Year 11/12 Outdoor Environmental Studies Grampians Hike

Our VCE OES Classes recently took part in a 2 night camp to the Grampians as part of the VCE subject. The trip consisted of two full days hiking from Halls Gap to Borough Huts Camping Ground. They climbed the pinnacle lookout on day 1, before spending the night at Stony Creek Campsite. Day 2 saw them climb the steep face of Mt Rosea to enjoy some amazing views for lunch. They then hiked down the steep mountain to reach Borough Huts. The trip enabled both classes to consolidate their theoretical knowledge from their class work and apply it to a practical setting. It was a magical few days away.

Report by Dylan Joiner

As you all know the year 11 and 12 outdoor environmental studies classes embarked on their adventure to the Grampians national park last Tuesday, arriving in halls gap bright and early having a snack and preparing for a day of hiking.

10 minutes in, the whole group had a break at the Venus baths to make sure our packs, shoes and clothing were all comfortable before we continued our long hike ahead.

We continued our journey to the pinnacle, and once we arrived, we stopped and had lunch at the top taking in the views over the Grampians. Shortly After conquering the pinnacle, the group continued towards the camp for the first night. Once we arrived everyone’s first thought were tents up and light the fire due to the freezing cold.

As the night went on, we were faced with a few difficulties including people forgetting a sleeping bag {Erick}. Due to most people feeling tired from a long day we all went to bed reasonably early to prepare ourselves for the days ahead.

We were woken bright and early once again on the Wednesday morning, had a small bite to eat before we were once again off onto the hiking tracks, many were nervous as they knew this day would be most challenging.

As the day went on a lot of our group became tired and sore but didn’t realize how far we had come because we were all focusing on the outstanding views and paying attention to where we would take our next step and before we knew it, it was time to have lunch at the top of Mt Rosea.

The afternoon went on and we made our way to our camp spot for the last night, we spent some time exploring the river then we all focused on setting up our tents and having some dinner before having a big group campfire, where we played many games and shared plenty of laughs.

overall it was a challenging experience for everyone involved but extremely rewarding . Thanks to Mrs Dewar, Mr Treweek, Mr Starkie and Miss Barnett for giving up their time to make it a big success.

Report by Tanisha Anson

Last week OED students from year 11 and 12 left Colac to hike the Grampians National Park.

As a student participating in this hike myself, I would like to talk about the content-based aspects and social aspects of the hike.

The students on the hike engaged in many challenges while in the Grampians, particularly physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Everyday delivered a new difficulty that we had to battle, whether it be talking to someone you’ve never talked to or feeling fatigued physically and emotionally. We were pushed to get out of our comfort zones and do our best to adapt to our new environment and community of people. I found myself enjoying the company of people that I’ve never really had much to do with before.

We also began our journey of experiential learning surrounding the woodlands forest of the Grampians and had to relate it back to the 1+2 and 3+4 units of VCE OED. This looked like taking photos of human impacts such as sign posts, boot washers, man designed lookouts and tracks. How did this relate to commercialisation? How had the Grampians been impacted by tourism, primary industry, and conservation?

And I’d also take to take a moment to give a massive, big thank you to Mrs. Dewar, Mr. Treweek, Mr. Starkie and Mrs. Barnette for coming along and making the whole trip possible, everyone had an absolute blast and learnt so much about the environment and personal growth. Thanks.