Outdoor Education
Learning takes place inside and outside the classroom. MacKillop College offers its students an extensive and challenging Outdoor Education program for all Year 7 to 9 students. Senior students interested in Outdoor and Environmental Studies can elect to study it at Year 10 and VCE level.
Our Outdoor Education programs provide students with an opportunity to develop:
- An awareness of the environment
- Personal responsibility and team-work skills
- Community spirit and team-working strategies
- Leadership and problem-solving skills
- Camping and Recreational skills
Year 7: Lady Northcote
The Lady Northcote experience is designed to support the transition into secondary school through adventure, teamwork, personal challenge and the development of strong relationships between students, peers and homeroom teachers. Participating in activities such as giant swim, high ropes, low ropes, initiatives, and canoeing.
Year 8: Goulburn River
The Year 8 Goulburn River Experience is a 3-day, 2-night Journey Program designed to build on students’ Year 7 outdoor education experiences. Students participate in canoeing and camping activities, developing independence, resilience, leadership and problem-solving skills.
The experience provides students with opportunities to strengthen peer relationships and professional relationships with their teachers while working together in an unfamiliar outdoor environment. Through increasing levels of responsibility and personal challenge, the Journey Program encourages students to step outside their comfort zones, develop confidence and build the skills needed to become more independent and responsible young people.
Sea to summit: Year 9/10 Elective
The Sea to Summit Year 9/10 elective provides students with a diverse outdoor education experience across coastal and wilderness environments. Students participate in surfing and snorkelling at Ocean Grove, developing water confidence, practical skills and an understanding of the coastal environment.
Students also travel to Gariwerd (Grampians National Park) to participate in rock climbing and bushwalking, developing resilience, independence, risk-management skills and confidence in challenging outdoor environments.
The program also provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding and appreciation of First Nations cultures and connections to Country, particularly through their experiences in Gariwerd. Students explore the cultural significance of the landscape and the ongoing connection of Traditional Owners to the environment.
The program provides students with opportunities to build positive peer relationships and professional relationships with teachers, while encouraging personal challenge, environmental awareness, cultural understanding and a greater appreciation of Victoria’s diverse outdoor environments.
River to Sea: 9/10 Elective
The River to Sea Year 9/10 elective provides students with a diverse outdoor education experience across river, mountain and wilderness environments. Students visit Healesville Sanctuary, where they learn about endangered animals, conservation and the relationship between humans and the environment, while exploring the factors that influence the structure of life on Earth.
Students participate in white-water rafting, bushwalking and mountain biking (MTB), developing practical outdoor skills, problem-solving, leadership, decision-making and adaptability while navigating a range of outdoor environments.
The program encourages students to explore human relationships with the environment, consider their motivations for participating in outdoor experiences and develop a deeper appreciation of the natural world. It also provides opportunities to build positive peer relationships and professional relationships with teachers through shared experiences and personal challenges.
Outdoor Education at MacKillop College aims to take advantage of Victoria’s diverse outdoor environments. Programs allow students to visit different parts of Victoria such as the Otway Ranges, the Surf Coast, Mt Stirling, Mt Buller and the Goulburn River.
VCE
UNIT 1 + 2
VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies Units 1 & 2 introduce students to the relationships between humans and outdoor environments, developing knowledge of environmental characteristics, human impacts, conservation and sustainable management. Learning is supported through practical experiences, allowing students to apply classroom concepts in real-world environments. Camps and field experiences include visiting Phillip Island to observe Little Penguins and koalas, stand-up paddleboarding and sea kayaking in coastal environments, mountain biking through the forests of Forrest, and white-water rafting on the King River. These experiences provide opportunities for students to explore environmental values, recreation, risk, sustainability and human interactions with outdoor environments.
UNIT 3+4
Explore the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and outdoor environments, including differing perspectives, values and understandings of Country and the environment. Students examine how these relationships have changed over time and investigate the influence of recreation, tourism, environmental change and management practices on outdoor environments.
Practical field experiences allow students to apply these concepts in a range of outdoor environments. Experiences include surfing and adventure activities at Lorne’s Live Wire Park, rock climbing and outdoor activities in the Brisbane Ranges, and a multi-day hike along the Great Ocean Walk. Through these experiences, students explore different perspectives and relationships with outdoor environments, consider the impacts of human activities, and investigate approaches to environmental management and sustainability.
