03 November 2016
The Outdoor Education program at Fahan offer the students opportunities to develop skills away from the classroom and challenge themselves in a safe, yet often inspiring environment.
In the week of 24-28 October, the Year 9 girls embarked on a trip around Tasmania. The camp was based at the Tasmanian Canoe Slalom Course at Forth in the North-West of the State. The girls travelled up on Monday and set up their camp area before spending the next three days participating in a multitude of activities including whitewater rafting, mountain biking and walks around Cradle Mountain.
The girls rafted on the Forth River from just below the Hydro Dam at Paloona and participated in river activities and games, before calling into the campsite for morning tea and then continuing down the river to Forth.
The Mountain Bikers rode at either Stubbs Road Trails or Don River Railway, depending on intensity and ability. The Stubbs Rode course was for the more confident riders and they participated in a mix of cross country trails and a quarry which has jumps, hills and offered the opportunity for more technical riding. The Don River Railway track was a mix of tarmac and gravel track and the girls rode from the Don River Railway through to the Devonport Bluff.
The Cradle Mountain walk was from the Dove Lake car park to Marion's Lookout via the very steep and challenging Link Track. One group made it to the Lookout, the next group made it past the Lookout along the Overland Track to Kitchen Hut at the base of the Summit of Cradle. The third group walked from Marion's Lookout to the alpine plain halfway between the Lookout and Kitchen Hut.
Alison Manson, one the teachers who accompanied the girls on the trip commented, “This trip allowed the girls to further develop their skills in responsibility and independence. It provided rewarding and exciting opportunities for the girls to participate in activities that they may not have had the chance to do previously. To witness one girl conquer a very tough mental and physical obstacle in reaching Marion’s Lookout was such an inspiring experience for all of us. A highlight for me was the support and encouragement the girls offered each other throughout the week.”
Other staff present were Alistair Foot and Lauren Davey. Dan Firth from Firth Outdoors was employed for all the guiding and instructing. He brought with him several employees specialising in rafting and mountain biking. Feedback from the guides centered around how impressed they were with the attitude of the girls. They commented on how polite and thoughtful the girls were in their interactions with them.
Comments from the girls included:
“I loved going to Forth. It was great because it was somewhere I'd never been. My favourite part was the white water rafting. It was an enjoyable introduction to the sport and I'd love to have another go sometime,” said Emily Vosper
“I had loads of fun in Forth. Rafting was so exciting and it was a great experience,” commented Tilly Denman
“The Year 9 camp was definitely long, but a lot of fun. I had a great time doing the activities especially the walk up to Marion Lookout as it was very rewarding. The year 8's should be very excited!” exclaimed Chloe Harris
“The three activities we did while on camp were rafting, mountain biking and hiking, I had never done any of these activities before and had a great time experiencing them. My favourite part of camp was the walk up Cradle Mountain because I had never been to the mountain before and it was an incredibly beautiful walk, but also very hard! It was such an accomplishment to reach the height that we did,” said Georgia Britten
