Outdoor Education

Year 9 Outdoor Education Grampians camp

Throughout term one the students in outdoor education had, in theory, been learning the skills they need to safely participate in an overnight camping experience. But it was time to put the theory into practice. With the bus packed and ready by 7am, we were off towards the Grampians National Park.

We arrived to Plantation Campground, set up our tents and got ready for our first hike. A very popular Grampians hike, The Pinnacle, was the first challenge for the group. The 6km return hike snaked its way past creeks and waterfalls and through rock canyons as tall as a two-story building, finally opening out to a fenced cliff overlooking Halls Gap. The day was beautiful; we could see the seemingly endless farmland in the distance. On the way home, the Halls Gap reserve was covered in munching kangaroos which was amazing to see.  A group cooking circle resulted in some delicious group dinners. Night games under a stunning milky way, then followed by a chilly night's sleep.

Thursday brought a wakeup call from the birds as well as the stunning sunrise colours on the rocks in front of our campsite. The corrugated road towards Mount Stapleton hid countless wallabies and a small family of emus. The hike to the top of Mount Stapleton began with a steep incline and we all struggled in the heat, with the view of the famous rock climbing wall, Taipan Wall, and the sound of climbers talking, we stopped to try and spot the little dots halfway up their climb. The hike continued over the rocks, curling our way to the top of the mountain where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and view. The hard climb up was easily forgotten with the easy downhill back to the bus. Mackenzie Falls and Fish Falls Hike was next – the steep stairs led to a fast-flowing Mackenzie Falls and we enjoyed the view and the water splash that cooled us down. Another two emus greeted us by the bus hoping for some food being cooked by the van parked near us. Cooking skills improved again and we had eaten and cleaned before last light, meaning more time for games, star gazing and a good debrief.

Early wakeup call to allow pack up time, in a clean-up sweep of our camp ground we found over 30 tent pegs from other groups! Hollow Mountain was our last but most enjoyable hike. The short hike took us to a cave which some of the group chose to explore. The inner cave had several sandstone layers as well as openings at every level.

Then a quick lunch before jumping back on the bus for the journey home. Our journey became longer than expected when we experienced some bus trouble. We arrived with a group of happy and healthy campers to Coburg High by 6.00pm.

The group of students were wonderful throughout the whole camp; they were challenged and at points taken out of their comfort zone but successfully completed each activity to the best of their ability with the support of their peers. It was great to see the group grow and expand as they got to know each other better, they were extremely supportive of one another and helped each other through personal challenges.

Kate Bradbury

PE, OE and Health teacher