Building Australia’s biggest dorm room

The Boarding Schools Expo, now in its 19th year, has come a long way from welcoming 18 boarding schools to Dubbo in 2005.

Local residents may not be aware that the business, which convenes in-person events in regional NSW and Queensland; works with over 165 boarding schools from across Australia; and hosts the Australian Boarding School Summit (an online event in conjunction with their virtual expo event) was the brainchild of Narromine resident Meg Bennett; and is now headed up by Trangie’s Amanda Ferrari. The Boarding Schools Expo – which is free - is all about connecting families with options for their children’s education.

By bringing close to 40 boarding schools from across NSW, ACT, Victoria and Queensland to the inperson Expo locations in Dubbo, Narrabri, Wagga (Wagga has 43 boarding schools attending) and Griffith it makes it exponentially easier for rural families to make contact with the schools.

“The Expos put all the schools under one roof, and everyone is welcome” explained Mrs Ferrari.

“In choosing boarding schools for my own children, the Expo was a critical starting point to make contact with schools and start working out where our values aligned”.

There are many reasons families consider boarding schools – the sheer distance from a local high school, having a larger city experience to prepare their kids for options such as university and work after schooling is completed, and a diversity of ethnicities and cultures. The schools in return are grateful for their boarding communities and the diversity that having country kids brings them.