on our tours.
Company culture: The hierarchy of the company can be described briefly.

The company is run by the owner Craig Haslam (Hassie) and his wife Joanne Haslam (Jo).
The intern gets the function as an office manager of the company.
Furthermore the company has two full-time tourguides, a part-time marketing manager and about 4 part time tourguides.
Number of employees: 5 – 6
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes, all costs for stay (live in with the company owners Hassie and Jo) only the vacancy didn’t say that you have to pay for your own flighttickets (mine were $400) for an event you need to go to, to meet up with travelagents.

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? As an office manger you are not working in just one department. Your daily activities varies.
Below there is an description of the daily activities:

Brief description of your daily activities: Daily activities:
– Answering the phones
– Answering emails
– Sending out brochures
– Taking bookings and reservations
– Welcoming guest and showing them around
– Making information packs for Nullarbor Travellers
– Updating websites
– Cleaning
– Checking cash receipts of the tour
– Working with the financial computer system
– Designing a new brochure
– Collecting vouchers
– Handing out internet cards
– Doing credit cards payments
– Catering for guests
– Statistics

Other work activities are:
– Meetings functions and expos
– Preparing presentations for travel agents
– Preparing information packs for travel agents

Brief description of your company assignment: My company assignment is writing a social media strategy for the company.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: The owner is always busy, but he puts a lot of effort in getting you to know the business which will get you to the point where you can, at the end of your internship, run the whole business by your own.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? independent, sociable, flexible, stress-proof, creative
Additional company requirements for this placement? Ms Office and Excel (!)
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: If you arrive in Australia you will get on the 10 day Adelaide-Perth tour and the 9 Perth-Adelaide tour, to get to know the business. At the last day of the tour you will be dropped of at the location of your internshop. Which is at Coodlie Park, Port Kenny.

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? You live with the owners, they have a room set up for the interns.
How did you go to work every day? The office is literaly next to the room where the interns are staying.

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, a working-holiday visa.
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Through the internet; http://www.immi.gov.au/Pages/Welcome.aspx
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? I got a confirmation within a couple of hours. But as a recommendation apply for your visa at least a couple of months upfront, since some visas can take weeks to get.
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance?

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No, as long as your English is suficient enough.

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1400
Accommodation (monthly): € 60 (this is more or less what you spend on your individual needs in goods per month)
Local transport (monthly): € 0
General costs of living (monthly): € 0
Costs of visa: € +/- 200
Costs of work permit: € N/A
What did the company pay for/to you? The company offer you a place in their house, so they pay for your meals as well.

In the beginning of your internship you will go on two of their tours to get to know the company. You will be on the road for 3 weeks. Those are all inclusive tours, but you do have to pay for your own individual needs in goods. Also all the optional activities you are going to do during the tours are payed by the company.

Also when you go to an event you only have to pay the flight tickets and meals during your stay there. Accommodation is covered.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I didn’t. Australia has an Western Culture and is easy to cope with. The only thing you do have to keep in mind is that where you are going to stay is at a pretty remote town. So you are not able to walk down to a supermarket on a daily basis.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: s.c.e@live.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: I can only tell you that I really enjoyed this internship and still enjoy, since I am still in Australia.
And that is just a do; enjoy! But I am sure that will happen to you. You will enjoy it. The only thing is that you have to be able to cope a bit with being in a pretty remote part of Australia.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Since it is a pretty remote town there are hardly any leisure possibilities in the surroundings.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link