19 students from the Year 9 & 10 cohort were given a once in a lifetime opportunity as they participated in the Cairns Rainforest, Culture & Reef School Trek from 8-15 July, alongside Ms Georgia Seymour, Ms Kelly Nguyen and Mr Anthony Zammit. All students who attended this cultural immersion trip had an unbelievable experience and many memories were made!

THURSDAY 8 JULY

Students arrived at Melbourne airport - Qantas departs bright and early at 7:30am! Enthusiastic and eager students greeted one another, as our parents were filled with excitement, anticipation and of course a little bit of nerves as we said our final goodbyes! We arrived at Cairns airport and were met by Wayne, one of our hosts from Getaway Trekking, Wayne is one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet! After our bags were collected, we were transferred to Emerald Creek Camping Ground where the next four nights would be spent. Camp was set up with our bonfire lit and we were ready for an amazing couple of days!

FRIDAY 9 JULY

Students learnt about maps, the compass and how to calculate compass bearings in a theory course. Our new knowledge and skills were then applied to a 3 and a half hour hike through thick dense terrain consisting of grass at knee height and this was our first taste of our outdoor adventures. After successfully accomplishing this navigational hike, we went for a well-deserved swim in Emerald Creek and freshened up! The night was spent by the bon- fire with the teachers having a few laughs.

SATURDAY 10 JULY

Students split off into teams of 4 people and completed a rogaining hike challenge. All teams were given 4 hours to find as many checkpoints as possible and earn points. After we finished our awards, the afternoon was spent leisurely by the campsite and an afternoon swim at the jaw-dropping falls, Emerald Creek Falls.

SUNDAY 11 JULY

On this day, the students conquered the Mount Baldy and Yabi Mountain hike, which was a significantly steep and elevated hike. However, the challenges were all worth it as the view at the top of Mount Baldy was absolutely breathtaking! After this hike was completed, we visited the Curtain Fig Tree, a heritage listed tree in Yungaburra. The students were treated to some delicious pizza for dinner which was definitely one of many highlights.

MONDAY 12 JULY

Today we departed Emerald Creek Camping Ground and visited the World Heritage listed site Mossman Gorge, where we completed an Indigenous Dreamtime Tour. The students learnt more about the Indigenous connection to land, culture and spirituality. We then drove to Cooya Beach and enjoyed some fish n’ chips. After lunch we learnt about Aboriginal spearing techniques and then went out and speared some of our own food such as crabs and other seafood. We then hopped back on the bus and checked in to our new accommodation at the Cairns Colonial Club Resort and were treated to a delicious dinner. To conclude the evening, we were presented the Future of The Great Barrier Reef presentation and learnt about how we can make a positive difference!

TUESDAY 13 JULY

Today we hopped onto the ferry from the Cairns Marlin Marina and arrived at a beautiful, tropical island called Fitzroy Island. Everybody was amazed at the astonishing 360-degree panoramic views of this spectacular island! Our tents were set up for one night of camping and then we headed off to snorkel at one of the many reefs of the Great Barrier Reef! After lunch we walked to Nudey Beach and had a lovely dip in the ocean! The day concluded with a night walk and watching the sunset over the beach.

WEDNESDAY 14 JULY

We concluded our time at Fitzroy Island with a trip to the Cairns Rehabilitation Centre and met a green sea turtle named Summer. We then went for another snorkeling session and explored more of the beautifully diverse and dynamic Great Barrier Reef. We examined the coral and how healthy the reef was. We also conducted three different water quality tests examining the abiotic factors of a water sample from the island. We then hopped back onto the ferry and back to our accommodation at the Cairns Colonial Club Hotel for our final night. We also visited the Cairns Night Market and explored the shops!

THURSDAY 15 JULY

Sadly, our trip has come to an end, but as we know, all good things must come to an end! We checked out of the resort after a morning swim in the pools at the hotel and were transferred to Cairns airport where we said our final goodbyes to Wayne and Sue (our Getaway Trekking hosts), who were genuinely the most beautiful people who made our overall experience all the more memorable! Without Wayne and Sue we would not have been able to experience half of what we did! At about 6:00pm we landed back in Melbourne and were greeted by our families. We were so fortunate to attend this trip and arrive back in time before Melbourne went into a snap lockdown that night!

On behalf of all the students who attended this trip we are grateful for this opportunity given to us by our school, teachers and parents. We are grateful for the friendships we made on the trip and lasting memories we made with people who we might not have known well before this adventure. We are grateful for our camping experience which has reminded us of the little things we take for granted in our day to day lives. We are grateful for the opportunity to escape the ‘real world’ and connect with the natural world. We are proud of each individual who pushed themselves out of their comfort zone, who persevered through those challenging and demanding times. We are proud of those who had an open mindset and approached all activities on this trip with an ‘I can do this’ attitude and to conclude THANK YOU to each student and teacher who made this trip the most amazing and memorable experience, THANK YOU!

Jordan Poldi, Scarlett Stinson planning their Rogaining circuit.

Cairns Adventure Group at the Mossman Gorge

Spear throwing at Cooya Beach

Cairns Adventure Group on the top of Mount Baldy

Luke Dalli and Marco Taranto cooking dinner on Fitzroy Island

Rogaining- Mr Anthony Zammit, Benjamin Scire, Marco Taranto, Marco Busic, Sue Fitcher (Getaway Trekking), Isabella Pacuillo, Olivia Allen, Scarlet Valori.

Ivanka Portelli- Mossman Gorge

Fitzroy Island- The Great Barrier Reef

Emerald Creek Camp Site