Year 12 Outdoor Education

Mt Cooke Expedition

The Year 12 Outdoor Education students had their last camp of their schooling careers last week. Two classes with a total of 30 pupils went camping and hiking in the Darling Range region. They had the opportunity to use all the hiking and camping techniques they had learned in class during their 4 years of Outdoor Education.

On Monday the students hiked along the Bibbulmun Track, traversing 18 wildflower - covered kilometres. Mr Walczak’s class started at the Monadnocks shelter taking on Mount Cuthbert and Mount Vincent. Mr Websdale’s class started at the Nerang shelter and scaled the 340m high Mount Cooke. The groups met at the Mount Cooke campsite for a much-needed overnight stay.

Although challenging at times, it was great to see that the students were able to overcome the difficulties and complete this beautiful section of the trail. The camping and cooking activities in the evening provided them with a chance to further enhance their outdoor skills and bond even further. The group debrief was also a valuable opportunity for reflection and the sharing of experiences.

The final day of the expedition saw the groups cross over with Mr Walczak’s group continuing to Nerang shelter and Mr Websdale’s group finishing at Monadnocks shelter, another 18km of beautiful hiking.

Thank you to Mr Websdale, Mr Truss and alumni Tim Wallis and Mitchell Peters for accompanying the boys and joining us on the hike.

David Walczak