Central Australia Camp 2018

From the 15th – 26th of September 39 students from HPSC were given the opportunity to travel by coach to the Northern Territory.

Our first stop on this camp was to Coober Pedy, South Australia. In this small outback mining town, we got the chance to experience what life was like as an opal minor.

We participated in a guided tour of an under-ground mine, saw a display of an underground home, and watched a demonstration of opal cutting and polishing.

During this one-night camp we stayed in an underground bunk-house accommodation.

The second day of the camp was an express bus ride to Uluru. This was a truly captivating, once in a lifetime opportunity for many of the students experiencing it.

Whilst visiting the Red Centre, we walked around the base of the rock, where we could truly behold it in all its magical wonders.

Hearing the stories associated with the rock and indigenous culture was mesmerising and somewhat eye opening. Later that night we returned to Uluru to watch the sunset and have snacks, and had the opportunity to take many amazing photos with the majestic rock in the background.

Later in the trip we were given the opportunity to ride camels, which was very different to anything most of us had experienced before and was extremely fun. That night we arrived in Alice Springs, where we stayed for the night before leaving for Daly Waters.

On the way to Daly Waters, we bypassed the Devil’s Marbles, which is a collection of huge, round boulders.

From Daly Waters we travelled to Katherine, where we spent some time bathing in the famous Mataranka Thermal Springs, which are situated in a beautiful forest. The Thermal Springs were very warm and relaxing which was good after all the hours we had spent on the bus over the past days.

The next day we went on the first cruise for the trip; “Nitmiluk Dreaming Cultural Cruise” of the Gorges. This experience was truly amazing to see, the landscapes were extremely picturesque and breathtaking. It was also exiting because the Gorges have been the filming location of several movies.

After the cruise we were given a tour of Jabiru, in Kakadu which was the site of some amazing, ancient Aboriginal rock art. That night we witnessed an unforgettable sunset from the top of the rocks, high in the mountainside.

The next morning, we did the Yellow Water sunset cruise, which was an amazing experience because we were able to observe the animal and plant life throughout the water and forest.

A highlight of the Yellow Water Cruise was seeing the many crocodiles that live in the waters, and ever observing them stalking and eating their prey.

The next day was spent in Litchfield National Park. Here we got to explore the picturesque park and swim in two of its many clear rock pools, know as the ‘Plunge pool” and “Wangi Falls”. The waterfalls were exhilarating to experience, and the water was so clear that you could see the bottom, even in deep places.

The last day of camp was spent in Darwin city. At the beginning of the day we visited the museum which was good for us to be able to learn more about the place that we had been staying for the past week. 

After this we went to Crocosaurus Cove, where students who wanted to got the opportunity to go into the water with the crocodiles in a plastic tube.

This was truly amazing being able to behold the giants up close and roaming freely around you.

We would all like to thank Northern Territory Tourism for providing us with the generous grant that allowed us this truly amazing experience.

After Crocosaurus Cover we were given free time for shopping and exploration within Darwin city. At the end of the day we all went out for dinner together where we ate on the pier by the water, which was a great opportunity for us to reflect on our experiences as a group, as well as thank our teachers and the bus driver/cooks for their service and efforts throughout the camp, and for making the camp a possibility.

After the group dinner we went to see as a movie as a group which was our last activity before heading to the airport to catch our 2:00am flight back to Melbourne. From Melbourne we caught the bus back to Hampton Park Secondary College, where our families picked us up and we went home.