First Hike Project helps refugees experience hiking in Australia's bushland for the first time

The First Hike Project introduces refugees to Australia's bush landscapes.

Transcript

00:00Out of the car park and into a whole new country, these students from all around the world are

00:09going bushwalking in Australia, some for the very first time. It's part of the First Hike

00:14Project, a not-for-profit welcoming refugees to Australia by taking them for a bushwalk.

00:19What do we need to do to stay safe? There's some myths, I guess, that a lot of people hold

00:23about Australia that, you know, everything can kill you and it's all scary and it's all

00:28dangerous and we want to show them that, hey, it can be challenging but it's also totally

00:33worth getting out here. Volunteers help the students stuff packed lunches and water bottles

00:37into borrowed backpacks. Everybody got hats, everybody got water. Then they head for the

00:42summit. Omar Gabalji came to Australia two years ago, fleeing war. I didn't know about

00:47Australia anything. It's like it's a really beautiful country and nice people in there.

00:52He said walking alone in Lebanon would be dangerous. It's not like bushwalk there in Lebanon.

00:57And hiking has helped him feel at home. When I come to Australia, I don't know anyone in

01:01Australia. It's like really good to meet new people and walk with them, talk with them,

01:06have chat. It's really nice. It's really like better than my background. It's like safe country

01:14and really good. Anahita Ahmadi immigrated from Afghanistan eight months ago and all she

01:19knew about Australia was that it had some strange animals. This is my first time. It was good. It was

01:24sunny. It was sunny and I was with my friends. That was really good. In Afghanistan, it's a little bit

01:31dry country. So it doesn't have like a lot of tree. Here is a lot of trees and rock. There was a lot of

01:40walking and in the rain, but at the top, it's all proved worthwhile. It's really good here and just

01:47like I want to sleep here, not go back home. What's the best thing about being in Australia?

01:53Everything. The people. It's really nice. It's not something that every Australian gets to do,

01:57but it's something that every Australian should get the chance to do. Every Australian, wherever

02:00they come from, should get the chance to do. And it's not something that some of these kids perhaps

02:06would have the chance to do without coming with us. We're so lucky to have the migrants and the

02:10refugees that we have from all around the world. And you know, some of them have experienced such

02:14difficult things that, you know, providing an opportunity to come out here and go for a bit

02:20of a walk and see some new things is a really great opportunity. Walking the talk of welcome.

02:26James Tugwell, ABC News, Canberra.