Senior School News

Year 8 On Country immersion: Learning on kunyani

Written by Charlotte Woodham (Year 8)

In recent weeks, the Year 8 classes have headed to kunanyi/Mt Wellington as part of our unit exploring how different people value landscapes and landforms.

During the excursion, we walked to Sphinx Rock, where we admired the spectacular views while thinking about different ways humans use the land around us. 

After we enjoyed hot food and drinks for recess (it was very cold on the mountain!), we met up with Sharnie Read, a Palawa woman from the northwest of Tasmania. Sharnie shared with us her deep connection to land and how the land and mountain were used by the traditional owners. 

Sharnie also shared some of the dreaming stories of how Lutruwita (Tasmania) was created. Tasmania has some of the best range of natural resources, for example, we have many shades of ochre – white, yellow, orange, brown and even purple, which has not been found on the mainland. 

This excursion was a great way to further extend our knowledge of our mountain and the connection and care that First Nations Tasmanians have to Kunanyi/Mt Wellington. 

Science in the stream 

Our resident rivulet researchers have been hard at work exploring some of Hobart's ecological hot spots. 

Year 11/12 Environment Science students recently undertook a field excursion to the upper reaches of the Hobart Rivulet at Ferntree, where they collected water samples and analysed biotic factors within the stream ecosystem. 

This data will be compared with samples collected from the lower reaches of the rivulet in South Hobart, allowing students to investigate how urbanisation influences water quality.

As part of their course, students have also visited Lauderdale and South Arm to develop fieldwork skills on rocky foreshores. These investigations focused on data collection techniques and the environmental challenges affecting marine ecosystems.