Outdoor Ed Camp

In the final week of Term 3, our Outdoor Education class went on camp to Anglesea, from Wednesday to Friday. With eight of us split between two cars, we set off at 9am for our first campsite.

After getting a little lost on the way, we arrived at our campsite and began to set up our tents, and prepare for our first activity; stand-up paddle boarding. It was a bit cold at first, however after we got into our wetsuits, we stopped complaining and were good to go. We paddled along the river and finished the activity with a couple of games, students verse teachers. Sadly, after everyone had fallen into the water at least once, the students lost both games. We headed back to camp where we started a fire and began our Trangia cooking, before ending the night with a game of chubby bunny.

Day two, we woke early to begin packing up camp and prepare for the day ahead. We started our hike from Anglesea to Torquay at 8am. With clear ocean views from the cliffs, the hike started out easy, until we got down to the beach. Avoiding the water, we trudged the long hot stretch of sand, persevering until we reached Bells Beach. With aching legs and too many steps to count, we finally arrived and were fortunate to catch a glimpse of some of the world's best long-boarders.

After a quick break, we were back into the final two kilometres of the hike. Once we reached the campsite in Torquay, we felt instant relief, with Dillan falling asleep almost immediately. We unpacked our gear and set up camp, happy to finally be relaxing after our 18.7km hike. We made our dinner and afterwards were treated to a DOUBLE SCOOP ice-cream, as we were such a small group.

Exhausted, we finally climbed into bed, ready for sleep. That was until two cheeky possums decided they would check out our camp, much to Miss Hughes' dismay.

On the final day, after eating breakfast, we got ready for our last activity; surfing. Despite it being a bit chilly, we spent the next two hours catching the odd wave and getting knocked off our boards numerous times. Everyone managed to catch at least one wave before the end of the session. Once we were done, we packed the cars and headed to our final stop, the bakery, for lunch, before making our way home.

I would like to thank Miss Hughes, Mr Gawne and Nick for organising and attending the camp, making it possible for us to go. It was a remarkable experience and I would 100% recommend it to others interested in taking the class next year.

- Hazel Coleman