Year 9 began their camps year with a beach walk between Waratah Bay and Bear Gully in South Gippsland. 9L experienced perfect walking weather, and the timing of the low tides meant sleep-ins and slow mornings. Somehow they coped, and at lunchtime on Tuesday 9L set off across sand and exposed reef to their destination for the night. It was wonderful to see the students support one another across some challenging terrain, and the entire group were happy to arrive at camp each night.

A range of meals were cooked and eaten, and hopefully some lessons learnt about what to bring on our next camp at the end of the term. It was a fantastic trip and all of the Outdoor Ed teachers loved meeting the 9L’s, who we will spend so much time with this year.

Whereas the 9L’s slept in, time and tide waited for no person with the 9U’s. They were up very early to be walking by 7:30am. A highlight was awakening just before 6am to get my group up and about, and finding them all sitting up in their sleeping bags silently gazing at the perfect sunrise over Wilsons Prom. By setting out early they caught both the low tide and also the cooler weather of the day.

And a hot day it was on the Tuesday. Getting to camp early they then enjoyed a long Tuesday afternoon of swimming, eating, swimming, exploring and swimming, before bunkering down under tarps and in tents as the storm front moved through. Five minutes of rain and it passed, and within an hour or so both groups were back in the water swimming in the calm waters of Waratah Bay. Each night at Diggers Island both of the 9U groups were lucky enough to experience the wonder of bioluminescent life, with each footstep lighting up in a galaxy of stars underfoot.
Both trips were fantastic, and we look forward to sharing a year of adventures and beautiful places with the wonderful Year 9’s.