Twelve students from Lumen Christi Catholic College were in attendance and two life savers from Pambula Surf Life Saving Club.

Sisters Nicole and Kim Granger volunteered their lifesaving skills in a 10pm to 7am shift and ran into Eden's Roland Hoffman and 12 students from Lumen Christi Catholic College.

"It was incredible there was so many people everywhere," Kim Granger said.

"We'd give people directions, hand out space blankets and check that everything was ok.

"If we got bad cases of bad hypothermia we sent them for more help and we took mild cases of hypothermia and the flu to the tea room, where we'd lend them warm blankets give them a hot drink and let them sleep for a few hours."

The girls saw Pope Benedict XVI in the Pope mobile and were given warm Surf Life Saving Australia jackets and World Youth Day shirts and jackets.

"Everyone was really grateful to be there for the experience," Miss Granger said.

"Most people thanked us for being there, although it was freezing cold everyone was really happy."

"Some people wrapped in plastic from head to toe and sleeping on the ground."

Eden's Roland Hoffman, who graduated from Lumen Christie Catholic College last year, said it wasn't as cold as he and the other local pilgrims expected.

"We got very little sleep," he said.

"I laid down at about 4.30am and the Brazilians were still playing."

The group of 13 wore green and gold, tie-dyed T-shirts emblazoned with Far South Coast Youth and spent a few days in Canberra before arriving in Sydney on July 14.

"Yesterday we went from Randwick to Central," Roland said.

"It's usually a half hour walk and this time it was almost three hours."

Roland hopes to travel to Madrid for the next World Youth Day celebration.