Sherbrooke Forest Fieldwork

At the end of Term 1, Year 9 students undertook Geography fieldwork in Sherbrooke Forest. We went to the forest areas around Grant’s Picnic Ground north of Belgrave in the Dandenong Ranges National Park.

The students investigated two forest biomes – a temperate forest and a temperate rainforest. They studied the area, investigated the sights and sounds and took photographs of the flora. They also took into consideration the impact of humans in the area in the forms of tracks, information signs, fences and gates, picnic areas and the carpark as well as the café/tourist shop on site.

It was a cold day with light rain for most of the time in the forest. The students were very resilient and coped well with the wet conditions. Many enjoyed a hot beverage from the café!

On the days following our return to the College, the students completed a fieldwork report that considered the environment and a fictional proposal to build accommodation facilities nearby in the National Park. The consensus of the students’ reports was that the proposal should not go ahead as it would require the acquisition of land from the National Park into private hands and would create undue pressure on the natural environment.

The fieldwork was very worthwhile as it engaged the students both physically and mentally with their local natural environment.

Radcliff Owen

Year 9 Humanities Teacher