A showy crop. Are they weeds?

Yes, adolescents must make the 'break' from their parents, learn to be 'street wise' and take some risks. 

All the same, schoolies week is not a good look.

School leavers roll into the Gold coast and elsewhere, and law enforcement takes on some responsibility to steer kids in the right direction.  

Other kids might go to Bali to live it up which is what Bali has to offer. And, believe it or not, Bali is in Indonesia, where tourism and lawlessness co exist with inscrutable policing. Law enforcement is on Indonesian terms which would leave the young or old visitor right out of their depth.  Only a  small minority get into strife and road accidents add to the toll.   

Really,  Schoolies week is an unfortunate tradition.

Alternative end of year schoolie destinations occur..  Believe some groups head to a needy culture to immerse themselves and do good works - all in a week's work. Could be from a church school, where church education largely amounts to raising issues of social justice..