On top of the world!

Day One

We had the privilege to end our Year 9 chapter with an amazing school camp at Mount Kosciuszko! During camp, we indulged in countless new experiences, skills, and memories. 

Our three day experience started off with a long bus ride to Thredbo river. Once we arrived at the beautiful site, we were tasked with learning how to set up a tent. This first challenge puzzled all of us demonstrating the importance of teamwork and communication as this was the very spot you’d have to be sleeping for the night! 

Once the tents were all ready to go, a few of us helped out with dinner but not before heading down to the icy lake to cool off after the drive. Our dinner for the evening was spaghetti bolognese chased by some of the best chocolate cake we have ever eaten. As we were winding down for the night, various different animals revealed themselves adding to the unreal landscape. We made friends with many hungry possums, a snake, a few wombats, and majestic deers. We then snuggled up in our tents to endure a chilly night with some of our closest friends, showing us the value in spending time out in nature. 

Day Two

We started day two at six o'clock in the morning. We had to get up, take down the tents, make lunch and eat breakfast. At eight o'clock we made a gruelling walk up the driveway from the campsite with our bags, where we then jumped on the bus and headed for Thredbo. This is where the hike to Mount Kosciuszko started. Once we were split into our two groups we made our way to the chairlifts. It was a ten minute ride up in the chair lifts before we started the hike. Once we were back on solid ground we were ready to start walking. We put our third layer of sunscreen on, along with hats and started the 18 kilometre hike to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko and back. The first five hundred metres were fairly easy, but after we had to start walking uphill. The first two kilometres we stopped about five times before reaching one of the lookouts. This is where we saw the next part of the hike and let's say no one was excited. It was high and steeper than what we had previously hiked. After a short break and some more sunscreen we started the trek up. It was a long push, one that felt impossible, but we made it. From there it wasn't too bad, though it wasn't exactly good. The last kilometre to Mount Kosciuszko felt longer than those before. When we did get there, we felt this sense of accomplishment. We climbed to the highest point in Australia. We sat down, ate, relaxed, and enjoyed the amazing view. 

Until we had to head back down. 

The hike back down was a lot easier than the hike up. It was more enjoyable and the views were stunning. We even got to see the Snowy River. The last kilometre of the  eighteen kilometre felt the longest. But once we made it back we were relieved, excited and very exhausted. The bus ride to the cabins was very quiet. Once we arrived back things settled down. We had dinner, and ice cream. Then we had time to relax, watched kangaroos, stargazed, and winded down before bed, after a challenging day. 

Day Three

The anticipated final day of camp was finally here. To start off, the chefs prepared a delicious range of breakfast. We had packed our bags and got ready for our final activity of the trip. This was able to heighten our friendships collaboratively by canoeing and raft building. Collectively, we were able to learn different skills and techniques which derive from these activities. In canoeing we were taught different techniques like how to move a certain way, or how to use teamwork to guide the canoe whilst facing various challenges and obstacles. While the team who were raft building were challenged to stay afloat. Heading back to the lodge we had our final meal. We said our goodbyes and thank you and jumped back on the bus ready for our long drive back to Cecil Hills High School. After a few naps, some karaoke, and of course a quick stop to McDonald’s, we finally made it home! 

We would like to thank all the instructors from Action Learning Initiative, our bus driver Jeff, Ms Li Donni, and Mr Floresca and our Year Advisors Mr Banks and Ms Zaidan.

Thank you for the memories! 

Year 9 Students