‘Young Endeavour’ completes Australian circumnavigation

Australia's national sail training ship, the 'Young Endeavour' arrived at Sydney on December 10, completing a six-month circumnavigation of Australia.

Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, congratulated the Royal Australian Navy crew and the young Australians, who sailed the ship more than 6,000 nautical miles along the Australian coast.

"A voyage on 'Young Endeavour' is a wonderful experience for the young people on board and a fantastic opportunity for personal development," Minister Combet said.

"During the circumnavigation, more than 300 young Australians have undertaken a voyage on Young Endeavour. During this time they have developed their teamwork, communication and leadership skills, and also imparted their new-found knowledge to almost 200 youth with disabilities.

"They have also explored remote areas along the coastline, and learned a great deal about Australia's maritime and cultural history."

During the circumnavigation, the ship's first since 2001, the 'Young Endeavour' visited ports in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. The theme of the circumnavigation was "Banyandah", which means "home on the water".

The 'Young Endeavour' undertook 14 voyages, hosted eight community day sails for young people with disabilities, invited local communities to six open days around Australia, and provided unique opportunities for youth in the north and west of Australia, particularly regional and indigenous youth, to undertake a voyage.

Since 1988, the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme, in partnership with the Royal Australian Navy, has provided challenging training voyages for over 11,000 young Australians in the tall ship, 'Young Endeavour'. Voyages are open to all Australians aged 16 to 23.