9/10 OES Wilsons Prom Camp
A students reflection on the Wilson’s Prom camp
Surfing:
On Wednesday when we arrived at Wilsons Prom we set up our tents and sorted most of our stuff out at the camp site and we then split into our two activity groups, got our wetsuits and surfboards and headed down to Norman beach. Before we got in the water we had to learn the basics on the sand. We drew some great surfboards in the sand and practised how to get up. We also learnt about surf safety. Once we got out there we were actually professionals. I was able to do the basics like stand up and wasn’t too bad. The weather was very good on the first day which was a bonus. On Thursday when we went surfing for the second time it was a lot harder for me to get onto the wave and I consumed a lot more sea water than what I would have liked but it was still good and by the end of it I had caught a couple alright waves.
Hiking:
On Thursday after we played beach games and went surfing we got ready to hike Mount Oberon, I must admit was not exactly keen to journey up the steep mountain but once we were at the top it was worth it and the walk was nice except my legs were not having a good time. I do not know how to describe the view but it was amazing! The wind was bonkers up top, I don’t know what I was expecting but it was not that. The hike down was a lot more enjoyable than the way up, as we made it to the bottom of the hike, it started to pour with rain. Before we got on the bus the rain was very nice and refreshing but by the time we got back to camp the rain had overstayed its welcome and drenched camp, with 1 tents fly being blown off leaving a puddle of water in its base.
Cooking:
Cooking on camp was not great for me. I had very high expectations for what I was going to cook and the expectations were not met I must admit. On the first night I cooked on the Trangia and attempted to make oats and I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t have a flame tamer or I didn’t add enough milk but they were more like concrete than oats, some bonus points though because they didn’t taste bad but I don’t think they would be my first choice of something to cook next time.
Sleeping:
You know when you check the clock when you wake up in the night and you are hoping that it’s the middle of the night so you can go back to sleep? Think of that but think of the opposite, that’s how I felt about sleeping on camp. It wasn’t great and I think I’ll be more prepared next time. The first night the air was very cold and trying to get comfy was rather difficult. I woke up every hour or so but I can’t complain too much because I had a mat, pillow and sleeping bag. The second night was a lot more pleasant before going to sleep because Ebony and I had an extra in our tent. We actually found it to be more comfortable and warmer. On Friday morning the kind and lovely seagulls on steroids were kind enough to give us an alarm at 6:50am. They woke us up by taking Ebony’s Twisties from under our tent canopy, we were lucky the wombats didn’t come during the night to eat them!
Wombats:
The wombats deserve an honourable mention. I saw five wombats and they were the highlight of the whole camp. They were very friendly and the cutest, I got to pat two of them and 10/10 they take very good care of themselves and their coats were nice and soft. Points deducted because I didn’t get a visit from a wombat in my tent but I’m glad someone did. My new bestie Willow the Womby gets a special mention because we took a selfie before parting ways. In conclusion the wombats were easily the best part of the trip.
Gabby Conell - Year 9
