Â鶹ÊÓƵ

Year 7 Outdoor Adventure Camp

A journey of growth and discovery

Immersions and camps are a vital and compulsory part of every girl’s education at Â鶹ÊÓƵ School, and the Year 7 outdoor education adventure program truly lived up to that spirit this June in the Blue Mountains.

Throughout the action-packed week, students experienced a range of outdoor challenges, staying in both tents and cabins. The camp pushed them physically, emotionally, and socially, fostering resilience and teamwork. A major highlight included abseiling, where many overcame their fears and amazed themselves by achieving more than they thought possible.

The girls also demonstrated impressive cooperation during trivia nights, team activities, cooking, and camping in the dark.

The Year 7 group showed tremendous courage, strength, and compassion throughout the adventure. Below some students share their reflections of an experience that will long be remembered.

‘During the 4 days and 3 nights at camp in the Blue Mountains, I was proud of hiking the 7km, and for being brave enough to abseil for the first time, even though I was nervous at first. I really enjoyed sharing cabins and tents with my friends, and doing fun activities like the tent activities (that included cooking burritos, learning to set up a tent, and a night walk), as well as team challenges and games on the last day. I’ll always remember the beautiful views from the hikes and how proud I felt after stepping out of my comfort zone. This camp experience taught me to endure challenges, and I’ll take that lesson with me for life.’
– Susie (Year 7)

‘My camp week was an amazing experience. We had lots of fun, we reconnected with each other, we created new bonds with people we wouldn’t have imagined. On the first day once we got to the cabin site we were playing games and exploring the area. Then we made damper we had to collect sticks to make fire and then we got settled in our cabins. Then the next day we did rock climbing and abseiling it was quite the experience some people were scared and others were excited. The next day we did hiking, we did a long, long hike for the whole day, that night we slept in tents. On the day we were supposed to leave we spent the day playing games it was the best Year 7 camp experience! My personal favourite experience was abseiling even though I was scared. I was proud of overcoming my fear of heights. I faced quite a lot of challenges especially being homesick, I missed my parents a lot, and I overcame it by trying to forget about it and by having fun.’ 
– Elva (Year 7)

‘During this Year 7 Camp, something that I really enjoyed doing during camp was going abseiling. I found that it was very engaging to do, and it’s also a challenge to finish it which makes it even more fun. Even though I didn’t make it to the highest abseil, I still found the activity enlightening and I’m still proud of myself for making it to the intermediate abseil. I also enjoyed the hike along the Blue Mountains area as the views were amazing, and you really feel like you’ve accomplished something when you make it to the top. This really made me reflect on the value of when you work hard towards something, the result is always worthy of the effort, like how the views were worth the treacherous climb. Overall, I really enjoyed this whole camping experience in the Blue Mountains. Though there were a few challenges to get through (e.g. sleeping in the tents in cold weather) we could easily solve those issues by wearing more layers, the whole experience was wholesome in general and I learnt a lot from this camp.’
– Charlotte (Year 7)

‘Having our camp at the Blue Mountains was one of the unforgettable journeys of my life. From abseiling down steep cliffs to rock climbing up towering cliffs, every single moment pushed me just a little bit further out of my comfort zone. I was also exceptionally proud of myself for getting to the top of the green rock wall, even though I doubted myself, I pushed all my worries away and focused on each step I was taking. One of my key moments of the camp trip was making damper over the camp fire. Some were burnt some were undercooked, but in the end no matter how yours was cooked they were all delicious. Sleeping in tents was definitely the most challenging, especially with the freezing temperatures overnight. I had to put on a bunch of layers and I still woke up freezing. I also loved how all of us pushed through the 7km hike and shared a bunch of stories that we may not have. Camp teaches us how to bond, and makes us do things you might not have done, it’s crazy how at camp you see people differently and they become a completely different person. It had taught me that even though the conditions were tough, there’s always a way to make memories that last.’
– Fedra (Year 7)

‘Camp was an amazing experience overall. There were definitely some highs and lows, but the groups got through it. My group were camping on the last night, and it got down to 0°C at night! All of our fingers were freezing! Another challenge I faced was probably the hike. We walked about 6km, up and down stairs, and in really cold weather – I remember having about 5 layers on. In my opinion, the best part of camp was what we did on the 2nd day – hiking and abseiling!! There were multiple walls to do when abseiling; beginner, intermediate, and advanced which had three different ropes, each one with different rock faces and challenges. My favourite wall was the one on the right, were there was an overhang. You had to lower your body until your legs were above your head, then you pushed off and reached for the wall with your feet (but I couldn’t quite reach, so I just sat and moved down). The most challenging thing I did was rock climbing when I tried a wall called Pepper Corner. I had to shuffle up against one wall, put my hands in a small gap, and move my legs up, bit by bit. My friends cheered me on from the ground, and belayed me too. I also had such a great time orienteering, and making damper!! All in all, the things I will definitely take away from camp are; damper tastes better with jam, abseiling is super fun – especially with friends – there can be multiple leaders in a team, when you communicate and cheer others on (or are cheered on), things get easier. I believe the most important thing I will take with me is that challenges are worth doing, like climbing a mountain, or hiking up MANY stairs, because the view at the end is one of a kind. Camp made me grateful to be able to go to places like the Blue Mountains, where nature has created something so beautiful.’
– Olivia (Year 7)