Director of Outdoor Education, Tallong Campus

August is by far my favourite time of year at the Tallong campus. Our wattles come to life! Wattle is one of Australia’s most significant native plants and holds a special place in the nation’s natural environment, culture and identity. One of the most recognised species is the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha), which became Australia’s national floral emblem in 1988. Its bright yellow flowers symbolise resilience, unity and the beauty of the Australian landscape. The golden wattle, Australia’s national floral emblem, represents qualities often linked with the Anzac spirit, including resilience, endurance and unity. The plant can thrive in harsh conditions and regenerate after fire, making it a powerful symbol of strength and recovery. It is these qualities of resilience and endurance that we are drawn to in designing our outdoor education program.

Over the past week our Year 5 students from the College were at the campus for their rescheduled Year 5 camp. Heavy rains in May required us to move the camp to August. Over three days the students participated in high ropes challenges, mountain biking, group initiative challenges, fire building, damper making and a bushwalk with navigation exercises. The camp culminated in the final egg drop challenge, whereby groups had to engage in a creative problem-solving exercise to successfully drop an egg from over three meters without it cracking. Well done Year 5!

We look forward to welcoming our Year 6 students in a few weeks’ time.

Mr Kendal Hann
Director of Outdoor Education and Tallong Campus