OUR OUTBACK ADVENTURE
YEAR 12 earth science students at St Margaret Mary’s College have recently returned from a school camping trip exploring the Savannah Way’s natural wonders.
Thirty- nine girls travelled through some of Australia’s most spectacular scenery including World Heritage- listed areas and beautiful national parks. The trek is renowned as one of Australia’s greatest adventure drives and students immersed themselves in some of North Queensland’s most spectacular sights, visiting Einasleigh, Copperfield Gorge, Cobbold Gorge, Forsayth, Mount Surprise and Undara Lava Tubes.
Students Cherono Kemei and Ashleigh Hanney share their exciting discoveries and appreciation of Australia’s natural wonders in this issue.
IN the early hours of the morning in late July, 39 eager Year 12 girls and four teachers set off on an earth science camp.
The trip started off quietly as students were not used to being up so early, with some of the girls already asleep before leaving the school gate.
The first stop was Einasleigh and Copperfield Gorge where students and teachers had the rare opportunity to eat lunch whilew admiring the spectacular basalt gorge.
While eating the girls were lucky to have Dr M Maree Corkeron, our travelling geologist, explain about the surrounding land formations. After enjoying the short stop the girls were back on the bus, ready for the hour- and- a- half ride before reaching the next destination.
The bus arrived at Cobbold Gorge in the afternoon for a hike and boat tour of the gorge. On the hike students had some wonderful tour guides who showed which foods were edible and which were poisonous, sampling some berries on the way.
On the boat tour the guide explained how the gorge was first found by the Robertson family. After the peaceful tour and hike it was back on the bus for a short ride to Forsayth where students would spend the night.
After a delicious roast dinner buffet at the Goldfields Hotel the girls were split into groups for the Forsayth ghost and history tour. Students heard about how the town became what it is today with many of the girls on edge, unsure if the ghost tour would become scary. It wasn’t long before everyone screamed and grabbed onto the person closest to them. Students certainly got a decent adrenaline rush that night.
The next day the bus headed to Georgetown and then Mount Surprise, arriving around midday, where a snake talk and lunch were on the agenda. The students learned all about the harmless brown snake and heard a fascinating story of a man who risked his life to test a theory. The man volunteered himself to see if, when bitten by a venomous snake, you can lie in the shade for three weeks with no movement and survive with no harm. It clearly worked.
Later in the afternoon the Year 12s ventured to O’Brien’s Gemfields to go fossicking in the hopes of finding that special gemstone that meant they could retire and never work again. Some students and teachers were lucky and found a few topaz gemstones but sadly not enough to make anyone rich. Others kept finding an abundance of marble and quartz, enough that they pondered whether to make a nice marble bench top for their house.
After a nice couple of hours out in the sun it was time to jump back on the bus to travel to Undara Lava Tubes, where the girls got to experience glamping and another amazing roast buffet dinner.
The Undara Lava Tubes tour was spectacular with the ability to see the geological formations that happened due to the Undara volcano, some hundreds of thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, the lava tubes were so dark the cameras could not capture its pure beauty.
All in all, the camp was a wonderful experience that provided Year 12 students with excellent information on some amazing geological features that are here in North Queensland.