What an amazing start to Senior School for our Year 10 students!
The students welcomed in the year with three full days of adventure and fun at Moreton Island. The weather threatened to be wild and the heat was definitely a concern but after our 5:30am departure on day one of Term 1, it quickly became obvious that this was going to be a camp to remember!
The ferry across to Moreton Island took just over an hour and students enjoyed morning tea and chatter, catching up on the Summer holidays. The beautiful blue sky met the crystal-clear waters of Moreton Island and as we departed from the ferry we walked to the site of the Tangalooma shipwrecks.
We spent most of the day here, snorkelling the wrecks and swimming in the cool clear waters. Students and teachers donned full wetsuits and gloves and were towed out to the shipwrecks via jet skis, where the current pulled us along the length of the wrecks. The snorkelling was amazing, the coral and fish colours were exceptional and we even had the encounter of a wobbegong shark- it was truly magnificent (and well worth the effort of us teachers putting on wet suits)!
Later that night we came back to the Tangalooma shipwrecks for some night time kayaking. The kayaks were transparent and had lights that shone into the water so that we could see the nightlife beneath. It was breathtaking!
We slept in tents at the North Point campground and the trip between the shipwrecks and our camping locations was quite the adventure in itself. It was a great experience travelling along some very tight paths and along the beach in four-wheel-drive buses though it was not such a great experience for those of us with sensitive stomachs. From there, we experienced a lifetime of memories, including Ocean Devotions, beach and lighthouse walks, sand tobogganing, the Blue Lagoon, Champagne Pools, a bonfire and quite a few snake encounters (perfectly safe of course as they were only giant pythons!).
We had a late afternoon ferry trip home on Friday and I’m sure all students and teachers slept well that night. It was a truly outstanding way to start the year and I absolutely loved getting to know all the students more.
It’s going to be hard trying to top this camp and the expectations that the students now have going into their Year 11 Camp next year; but I have a few ideas up my sleeve so we will see how we go.
Cassie McKenzie
GCC families can see the photos on Pixevety and more will be added to the album soon.
