Outdoor Education - Cape Bridgewater

A few weeks ago the Year 9/10 Outdoor Ed. water students participated in a two-day hike along the Great South West walk at Bridgewater. The purpose of this trip was to provide students with an opportunity to gather firsthand information and make observations on a number of key areas of the Outdoor Ed. curriculum. 

Identification of the major features and ecology of the Bridgewater environment (both aquatic and coastal environments), minimal impact camping and hiking, along with developing interpersonal skills such as resilience, perseverance, communication, and preparation skills, were the focus of the trip.

The students had to hike in with their packs containing all their equipment for camping as well as their food which needed to consider minimal impact on the environment. They needed to bring in their food, cook on trangias and set up their tents for the night.

Day one started at Bridgewater at the café. From here we hiked along to take in the seal colony, the Petrified Forest, the blowholes, and the magnificent views Cape Bridgewater has to offer.  Later in the afternoon we set up site at Springs camp. Luckily the weather was kinder to us at Cape Bridgewater than it was for the Hamilton residents. We managed to dodge all the poor weather the rest of the district had to endure and had a peaceful night in our tents. The next morning, we packed up and hiked out to the Bridgewater Lakes where wonderful Gilly picked us up to ferry the tired, but happy campers back to School.

Merrin Shannon

Outdoor Ed teacher