Outdoor Education

Year Level Description

During Term 4, all Year 5 students participate in a four-day Outdoor Education program based at Carey’s permanent Outdoor Education centre, Camp Toonallook. Toonallook is situated on the shores of the Gippsland Lakes, on the Banksia Peninsula and is approximately 300 kilometres from Melbourne.

Students enjoy various activities during the program and are introduced to boating, camping and bike education. They explore the local area around the Banksia Peninsula and Raymond Island on bikes, discover the Gippsland Lakes from the water in sit-on-top kayaks and participate in their first overnight campout at a purpose built campsite not far from the Toonallook campus.

Adventure, achievement, accountability, and living and working together in a small community are core components in Outdoor Education at Carey and the Toonallook experience is planned to foster these elements. The Year 5 program focusses primarily on the Relationships domain of the Positive Learner profile, focussing on the attributes, Connectedness, Communication and Collaboration. 

As one of the primary aims of Outdoor Education is to develop independence, students are encouraged to organise and pack their own clothing and equipment, with parental supervision. This will assist them on the last day of the program, when they pack their bag before returning home.