Schoolies trips that went horribly wrong

Schoolies is an unforgettable week of sunshine and partying with friends but these ill-fated trips were memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Schoolies is a time for Year 12 students to let down their hair after gruelling exams and an even tougher time battling remote learning.

But sometimes too much fun can be a bad thing.

Here are some of the most shocking incidents to occur on Schoolies trips over the years.

2012

The death of an Aussie teenager from methanol poisoning in Bali highlighted the dangers of partying in foreign locations.

The boy was served a vodka lime in a bar which contained a deadly amount of the toxin and died within a few days.

Bali has long been a coveted destination for out-of-control partying Australians, who injure – and even kill – themselves while riding scooters dangerously, ingesting poisonous magic mushrooms and punching on in the streets.

2016

Footage emerged of a teenager balcony-hopping at Surfers Paradise.

The video shows a girl climbing around the edge of a balcony, several floors up, at the Beachcomber Resort at Surfers Paradise.

Friends who can be heard on the footage off-camera say: “This isn’t going to be funny when she falls”.

Four years earlier a student fell from a balcony to her death at the same high-rise apartment complex.

Schoolies balcony-hopping at a Surfers Paradise hotel.

2019

A teenager high on ecstasy climbed down the outside of a high-rise Surfers Paradise apartment block.

The boy climbed off the fifth-floor balcony down onto the balcony below, prompting a stern warning from authorities.

He was not injured, but the incident was a further reminder of the dangers of risky high-rise partying.

Surfers’ schoolies was further marred that year due to a wild brawl outside a McDonalds outlet, leading to more than a dozen arrests.

2021

Byron Bay, traditionally one of the most popular locations for cashed-up Victorian schoolies, was hit by a Covid outbreak just before the start of this year’s celebrations.

Schoolies on a night out in Byron Bay last month. Picture: Jason O'Brien

Some early-arriving schoolies got caught up in the pandemic when a youth hostel was closed down due to a positive Covid case – an unvaccinated staff member who visited every room.

More than 80 guests were locked in their rooms for seven days and those who were unvaccinated had to isolate for a further seven days.

2021

Schoolies caused thousands in damage when they held a rave on top of a storage unit in Phillip Island which caved in and trapped four people inside. Picture: CCTV

Police were forced to spray capsicum spray on a massive group of schoolies on Phillip Island during this year’s celebrations, leading police to admit they were vastly outnumbered.

Police were also called to a number of other schoolies festivities around the state.

Schoolies started illegal fires on the beach at Phillip Island, had to content with a group of Covid-positive toolies and started a rave on top of a storage container in Cowes.

There were also reports of a number of serious attacks on teenagers requiring hospitalisation and a police office was king hit by a 15 year old on the Mornington Peninsula.