About Andrew
Adventure and education are central to my idea of a good life.
As a teacher I want to find new and exciting ways to engage students and provide quality learning experiences. As an adventurer I seek places and people that stretch my own understanding and abilities. Growing up in Tasmania provided many opportunities to explore the landscape with a backpack and a sturdy pair of boots. As a teenager and through my twenties I traversed thousands of kilometers through the bush and along mountain ranges. From 1997-99 I learnt about rocks at university, and in 2001 tried my luck down a remote Western Australian goldmine.
In 2002, with my brother James, we walked the length of Tasmania over 50 days and summiting more than 35 peaks. The long empty roads of Australia have also captured my attention with several long distance bicycle journeys. In 2000 I circumnavigated Australia in seven months, covering nearly 16000 kilometers.
After operating a bushwalk guiding business for a few years and then going back to university to gain a Bachelor of Teaching, I bought a sea kayak. Four months later, in March 2006, I departed Hobart in it and paddled nearly 5000 kilometers to the top of Australia at Cape York. Running parallel to this journey was the inaugural adventure learning program with hundreds of students and teachers following along. In 2008 Expeditionclass.com was developed to document the successful 2300km paddle around Papua New Guinea. Since then it has been one adventure following another!