Duke of Edinburgh

Mitchell River Camp- Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Class of 2017

From the 27th of November to the first day of summer, the 2017 Duke of Ed bronze class headed down to the beautiful Mitchell river. A lot of the first day was spent travelling and shopping for the busy week ahead. Although the bus trip was long, it was well worth the wait as we were greeted with stunning scenery and a mob of 30+ kangaroos! Before we arrived at the actual campsite though, we went for a short walk down to the Den of Nargun. After arriving at the campsite, we rushed to set up our tents before the sun went down and cooked our first camp meal over Trangia stoves (camp stoves) for the week.

The next morning was an early start for us, as we woke at 6.30am to get ready for a day of rafting! To prepare for the day we changed into long-sleeved clothes (this aspect didn’t happen for all of us- the proof is in the tan-lines) and packed away our lunch into an esky. The air was buzzing with excitement as we arrived to the base of the river as we couldn’t wait to jump into it. After listening to safety guidelines and learning some basic paddling techniques we were off! We spent the first two days on the river; going down rapids, having water fights, falling in… The best part of those days was the game we played called: Jenga. Much like the game with wooden blocks, we had to stack our boats two on two, without falling in, and then at the end of it all, had to pull up Larry- in her kayak- to the top of the tower! Rafting was heaps of fun and I can’t wait to do it again!

Due to bushfire warnings close to where we had been staying, we had to move out of our beloved campsite earlier than expected… but it was made up for by the cooked pizza dinner and free time at a local park.

The third- and final day of (planned) activity was estimated to be a hot 34 degrees. So for that reason, our original 15km hike was reduced to a 7km one that ended in a dip into a cool waterhole. We swam till our fingers and toes were wrinkly and our eyes were shutting in exhaustion, but our physical fatigue did nothing to dull our high spirits.

Unfortunately, on the last day (after spending a luxurious night in cabins and washing with soap) our bike riding trip had to be cancelled in way of a massive storm that was due to hit at any time. For this reason, we made an early trip back home. The whole camp was one of my best memories for the year, that ended with new and strengthened bonds between friends and enough joy to last a lifetime.

Rachael Song

Year 9G Student