Central Australia Trip

On Sunday 25 April, Year 7 and Year 8 students left for a six-day camp to Central Australia. The trip is certainly a highlight of Middle School and connects an outdoor education experience with our learning programs in History, Geography, Science and Art as well as the Indigenous Cultural Day held in Term 1. Students visited some of Australia’s most spectacular environmental destinations during the Camp.

The Desert Park and ECO walking tour in Alice Springs provided the girls with the opportunity to interact and learn from experienced guides and zookeepers. Students learnt about the unique flora and fauna of the Red Centre and spent time star gazing under the clearest skies when sleeping in swags. One of the highlights was learning about the ‘desert supermarket’ and how the diverse vegetation of the outback provides Indigenous people not only with food but building materials and educational resources too. Members of the small Indigenous community, Lilla, welcomed students into their community through a smoking ceremony from the Elders of the Anangu people.

The Elders also took them on a cultural walk and shared many stories of how Indigenous Australians used the land for their daily requirements.

They were also lucky enough to be taken on a guided tour of several sacred sites, with guides explaining the significance of each place to the First People’s both past and present.

More highlights of the trip included the Mala Uluru base walk, Valley of the Winds hike at Kata Tjuta National Park and the King’s Canyon Walk. Many breathtaking sunsets and sunrises were viewed throughout the week, providing beautiful photo opportunities. The students returned to Melbourne with a greater appreciation for the Australian outback and a far richer understanding of Indigenous culture.