Senior School
Dangar Falls - Geography Excursion
Our keen Academy Geography students headed out to Oxley Wild Rivers National Park (Dangars Falls) on a windy Friday morning last week. We stopped at various points along the way to do some water testing of Salisbury Waters. We were kitted up with microscopes, nets, I.D charts and loads of enthusiasm but the lack of flow made finding water bugs very difficult. The turbidity, salt and pH tests showed the waterway to be in reasonable health. When we arrived at the national park we looked at the patterns of vegetation and tried to identify the factors and their interrelationships that create these patterns. We were very fortunate to see an endangered Brush Tailed Rock Wallaby just 10 metres from the walking track. Tori, Lauren and Jim cooked a delicious BBQ lunch to finish the day.
Universities Roadshow
Our Academy students had the opportunity to participate in the University Roadshow. Representatives from University of Newcastle, University of Wollongong, Charles Sturt University, Southern Cross University and University of New England talked about how to choose a course, applying, study methods, living away from home, accommodation and costs. Students then took the opportunity to talk to the university representatives about their specific needs.
Grass Scholarship - Penny Rummery
In 2018 I participated in the GRASS scholarship with the University of New England which aimed to introduce students to agricultural industries and broaden their career ideas. Through this opportunity I was privileged to spend a week of work placement with Cassegrain Wines in Port Macquarie during the school holidays. The winery is involved in all parts of wine making; right from growing and sourcing grapes through to bottling. Grapes are sourced from all over NSW and processed through to a finished product, often for Cassegrain’s own line and also under contract for other vineyards. Whilst I was at Cassegrain Wines I spent a lot of time in the lab carrying out titrations and tests determining the levels of the wine’s constituents and taking the temperature and sugar levels of ferments up to three times daily. Monitoring the sugar and temperature is important for determining which additives are required and how soon fermentation will be complete, where upon fast action is taken to keep the wine from spoiling. Fermentation is the process of yeast converting sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide and takes approximately two weeks. As my visit was during vintage (January to May), the winery received both red and white grape varieties and I was able to spend some time collecting samples from the winery’s own vines. It was highly interesting to see the entire process of making wine and come to understand what a complex process it is. I found that to be a winemaker one must have a unique mixture of creative and scientific approach and be incredibly passionate. I had a fantastic week being immersed in an industry with which I had no previous experience.
Titration for sulphur dioxide and the Verdello vines at Cassegrain Wines.