A group of Australians concerned about the human rights abuses of asylum seekers in Australia's infamous immigration detention centres travels around the country for 2 months and 12'000 kilometres to visit the people in the camps, to educate the communities on its route, and to expose some of the human rights violations. 'Waking up the Nation' takes you on this inspiring journey, as the strange mix of housewives, teenangers, hippies and students onboard of the colourfull 'Freedom Bus' have their run-ins with overzealous cops, racist small town locals, and burly detention cen tre guards. Most importantly this road-movie-style documentary introduces you to many of the countless men, women and children inprisoned in these camps under the harsh immigration policies of the Australian government. Additional video footage smuggled out of some of these prisons show chilling and heartbreaking pictures, and prove that something is going on in the remoteness of the Australian deserts of which many Australians are rightly ashamed of.