A bus full of students set off bright and early from Brewarrina before Australia Day Weekend, headed to Narrabeen for the annual Bush to Beach program. 

For 50 lucky students from Brewarrina and Goodooga, the weekend in the Northern Beaches was an award for strong school attendance, a program that has rewarded kids coming to school for 19 years. 

“They loved it, it’s a great program,” trip organiser and supervisor Urayne Warraweena said. 

Getting the students there meant taking a trip out to Goodooga the night before to pick up local students in time to catch the bus the next day.

For some of the students, the few days of learning to surf, snorkelling and participating in Little Nippers is one of the few times they get to the beach, if not the first. 

“If you haven’t got a car or haven’t got access to leave Bre very often, then you don’t get to the beach.”

The students took to the water immediately. 

50 kids enjoyed the sea, salt and surf over the long weekend. (Supplied)

“They actually did the Little Nippers with the Narrabeen Surf Club…some of our students actually beat the local kids, I was so proud of them because they aren’t used to the beach.” 

In its nineteenth year, for some of the supervisors attending the program was a full circle moment. 

“My co-worker was one of the kids who went on (the trip) when she was young…my other co-worker got to take her grandkids and their mum went on Bush to Beach when she was in school," Ms Warraweena said. 

Another former student of the program, Brewarrina’s Christopher ‘Burra’ McHughes, is now the Director of Bush to Beach, a role he took on 10 years after participating.

“The program is so important to the community here. It’s giving kids a reason to stay in school and providing opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have had,” Burra said. 

With generations passing through the program, Ms Waraweena said it’s only gotten ‘bigger and better’.

“Back at the beginning, the students slept on the Surf Life Saving Club floor.”

“We’ll have to do something big for the twentieth year.”