Program
The program is designed as a supplement to the Stage 3 HSIE units of Gold! and Global Environments: Rainforests.
The order of activities has been designed to build on each unit of work and reduce travel time. However, some variations in the itinerary may be available on request. Download the program for easy printing
DAY 1
| 7:00am | Board the coach at school and our friendly drivers provide a commentary on interesting landmarks during the trip up the mountains. |
| 9:00am | Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens (program run by National Parks Education Officer) Measure different aspects of the rainforest environment including wind speed, temperature and sunlight using handheld weather computers. Measure tree circumference and fern frond length and compare to other environments. |
| 11:00am | Short coach trip to Katoomba, passing Explorers Tree, where William Lawson carved his initials into the bark of this Blackbutt in 1813. |
| 12:00pm | The Edge Movie Arerive at your accommodation and see the million hectares of impenetrable forest wilderness in the Blue Mountains. View footage of the Wollemi Pines, 40m tall with a trunk that appears to be coated in Coco Pops. |
| 1:15pm | Meet your site host, be shown to your room and eat a delicious lunch. |
| 2:30pm | Scenic World (program run by Scenic World guides) Ride the steepest incline railway in the world 415m down through the cliffside tunnel to the ancient rainforest beneath. View the effects of coal mining on the rainforest, take the stairs to the miner's hut and draw a field sketch of the rainforest. Ride the Cableway on the 545m trip out of the amazing Jamison Valley. |
| 4:45pm | Afternoon tea, free time and hot showers. |
| 6:00pm | Program staff oversee dinner giving school staff time to relax as they eat in a partitioned part of the dining room. Dinner is cooked by qualified catering staff who can provide for a range of dietary requests. |
| 7:15pm | Evening Drama Workshop (program run by Blue Mountains resident and drama teacher Paul Innes) Enjoy a dramatic retelling of a Blue Mountains mystery involving the goldfields and create your own freeze frame plays before you perform for the group. |
| 8:45pm | Clean teeth and into bedrooms |
| 9:15pm | Lights Out |
| 9:30pm | Silence |
DAY 2
| 7:15am | Enjoy a hot breakfast in the dining room. |
| 8:15am | Board the coach for the drive along the Great Western Highway past the Hydro Majestic and down the other side of the Great Dividing Range. Before arriving at the Goldfields the coach drives around the famous Mt Panorama racetrack. |
| 10:00am | Bathurst Goldfields (program run by Bathurst Goldfields tour guides) See how gold was found and mined. Visit the Geology Room to view samples and identify different qualities of gold. Walk through a replica underground mine. Visit the History Room, see clothes worn in the goldrush and other items that provide clues to the lifestyle of miners. Step into the working Blacksmith's shop before enjoying a BBQ lunch. Pan for gold, construct your own mud bricks, play goldrush era games and erect a miner's tent. |
| 3:15pm | (optional) Detour slightly on the return journey to see the Hampton Wind Park with 50m turbines, have your group photo taken and hear some interesting facts about wind energy in Australia. |
| 5:30pm | Take a hot shower before sitting down to another delicious dinner |
| 6:30pm | Dinner |
| 7:30pm | Team Building Activity (led by experienced program staff) Complete a series of team building exercises and work together to overcome a number of challenging obstacles. |
| 8:45pm | Clean teeth and into bedrooms |
| 9:15pm | Lights out |
| 9:30pm | Silence |
DAY 3
| 7:30am | Enjoy another hot breakfast in the dining room. |
| 8:45am The group will be split into two smaller groups Group I 9:00am - 11:00am - Abseiling 11:00 - 11:15am - Morning Tea 11:15am - 12:45pm - Orienteering Group II 9:00am - 10:45 - Orienteering 10:45am - 11:00am - Morning tea 11:00am - 1:00pm - Abseiling | Abseiling (led by qualified outdoor educators from adventure company River Deep Mountain High) Abseil your choice of two different height cliffs with superb views of the Three Sisters. Orienteering (led by experienced program staff) Form an orienteering team and use a compass to navigate your way around an open course all contained within the grounds of the conference centre. |
| 1:15pm | After filling up on a delicious lunch it's back on the coach, down the mountains and back to school. |
| 4:00pm | Arrive back at school. |
Some variations will apply to larger groups (over 75) who will usually rotate through Scenic world, abseiling and orienteering in three smaller groups of 25 or more. Larger groups (over 75) will also be split into two smaller groups for the evening activities.