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School Camps and Outdoor Education

Outdoor and environmental activities are used to facilitate significant personal development opportunities for students. The program facilitates the development of a variety of interpersonal and technical skills and helps students develop an understanding of personal and environmental sustainability. Activities can also form the basis of future leisure pursuits.

Students from year 5 to year 8 go on an annual week's camp to the College's permanent campsite, Camp Ibis, located on the Gippsland Lakes, Banksia Peninsula near Paynesville.

Camp Ibis enjoys significant water frontage on Lake Victoria. This tranquil marine setting provides opportunities for students to live together where a number of activities such as sailing and canoeing are used as a means for personal development and being involved in the local environment.

Director of Camp Ibis is Zannah Laird, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

At years 9 and 10 the focus continues to be sequential, however moves to journey based outdoor education. In year 9 groups are self-sufficient as they journey through the Otways along a section of the Great Ocean Walk.

With the guidance of Outdoor Education instructors students experience the challenges of bushwalking, bush camping, cooking, navigating, caring for one another, sea kayaking, raft building and local indigenous discussions while living in small temporary communities. The experience encourages students to develop awareness, appreciation and knowledge of themselves, their peer group and their environment.

The year 10 hike is one of the annual highlights for year 10 students and is a culmination of the formal curricular Outdoor Education program at the College. It takes the form of an alpine bushwalk through varied terrain with rewards of majestic views and swims in crystal clear mountain streams. A step up from the year 9 hike, there is a greater emphasis on resilience as students are challenged physically, mentally and emotionally as well learning more about what it takes to live in a well functioning community and the fragility of our natural world.

Click here to download the powerpoint presentation from the information evening for the Year 10 hike.

Click here to access menu ideas for the hike. Also download the boot letter and gear list here. Also recommendations for parents as to what to purchase for hikes is available by clicking here.

To download the medical consent form click here.

After school indoor rock climbing is also being offered this term.  For more details click here.

Outdoor Education Coordinator is Ben Woolhouse, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Term and Holiday Trips

Outdoor education staff regularly conduct programs for students during the school term and holiday breaks. Trips include out door and indoor rock climbing, learn to surf, cross country skiing, whitewater rafting, bushwalking, kayaking and culminate in a trek into the Victorian wilderness or Tasmania at the end of each year.

There are also teams that train for competition and enjoyment in whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, surfing and cross country skiing.

Upper School Holiday Trips for 2009

Term 3:

21-25 September River raft trip.  Click here for details.

28 September - 2 October Mountain biking trip, Otways National Park.  Click here for details.

5 - 9 October Grampians Hike.  Click here for details.

Term 4:

12-19 December Tasmania hike

Year 9 ‘Big Experience’

Separate to the Outdoor Education program, the College’s year 9 Community, Urban, Environment program offers a choice of ‘big experience’ trips as part of the curriculum.

All year 9 students undertake one of the Big Experiences for three weeks in term four. The focus of the experience is on global sustainability and contains a strong emphasis on community service. Students choose from:

• Thailand - land of contrasts
• Fiji - A traditional village
• Australia - new horizons
• China - ancient and contemporary
• Vietnam - Beyond the brochures

Optional Experiences

Students from years 9 to 12 can also participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a voluntary leadership-in-action program which offers opportunities for recognition via involvement in service, skill, physical recreation and expedition activities.

Click here to access handbooks for Duke of Ed Trip.

More information is available from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award website.