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Year 11 Geography

Last week Year 11 traveled to the Warrumbungle National Park 5.5 hours north NW of Sydney as part of their mandatory field work component for the topic Biophysical Interactions.  This field work site was selected for its unique biophysical environment and students were given the opportunity to see the impact of catastrophic fire on the landscape and the resilience of the vegetation within the park.

Thank you to all students who participated in this field trip with unwavering enthusiasm. Additionally, I would like to thank Ms Sahid and Mr Issa who gave up their time to attend this field trip. Mrs Farah, Geography teacher

Year 11 Geography Camp: Warrumbungles National Park

by Shereena Chung, Samantha Cai, Angelina Chou-Lee and Courtney Charles

In Term 2 of Week 3, Year 11 Geography attended a camp held in Coonabarabran to observe the effects of the 2013 bushfires first-hand.

The first day consisted of driving for seven hours to the destination, including stops at McDonald’s and a small town called Dunedoo. We then arrived at the Warrumbungles National Park, explored and had a brief introduction about the fun activities that were going to be held in the following days, with our wonderful instructor, Wes. Wes took us to Whitegum Lookout to observe the areas in which we were going to hike the next day.

It wasn’t long until we were met with the motel we were going to be staying at, and with the lovely motel manager, Sally. After settling down and having our first dinner, it was time to stargaze, at the observatory just two minutes down the road from the motel! Despite the cold weather and cloudy skies, the moon and stars did not disappoint, and all 39 students participated and enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Day Two was an exhausting, yet fun filled day, comprising of a 12km hike up to the Grand High Tops and a campfire that united all students and teachers together. The Grand High Tops Circuit was a tiring but enjoyable experience, conducting fieldwork and collecting data whilst making our way up to the top of the mountain. We observed the impact of the 2013 bushfire and how the flora and fauna were gradually growing back. All students contributed and were interested in conducting the fieldwork, which positively impacted our camp experience.

Our third, and final day at Coonabarabran was spent packing, taking photos with one another and saying our thanks and goodbyes. 

Overall, the Geography camp was a great experience, spending time with friends and getting out of our comfort zones.