Keep Prom & Carry On!

Mark Haebich

Outdoor Education Coordinator

The first outdoor program for the year for the Units 3&4 class at Wilsons Promontory is a foundational experience for success in Outdoor and Environmental Studies. 

Students navigated their way through a jam-packed 5 days of learning, often completing reflections, past exam questions or planning for the following day well after the sun had gone down. 

A detailed case study for the first area of study for Unit 3, historical relationships, is constructed using the history of Wilsons Promontory and students really enjoyed looking at the environments they visited through a range of different lenses. In addition to this there is so much of the study design that can be linked back to "The Prom" and the class did a great deal of tagging content from the other three outcomes to specific locations and examples for future reference. 

We were blessed with almost perfect weather and no Covid-related absences or interruptions for our 60km loop. Students also built on their experiences from Units 1& 2 and did a terrific job of planning, navigation, food and group management. The group really enjoyed and benefitted having Ms Blair (their teacher for Units 1&2) along for this program also. 

On the final day, students investigated more contemporary relationships with the Bunurong Coast by participating in a surf lesson at Sandy Point in great conditions. They also had the chance to compare this experience with their trip to the Urban Surf wave pool in 2021 and build on their skills with everyone feeling the stoke and scoring some terrific waves. The foundation has been laid for another outstanding year of senior Outdoor & Environmental Studies; students should be proud of all they have achieved already and excited for what is to come.

Carah Long

Year 11 

I learned to escape, to find a simple state of balance that VCE and school doesn’t allow. Outdoor Education at BSC is a program that has supported my growth and given me richness in knowledge. I have learnt about our planet, people like us that live there and the people that always will be the custodians, healers and protectors of this land, the Aboriginal people. I have such a great appreciation for the cultures and practices that have protected our natural playground for thousands of years. Visiting Wilsons Prom let me learn through experiencing the classroom content and has given me a deeper understanding than words in a textbook ever could. We got to challenge ourselves everyday walking with heavy packs, carrying our house on our backs, but we also were rewarded along the way as we stood on the edge of Australia looking out into the infinite natural world across distant oceans. I cherished every minute we got to stop and be present in nature, looking at the stars or watching as colour drained from the evening sky. It was in these moments that I finally got to breath, I know I will forever be grateful for the experiences Outdoor Ed and this trip have given me.

Lisette Wilkinson

Year 11

Going to Wilson’s Promontory was a euphoric experience.

Having never been to Wilson’s Prom before, I found the place surreal: ocean as far as you can see, waves that appear stationary from the top of a mountain, tracks that switch repeatedly between rocky, sandy and/or 

dusty, and huge mountains that form part of Australia’s wilderness area.

I could give an enumeration of highlights from the program, but my favourites were the sunset at Mt Oberon, walking to South Point, the Friday surf session and the time a wombat got into a tent at 2a.m!

The coolest part about walking to South Point is that it is the southern-most point of the Australian mainland. It can only be accessed on foot, so achieving this short walk gives the massive bragging rights that “I’ve walked to the bottom of Victoria”. Once out at south-point, it was incredibly peaceful to sit out on the rocks and stare at the waves. The rocks surrounding south-point were a terrific orange in colour – they mirror the coastal environments in Northern Tasmania because Wilson’s Prom was once a land bridge that connected Tasmania to mainland Australia.

It is really enriching to be immersed in an outdoor environment whilst you learn the content related to it, rather than sitting in a classroom, and learning this way makes the information easier to recall in SACs and exams. One of the greatest challenges that I have in the classroom is applying the textbook content to a real-life situation, but when you go to an outdoor environment and are learning about the content whilst in the environment, this happens by default. Learning the content with my class at Wilson’s Promontory has been a truly valuable experience, and reflecting on my knowledge a few weeks back, before the program, in comparison to now, it would be extremely difficult to deny that the experience has benefited my learning.

I am truly lucky that I was presented with the opportunity to spend 5 days in this amazing environment.