The Outdoor Education programme at St Andrew’s Cathedral School is one of the largest and most comprehensive of any school in NSW. The camps are compulsory, with every child participating in the Year group programme between Years 7 and 10. Camps in Years 7 and 8 are based on and around the school’s outdoor education property, Kirrikee, located in the Southern Highlands.
Our outdoor education programme seeks to bring about a reconnection with our natural world, providing students with the opportunity to explore some amazing places, while also being challenged beyond what they may have thought they could manage. Students also have the opportunity to experience and demonstrate leadership skills.
Our programme provides a wide range of diverse, age-appropriate experiences in the outdoors, with each year’s experiences leading to more challenging ones in subsequent years. Year 8 will attend five-day programmes in Term 2. In Year 9, we offer two different camps, including a unique snow programme, where students spend five days camping in the snow, learning how to build igloos, snow caves and being taught cross-country skiing. The other option is a canoe trip along the Murray River.
Year 7 – Introduction to the Outdoors
Since many students begin their St Andrew’s Cathedral School journey in Year 7, this first high school programme is designed to allow students to get to know one another and to try many new and different outdoor pursuits. The camp runs for five days in and around Kirrikee. The students go caving, abseiling and hiking, as well as camping out for a night, learning bush cooking, and participating in initiative games.
Year 8 – Pack and Paddle
The Year 8 programme is run in the Kangaroo Valley and at Kirrikee. The students get to complete the High Ropes course at Kirrikee and go on a four-day canoe and hike in the Kangaroo Valley.
Year 9 – Backcountry
In Year 9, students are offered a choice of programmes for the first time. The majority of students take to the snow for a week of backcountry skiing and camping, building snowforts and slides. Some students opt to go canoeing along the Murray River. The snow programme particularly challenges students in a variety of ways, encouraging them to develop into responsible and resilient adults.
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Students from Year 8 are encouraged to join in this programme, which involves learning skills, developing interests, undertaking service and the planning/undertaking of expeditions. The programme culminates in the Gold Award, which is highly recognised within employment as an outstanding achievement in its own right.
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