Year 11 Outdoor Education Hike 

Week 3 of Term 2 saw the Year 11 Outdoor Education students head down to the beautiful Southwest to engage in a self-sufficient hike in Walpole. 

Twenty-eight students and five staff took on the challenge of hiking 35km with everything they needed for the three-day journey including cooking equipment, shelter, food, clothing and personal equipment. On average students’ packs started around 18kg with one student’s pack coming in just under 30kg!! 

Students had an opportunity to lead a section of the hike with a partner at some point in the journey using a planned route they had developed in class during the term. Skills were certainly tested as they interpreted the track and environment which became even more difficult on Wednesday when a cold front blew through and dropped 12mm of rain on the group.  

The wind was also up so the rain was coming in horizontally at times. It was a very challenging day hiking in such conditions. The next day saw the students waking up at 3:30am, packing up camp and starting hiking pre-dawn. The effort was all worth it when we summited Hush Hush Hill to see the sun rise and the stars fade away. 

From the top of Hush Hush Hill, the students hiked another 10kms to get to the base of Mount Clare – its summit forming the finish line of the hike. The sense of achievement on the faces of the students as they got to the top of the mountain, was fantastic. 

Their reward for participating in the hike was a boat cruise on the Walpole and Nornorlup inlets with world-famous Gary Muir of WOW Eco Cruises. He is an amazing character, full of knowledge and passion for the environment. A ‘must do’ activity if you ever find yourself in Walpole. The lemon cake alone is worth the drive. 

Outdoor Education students in Year 11 are now continuing their studies developing skills necessary for abseiling into Z-Bend Gorge and paddling the Murchison River in Kalbarri next term.  

– Mr Corey May | Director of Outdoor Education