Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Camp

On the 9th, 10th and 11th of December, all of Year 9 went on the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. There were two groups who went on the camp and stayed on different nights, with 9eng1 and 2 going for the 9th and 10th, and 9eng3,4 and 5 going on the 10th and 11th. The expedition was walking around the coasts of Sydney and sleeping at Cockatoo Island.

Day 1
On day one, we met at Circular Quay in First Fleet Park at 8.15 AM to catch the ferry to Manly. After we arrived at Manly, groups were released at 5-minute intervals from the wharf from 10-11 am. Our group was released at second last, and we slowly made our way up to Dobroyd Head lookout, and we arrived there at around 11.30. The walk was mainly flat and along the coast, so we could see all of Manly. There were lots of boats and swimmers in the sea. We also saw some lizards and turkeys along the trail since it was mainly in the bush. They were kind of hard to spot because they would blend in with the rocks. In fact, most of our group didn’t spot them! The weather was fine and sunny for most of the day, but the fast and strong winds were a bit hard to contend with especially near the beach where the sand was stirred up. The sand would go in our eyes and hit our skin, which made us move past those places pretty quickly! The next checkpoint was to Clontarf Reserve playground and for this checkpoint, we had to walk on the road, as there wasn’t a clear path along the coast. It was fun to see all the massive houses in the area. For some reason, they all had pebbles on their roofs which was strange.

After this, we walked to Spit West Park. This part of the walk was along the coast, with a small part on the highway. We then walked from Spit West Park to Rosherville Reserve Playground. This was the shortest section of the day, despite it being along the coast, it had a large hill which sped us down up as we entered and slowed us down as we left the reserve! Around this time, the sky began to cloud over but there was no sign of rain yet. We then walked from the reserve back up the hill to Balmoral beach playground. While there, we stopped for lunch, took a drink. It was a bit windy and the sand was blowing in our faces so we moved on to the next checkpoint. After this short break, we headed for Clifton Gardens playground. This stage of the walk was also along the coast and was very nice except for the climb, which was tiring! We were the first group to reach that checkpoint but were the last to leave as we stayed there to muck around in the park. It was really fun, especially when we all got on a giant see-saw! From Clifton Gardens playground, we made our way to Taronga Zoo wharf, where we took a ferry to Taronga Zoo and Cockatoo Island to end our long day. Luckily for us, the island had tents that were already set up for us. Unfortunately, our tent only had one mattress for two people so we had to take one from another tent! It was pretty fun staying at Cockatoo Island, especially when we began playing cricket/baseball. We had to make do with what we had and used chairs, a handball and water bottle to play. There were lots of seagulls at the Island which made it hard to sleep as they squawked through the night!

Day 2
The weather for Day 2 was forecasted to be sunnier and during the walk, there was actually a nice breeze. The trail for Day 2 consisted of local streets and bush trails, and they were mostly well-known walks. The track was mainly in the suburbs which was interesting as we got to see how a different area of Sydney looked. When we arrived at Watsons Bay we started our walk to South Head which was uphill. The lighthouse was very nice and there was a great view from that point of Watsons Bay. By the time we got back to the park, we decided to move faster to catch the early ferry. Most of the rest of the trip was a blur as we were rushing for the ferry!

A highlight was Shark Beach, which was quite beautiful. At one of the beaches we saw scuba divers who were preparing to dive! Another highlight was that the whole group was very supportive of us slower members of the group, encouraging us to go faster to catch the ferry. I was lagging at the back but Unai was encouraging me and Ibi to go faster. We got to the ferry with about 5 minutes left, and if we didn’t get there, none of the other groups would have been able to leave! The wind on the ferry on the way back was amazing because it was so strong! In fact, someone lost their hat on the way back. It was also fun to muck around during the breaks and walk around Cockatoo Island in the morning. The biggest highlight of all however was finishing the walk!

The camp was challenging both mentally and physically but was well worth the effort. It was very hard at some points, but reaching the end with friends made it all worthwhile! Challenges like which way to go, injuries and getting to places on time helped to build teamwork, resilience and confidence. I feel like I grew a lot through the experience and it brought me closer to my friends. I learnt lots of new skills like navigation, and feel much more confident in my overall knowledge of Sydney. I think the whole experience has helped me to become more independent, and able to work with others. The whole DoE experience was amazing, and I know many people including myself who can’t wait for Silver! A big thank you to Ms Jerrems who co-ordinated the Bronze Award and the Hike, which was no mean feat, especially to the restrictions in place from coronavirus. Another thank you to the Year 10 DoE leaders who helped us Year 9’s get ready for the hike and also helped us get ready for the whole award. I can’t wait for next year and Silver Duke of Edinburgh!

Leonard Kelly