Year 4 Anglesea Camp

From Yolanda, Year 4 Teacher

The Anglesea Adventure!

On the morning of Monday 8th February, Year 4 students at North Melbourne Primary School set off on their journey to Anglesea Surf Camp 2021. After a disappointing end to 2020 with their camp to Forest Edge canceled due to Covid 19, the students were excited to leave their cosy homes for an adrenaline-packed experience. 

On arriving at Araluen Campsite, which is surrounded by gum trees and bushland, the students were eager to set up their cabins and jump straight into the activities. There was archery, a low ropes course, and a giant see-saw which required working as a team to find the perfect balance. 

And this was just the start! 

The students then went off-road on bikes through narrow, winding pathways, dodging tree roots as they rode. If this was not enough action, next was surf lessons in the ocean! There was no stopping these young people! With the sun glistening on the waves there was not a single child who opted to sit this one out. Everyone managed to stand up on their boards (if only for a few seconds) and all were eager to challenge themselves and test their limits. 

The daily 20 minutes trek to the coastline from camp turned into an absurd, ninja warrior course. With the hot sun beating down on us, the anticipation we felt on the downhill journey towards the tranquil blue water was slightly marred by the realisation that we would eventually have to climb back up this almost vertical slope to reach our base camp. Once again, everyone soldiered on showing true grit. What a bunch of champions!

All this action required a healthy amount of sustenance and Araluen did not disappoint! The intrepid campers feasted on banana pancakes, lasagne, tandoori chicken, wraps, muffins, cupcakes, and chocolate brownies! 

So many chocolate brownies!

There was some downtime too, where the students played beach volleyball, giant tug-of-war, and board games. Somewhere between eating, riding, surfing, climbing, shooting arrows, hanging from ropes, and hiking to the stars, the kids also enjoyed spending time with each other and being independent self-sufficient individuals.

Rest assured parents reading this article, the students also participated in an ecological session learning all about sea life, the important role of sand dunes and what seafoam really is. They got to touch a real (once-living) gummy shark, stare in wonder at the colours of an abalone shell and pat a fairy penguin.    

When the time came to end our fabulous surf camp adventure, we could hear the children reflecting on their personal achievements. One student celebrated overcoming her fear of seaweed to learn to surf, others were feeling proud that they coped with being away from home for two nights, and another who was excitedly anticipating KFC once he got home as a reward for enduring the “hardship” of camp life! 

Each child had been weighed and measured, but none had been found wanting. Well done Year 4 2021!