The fieldtrip went for three days and on the Thursday, students arrived at Dorrigo rainforest and were guided by two wonderful National Parks Rangers through the various layers of the rainforest and informed of the deep time history of the ecosystem they were exploring. This included an appreciation for the First Nations peoples care of country and the work of the NSW Rural Fire Service in protecting the rainforest against its biggest threat, fire.

Students maintained high vigilance against leeches and expressed wonder at how the rainforest has been able to adapt and thrive over the course of several millennia, including its resilience to climate change and most recently the logging industry and fire. Year 12 boys and girls in particular will be further researching Dorrigo National Park in preparation for their HSC – where they will need to write extensively about the unique characteristics of the subtropical rainforest and this immersive fieldtrip will surely help their essays shine.

The accommodation at Coffs Harbour also offered plenty of down time, where students played basketball, cricket and range of team building activities run by the wonderful staff. A big appreciation goes out to the wonderful Geography teachers at St Joeseph’s who organised the event.