STARR Trip

In the September/October school holidays (30th September to 8th October), 33 students from Years 8 -12 and 3 staff (Ms Jenni Frank, Mrs Roxanne Egan, and Mr Salaam Al Marashli) travelled to Townsville to take part in the STARR trip. This pioneer trip was focused on allowing students to learn about Science, Technology and Art in reef and rainforest ecosystems and inspire these students to pursue future careers in science.

In the first part of the trip, we travelled to James Cook University Research station on Orpheus Island, off the coast of Lucinda, to explore the reef ecosystem. 

Students learned about and conducted different biodiversity surveying techniques such as using transects and quadrats to see biodiversity changes in intertidal regions. They also used coral colour charts to determine coral health and completed reef fish IDing. Students had the opportunity to snorkel in both reef and mangrove ecosystems and hike to different parts of the island to explore how abiotic factors affect ecosystems. A highlight of our stay was hearing from a real marine scientist about how students can pursue a career in marine science and her description of what a day in the life of a marine scientist involves.  

In the second part of the trip, we travelled to Paluma Outdoor Education Centre to explore the rainforest ecosystem. Students took part in macroinvertebrate studies, nature journaling and hikes, showing the variation of species within the rainforest ecosystem. Students also were lucky to hear from members of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) about what they are currently doing to conserve the Northern Bettong, and different volunteering and career opportunities within this organisation. The AWC purchases land all over Australia to conserve native flora and fauna, including a site at Newhaven (4 hours west of Alice Springs). 

Please see reflections from students who went on this trip below:

‘The STARR trip was both an educational and fun school trip with a mix of a lot of different people. I'd never gone snorkelling before until this trip, but when we started to see fish swimming around and climbing over mangroves, I wondered why I'd never done this before. Being so close to all the coral and fish around us was a new experience but is one I'll remember. Apart from the ticks and leeches climbing all over us, the rainforest was such a calm, quiet, pretty place to be. I'd never been more scared yet so amazed in my life. We got to learn about the different species in both environments, see a lot of different species that are not in the desert, and find out different career paths. I would recommend this trip to other years because it's one you won't forget.’ 

- Sarah Westaway

‘I really enjoyed visiting Queensland on the STARR trip. The snorkelling on Orpheus Island was incredible, with so many beautiful fish and coral, and being immersed in an environment so unlike Alice Springs was so much fun and a highlight of this year. Likewise, the rainforest in Paluma was equally amazing, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to walk all the trails in the rainforest and admire the local flora and fauna. I really recommend this trip to anyone, especially if you have any interest in STEM or even just want to enjoy the biodiversity of these two places. If you do, though, make sure you bring a good camera!’

- Keely Hayward

‘A highlight of the trip was snorkeling because you got to see so many types of fish and coral and got to hang around with friends which was fun. I would recommend this experience to the reef and rainforest, because the flora and fauna was unique, interesting, and something that you don’t get to experience very often.’ 

– Tiki Willcocks

We look forward to the STARR trip continuing in 2025 in a new and exciting location.

~ Ms Jennifer Frank

Head of Rolland and Academic Inclusion