Annette was fantastic leading up to excursion, nothing a problem, willing to help in every possible way. Excursion was brilliantly organised & thoroughly enjoyed by teachers & students alike. Accommodation was excellent & all attractions were great. Paul the bus driver was just awesome & we couldn't be happier or more grateful. He was great with the kids, had thorough knowledge of the local area & attractions & was just lovely. We would love you both to organise our excursion again next year.
Port Stephens
Have you ever wanted to take your students to Fraser Island but the distance and cost were too great? Wouldn't it be great if there was a magnificent sand dune ecosystem in an accessible location, making it feasible for your students to experience, first hand, the features of this environment such as towering mobile dunes, ship wrecks, sand mining areas, back dune ecosystems and more!
After many years of doing the huge miles to Fraser Island, we've been able to source an amazing alternative much closer to home. Of course we've always known that these dunes existed (they're in our own backyard) however, the problem in the past has been in sourcing suitable accommodation, catering and curriculum focused dune tours, so that the mandatory HSC Geography field work requirements and outcomes could be achieved.
We've spent a lot of time researching and negotiating great accommodation and catering options and curriculum based sand dune experiences which now give us scope to bring you the most amazing excursion itineraries!
Located on the mid NSW coast between Newcastle and Port Stephens, Stockton Bight is home to the impressive Stockton Sand Dunes - the largest mobile dune ecosystem in South East Australia, extending along the coastline for more than 30 kilometres, inland for approximately 3.5 kilometres at its widest point and covering a total area of approximately 78 square kilometres.
This area represents one of the most comprehensive and accessible records of coastal environmental change on the New South Wales coast with towering dunes reaching heights between 30 and 50 metres.
Our exciting new Stockton Sand Dune - Ecosystem at Risk tours will introduce your students to an amazing world. Extremely knowledgeable driver-guides will take you along 26 kilometres of 4WD beach and dune driving to the Sygna shipwreck, a Norwegian bulk carrier that ran aground in 1974 during heavy seas, visit Tin City, view and learn about WWII and historical sites, see Aboriginal middens and learn about past Indigenous land management practices, view and learn about current sand mining activities and management practice, take part in a pippi catch and release demonstration, and top it all off with adrenalin pumping sand boarding activities.
This full day tour can be tailored to include as much or little time as you require for your own fieldwork activities (you will need to supply your own worksheets and any relevant equipment). Under your direction and supervision, your students can have the opportunity to construct a cross-profile across different beach and dune zones recording significant features such as sediment particle size, vegetation species characteristics and percentage groundcover, dune heights and angles of elevation & depression, prevailing wind direction, dune slipface profile and orientation to prevailing winds and so much more.
We have designed 3, 4 and 5 day itineraries which can either focus entirely on Stage 4, 5 & 6 Geography, or a combination of Geography, Business Studies, Economics, Environmental Science, Aboriginal Studies, Biology and Marine Studies to name a few.
Diverse activities can include Dolphin & Whale Watch cruises with boom-netting and waterslides, handfeeding sharks & stingrays, guided bush tucker and National Parks Discovery Tours, guided snorkelling in a marine reserve, sea kayaking tour, and more! Explore other ecosystems at risk including wetlands and mangroves. Explore various industries including coal, wineries, oyster farming and more. Tour an urban decay and renewal site.
Curriculum based learning activities can be complemented with fantastic recreational activities such as ice skating, a bobsled park, heated outdoor aquatic centre and waterslides, surf lessons, flying fox and ropes courses for team building, minigolf and more!
Contact us today and we will help you design the perfect excursion to suit your curriculum outcome requirements. And yes, this itinerary can be adapted for primary students - Stage 2 & 3 HSIE!