Appreciating our amazing coastal and marine environments

BELLARINE CAMP

Unit 3 Outdoor and Environmental Studies (OES) students explored Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula for their first camp of the year. Throughout the experience, students participated in a variety of fun and educational activities that allowed them to gain an understanding of how humans use and impact the coastal environment through recreation, conservation, primary industries and tourism practices.

Day 1 consisted of a surfing lesson with ‘Go Ride a Wave’ which was a lot of fun. Some students excelled while others spent a lot of time nose-diving in the waves. The afternoon was spent at the Marine Discovery Centre where a fisheries officer spoke to us about the changes that have occurred to the commercial fishing industry in Port Phillip Bay.

Day 2 saw us venture into Bass Strait for a deep-sea fishing adventure. We caught enough fish for dinner and returned the rest to the ocean for next year. Later that afternoon students had an amazing experience snorkelling with Australian Fur Seals at Chinaman’s Hat. We also managed to find a pod of dolphins and swim at a man-made reef called Pope’s Eye which is conserved under National Park status. While cruising around the bay, students had the opportunity to hang off the side of a boat in a net and jump from the roof into the ocean. This tourism activity with ‘Sea All Dolphin Swims’ was a camp highlight for many.

On the final day, students conducted a litter clean up at 13th Beach with Barwon Coast, before learning about the endangered hooded plover which we saw nesting on the beach. The last activity for this action-packed camp was a stand-up paddleboarding lesson on the Anglesea River.

It was great to see students appreciating our amazing coastal and marine environments. Everyone returned with a greater awareness of the importance of these areas and some great memories.

Mr Rohan Bowles, OES Teacher