On Saturday 26 June our second class of Year 12 Outdoor Education students returned from a blustery week away for their Shark Bay Sea Trek Expedition.
With the weather being 10 degrees cooler than the previous expedition, our students were rugged up for the majority of their time on the water. A strong wind warning on our first trek day limited us to land-based activities. This ended up being a blessing as we explored the Ocean Park Aquarium, which we all highly recommend. We then headed over to Monkey Mia, which was more protected from the prevailing winds, where we were able to see some dolphins and a sea turtle up close!
Last Tuesday saw us commence our trek from Denham, with a great day of sailing up to a hidden gem of a campsite named ‘Smuggler’s Cove’. Over the course of the week, students developed as a group, improving their resilience and communication skills along with the practical skills of sailing, motoring and camp craft in isolated conditions.
On the second to last day we woke up with the hopes of making it to the tip of the Francois Peron Peninsula but the winds had turned to a North Easterly forcing us to turn southwards. This was the beginning of our most grueling day. As we continued south the winds swung back around and we were then heading straight into it causing spray to come into the boats. At midday our bedraggled group made camp in a protected bay where students were able to rejuvenate by drying off, setting up camp and having naps. This gave us all a new lease of life on the day and the afternoon saw us all exploring Big Lagoon with some fishing, squidding and boating.
A few highlights from students included:
“Night watch shifts were one of my favourite highlights on the camp which gave me a new experience and many memories were created.”
“Visiting Monkey Mia and Ocean Park Aquarium. This was the best choice to make because the aquarium was a good education for us to learn about all the different types of marine animals. Monkey Mia was a beautiful campsite with lots of marine life. At Monkey Mia there was a sea turtle and dolphins which came to shore.”
“The Hot Springs was an experience I’ve never been to, but after a week of camping, it was a relaxing afternoon visiting the hot springs and having a fresh hamburger for dinner. “
