Year 8 Wollangarra Camp

By Mackenzie Sinclair and Emily Douglas

On Monday, 28th October, 24 Year 8‘s set off on one of the most challenging camps of their life. We were up early and on the bus at 7:10 in the morning before heading off on a seven hour bus ride to a homestead near Heyfield, down past Traralgon. We would spend five days exploring and walking through the high country.

To reach Wollangarra, we had to walk 2km through a paddock and cross the Macalister River on a flying fox, holding on tightly to our backpacks. In the local indigenous language, Wollangarra means ‘young people in high places’. Once at the homestead, we were divided into groups to help prepare food, maintain the garden and do some maintenance jobs as part of living in a community. We also handed in our watches and learnt that the concept of time dictates too much of our lives and we were about to live according to our needs instead.

Waking up as the sun was rising on Tuesday was a contrast to our usual morning and we quickly jumped from our bunks and headed to the fire for some porridge and toast. After this, we finished the final packing of our packs and sorted out what extras we were going to take, such as: containers of food, tents, repair kits, and the important toilet pack.

We had items to take that we never realized were necessary; large pots strapped to our backs, ‘Dug’ the shovel, emergency food, and a fire starter kit. For us, it really hit home when we had to put our 20-kilo packs on our backs. As we farewelled the other group and headed in different directions up the mountain, we began the journey that would test our endurance, self-belief and stamina.

Little did we know that for one group, this was our hardest day as we were hiking straight up the mountain, constantly wondering what the time was and never knowing how far we still had to go to reach the top. It was grueling and by far the most agonizing experience to begin our adventure. None of us had ever been so excited to get to our campsite, Burgoyne's Hut, where we then had to put up our tents, get the fire going and prep for dinner. At last, we went down for one of the most refreshing swims ever. Dinner was curry that we all contributed to and a game of Mafia around the campfire, followed by a scary story about Mary Burgoyne.

Wednesday we all woke up stiff and sore after sleeping on what felt like a very worn-in yoga mat. We made porridge for breakfast, disassembled our tents and got on the trail before the heat hit us.

During our walk, we had many times where we just stopped and had sensory check-ins. At one of our stops, we were reading “The Lorax” when all of a sudden, Mr Fox jumped up in fright as a brown snake suddenly appeared and so after this excitement, we quickly relocated. Lunch was open top sandwiches on homemade bread with cheese, carrot and beetroot (it doesn’t come from a tin) as well as jams and an array of chutneys.

Our patience was tested as each person made another their sandwich and the group waited until everyone was ready to eat before starting. “Thanks for waiting” became our norm and taught us the value of considering others and not being greedy.

We camped in the open again and our communal toilet in the bush was well used as we forgot about our inhibitions and learnt to squat. Leaving the environment as we found it was the expectation and so we were very careful to not create unnecessary waste. Our leaders also encouraged us to reflect on the important aspects of life and to be grateful for the small, everyday things we often take for granted, like a warm shower.

Dinner tonight was pasta and then our treat of a hot chocolate with roasted marshmallows was warmly welcomed. Mrs Hodge played a trick on Toby for Halloween but he didn’t mind when he received extra chocolate treats while the rest of us only got one.

Thursday arrived and it was our final hike day! After our last sleep outdoors, and porridge to fuel us for the morning, we headed off on the last stretch of our hike. This day for the ‘Fox Squad’ wasn’t overly hard as it was a pretty steady walking pace; the main struggle was the 4WD track. But, on the other hand, ‘Hodge’s Heroes’ had a mountain to face. One of the most rewarding things of this day would had to have been coming back along the path we first left quite changed. This is where we all came to terms with our accomplishments.

At Wollangarra, we experienced a world with no technology or distractions and immersed ourselves in the beauty of nature, listening to the birds, seeing a snake (not so beautiful) and plenty of kangaroos, whilst valuing each other and listening fully to others’ stories . We struggled at times, we shared laughs, got to know each other better and realized that you didn’t need much to be content.

Special thanks to Mrs Hodge and Mr Fox for coming along and not being afraid to show their vulnerability too. This was a tough few days that took us well outside our comfort zone but it’s one we wouldn’t want to have missed. It was such a privilege to have been given this opportunity to become part of the Wollangarra family and many of us hope to return one day for Stage 2.