Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey 2022

During the Term 3 holidays, 18 students working towards a silver or gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award travelled to Central Australia to complete their Adventurous Journey. Spanning seven days, the trip involved exploring the region through challenging hikes and investigating its biodiversity. We also spent time learning about the Indigenous culture of the Anangu and Arrernte people who are the traditional owners of the land we travelled through.

As the trip was for both the Silver and Gold award, a variety of students from Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 participated. By the end of the trip many new friendships had been formed across the different year groups and we became a strong unit. I am proud to have completed this challenge and to have done so alongside such an amazing group of people who pushed me to do my best.

The trip itself involved the circumnavigation of Uluru, hiking through Kata Tjuta on the Valley of the Winds trail and walking along the rim of Kings Canyon and into the Garden of Eden. Experiencing this new environment that was almost otherworldly was stunning. However, in completing all these trails we were working our way up to the final hike on Mount Sonder. This was by far the biggest item on our itinerary and involved a 2am wake up to hike 9km in the dark, up the Mountain, in order to watch the sunrise from its peak. We were guided by the light of our head torches alone and had to put on and then take off layers to regulate body temperature whilst hiking. Due to the arduous nature of the trip and the development of blisters amongst some group members, we set a slower and steady pace to make sure everyone was comfortable and stayed together, practising compassion. As a result, we only reached the second highest peak by the time the sun started rising. Nevertheless, what we had achieved was still incredible and the view was breath-taking all the same, as the sun gradually revealed the landscape we had been traversing. The hike was made all the more rewarding by the effort we had put in. By 10.30am in the morning we had walked back down the mountain and already completed over 25,000 steps!

Personally, this trip was transformative in fostering resilience and perseverance. Not only were the hiking trails difficult, but we also had to manage a climate which is so different from Sydney, with extreme temperature variants. However, every student persevered and problem-solved to manage hydration, sun protection, fatigue and blisters. We all worked as a team to support and encourage one another, developing our collaboration and communication skills.

My highlight was sleeping under the stars in swags each night, which none of us had done before. We took on this daunting new experience with enthusiasm and got to experience the night sky free of the light-pollution which we are accustomed to, living in urban areas. We witnessed many shooting stars and the Milky Way in its full glory, which was spectacular, and fell asleep each night to the call of dingos.

We are so grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity! Thank you to MLC School’s Duke of Edinburgh program, run by Glen Mole, for offering such an incredible trip.

– Claudia (Year 11)
Gold Award Participant

Please click on the gallery to view full sized photographs.