Year 9 DTO Camp 

DTO camp

Lying in the sweeping hills and valleys of the Yarra ranges, Warburton is a special place of excitement, enjoyment, and fabulous scenery. So, it makes no wonder that anyone setting foot in the town for any kind of adventure would have a memorable time. And such a memorable time is exactly what the 901 Discovering the Outdoors class enjoyed last week from the 15th to 17th of May.

Eating delicious hot pies and pastries at the Warburton bakery, cooking up packeted meals on a portable Trangia, or having a splendid barbeque thanks to our wonderful chefs (the teachers), our trip to Warburton offered plenty of options for food and also drinks; we could all sample the fresh natural spring water that was free to drink at the base of Mt Donna Buang.

The minute we arrived in the town, it is fair to say we all knew that we would be having a great time over the next few days. Hiking was the most time consuming, but also probably the most exciting aspect of the trip. Across the days we participated in three hikes: the first from the base of Mt Donna Buang to its summit (1.2km); second was the 3.5 hour trek along the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail, involving steep climbs, but rewarding with spectacular views of the surrounding hills and numerous beautiful birds, ferns and trees; and on the last day we took the track to La La Falls, the peaceful, but impressive waterfall sitting tucked away in one of the many heavily forested areas of Warburton. 

Being an outdoor camp, we had to stay in tents, bring and prepare most of our own food (apart from a few indulgences of the bakery treats and barbeque), ensure we had nice warm clothes to help deal with the freezing Warburton weather, and also take responsibility for anything we needed for the day or a specific hike. But none of these factors detracted from the picturesque views from any of our venturous hikes, or subsequent trips to the redwood forest, the Upper Yarra Reservoir, or Mt Donna Buang summit sunset, in fact they only added to the great ‘outdoorsy’ feeling that this amazing camp supplied us with.

Another highlight was the evening journal entries and voting for the ‘camper of the day’. This prestigious award went to the individual who demonstrated mental toughness and mental fortitude. 

The winners list:

Day 1 – Gabriel W for making the most of his camp experience despite being limited in the amount of walks he could participate in. Gabe always maintained a positive attitude, and was a great influence around the group.

Day 2 – Michael B for being a prepared and helpful member around camp. He was organised, knowledgeable, dependable, and made the effort to be walking at the front of the hiking group for a majority of the hikes. Nothing could tire Michael out, so he even decided to go up and down the observation deck at Mount Donna Buang until he couldn’t anymore.

Day 3 – Vimal for being a kind and caring teammate. Vimal demonstrated kindness to his peers which was appreciated by many. Luke S was also awarded one from the teachers for his consistent positive attitude and his leadership and initiative.

Of course, our trip to Warburton (or any other school trip for the matter) could not be made possible without the tiresome organisation and accompaniment of teachers or support staff, so a massive thanks to Ms Malander, Mr Billings and Lorraine is due. 

We really appreciate the work you all put into school activities like this and cannot express our gratitude enough for your efforts in giving us the best experiences that we can have from things like this.

Overall, it is fair to say that everybody greatly enjoyed the adventure, and that it will remain quite a memorable moment in high school for the vast majority of us. We might have only been there for a few days, but those few days will ensure countless memories stay with us for a long time. Thankyou Warburton for the time we have had.

Written by Luke S