Year 11 ODE Excursion - Melbourne Aquarium

On Thursday 26 October, our Year 11 Outdoor and Environmental Studies class traveled to the city to take in some amazing sights at the Melbourne Aquarium. The day got off to a rocky start with there being a cancellation of carriages for our trip, but thankfully the students were resilient and travelled instead via coach to Southern Cross. It was a rainy and windy day, but it did not matter once we had finished our walk to Flinders Street and were welcomed into the Aquarium by our guide, Jacinta. The Melbourne Aquarium tour involved learning about a range of topics and checking out plenty of exhibits related to flora and fauna. We started with checking out the 7m crocodile named Petey, who had just finished having breakfast and showed off his giant fangs for our class. We then walked through exhibits containing turtles, manta rays, crabs, seahorses, and finished with handling starfish and Port Jackson shark eggs! 

The students then had a break at Southern Cross station, having a short lunch before traveling back home via train. The students learned first-hand about the impact of human interactions on the environment, including the influence of commercial fishing on Victoria's marine life and how the aquarium works to be a sustainable provider of community-based environmental actions. The students completed their final SAC on Monday 30 October, reflecting on their experiences and how we can make positive contributions to the environment. Week 5 will be the last time that I teach this group before they prepare for exams and Year 12's Step Up week. I am thrilled with the progress of every student in the class, and I hope they have loved the subject as much as I have, having taught them this year.

-Nathan McLean