Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journeys

Silver and Gold Adventurous Journey—19 to 22 September, K’gari (Fraser Island)

On the first day of the holidays, 15 girls from Years 10, 11 and 12 took a 6am bus to Fraser Island. Little did we know that we were in for a trip we could never forget! By lunchtime, we arrived at Fraser and began our four-day hike. We expected this day to be easy, since we were walking along a track. Oh, how naïve we were—as it turned out, there was no track! This day was the most challenging: our track was wildly overgrown, and while the day should have ended by 5 pm, we ended up trekking until 9 pm at night, before setting up camp. The day was certainly challenging, but became a useful barometer against which to compare the rest of the days. The second day started with more hiking, but the arrival at Lake Birrabeen made it worth the effort. That night we camped at Central Station. The third day saw our arrival at Lake Mackenzie, which was the highlight of the trip for many girls and teachers alike. The lake was beautiful, and we had it all to ourselves at night to stargaze. On the fourth day, we arrived at our final destination before heading home: Kingfisher Bay. While this trip was difficult and a struggle both mentally and physically, it provided us with the opportunity to test our limits. It also taught us to appreciate all that we have at home, and how blessed we are. We thank Mrs Lansdown, Ms Flourentzou, Mrs Huxtable, and Mr Alleaume for accompanying us, and Miss Papas and Ms Euler for supporting us to undertake this trip.

Abigail King (11R), Thilini Wijesuriya (11G) and Zhixuan Zhang (11L)

Bronze Practice Adventurous Journey—9-11 October, Bella Junction

The Duke of Edinburgh Practice Adventurous Journey was a very enlightening experience that taught me a variety of skills such as navigation, teamwork and leadership. It particularly allowed me to improve my organisation—a goal I identified prior to embarking on the journey. Over the weekend, I created stronger connections with friends and teachers I already knew, but also met and spent time with many new people. This adventurous journey taught me to stop and appreciate simple joys, such as birds chirping, stars at night, or just playing games with a group of amazing people. Some challenging aspects included using a compass and map to find our bearings so we could navigate to our camping site and then back to Marrapatta. Despite the fact that learning this new skill was difficult, it was also my favourite part of the Journey. Overall, I had a memorable time and I can’t wait to go back to complete my Qualifying Adventurous Journey.

Vicki Chuang (9E)

Bronze Qualifying Adventurous Journey—9-11 October, Stirling Crossing

The Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey was a thoroughly invigorating and enjoyable experience. The lead up to the trip involved group discussions about appropriate meals, items to pack and goals for our journey. The weekend itself encouraged active leadership and navigation skills, as well as problem solving and teamwork. It also involved taking bearings with a compass, orientating our map, using features and landmarks to help us navigate our way to our destination and investigating changes in elevation to determine our position. During our tough journey, we overcame many obstacles such as deciding how to get over or under fallen trees, some bush-bashing, and some (accidental) flinging of sticks into the person behind you. We reached our campsite after seven hours of hard work and set up our tents. We woke up bright and early on Sunday for another day of hiking, making our way up a mountain. The climb was certainly not easy, but the spectacular view at the top was well worth it. Overall, the experience was not one to forget. We developed stronger relationships with both our peers and the natural environment, while learning important skills about navigation.

Sophia Caposecco (9H) and Janet Su (9E)