YouthCaN Report from Ararat College, Australia
Here some of our friends in Australia report on their out door activities from last March. Explore their National Park land with them!
Canoeing on the Glenelg River can at times be both peaceful and breathtaking. We paddle in two states - Victoria and South Australia.
Some of the high cliffs in the Glenelg River National Park contain limestone caves, some which are operated commercially today.
Numerous landings along the river help to minimize the impact from a large number of users
The canoe camp shows evidence of past use. Some of the larger trees are introduced species planted decades ago, while the remains of huts and a boat shed also indicate previous uses.
Not exactly five-star accommodation, but a good way to experience the outdoors at close quarters.
Rock climbing at Mount Staplton, Northern Grampians. There are several aboriginal rock art sites nearby to explore.
Riding through the Grampians National Park is at times challenging, but allows you to experience the outdoors first hand and not just through the window of a car or bus.
Cute, but not quite cuddly.

Hey guys! What is it? We don't have these in the US, at least in the wild... Jay
Watch the Birdie!

(Australian Gannetts! We have Gannetts in the eastern US too!
- Jay)
Snorkeling at Point Lonsdale - not as warm as the Great Barrier Reef, but still plenty of amazing underwater wildlife.
The trip is actually a canoeing one, not hiking. However, through the area runs a hiking track which is part of the Great South West Walk - a loop which runs from Portland to Nelson on the Victoria/South Australia border.

Our canoeing runs on the Glenelg River, through the Lower Glenelg National Park, for about 40km, finishing at a small fishing spot called Donavans Landing, which is about 3km over the South Australian border. We canoe for two days, carrying all gear in the canoes and frequently stopping off at the various landings along the way. We also do a tour of the Princess Margaret Rose Caves - limestone caves that you can see the exit to in the cliff faces as you canoe along the river. We camp at a couple of different spots along the river - basic facilities - a pit toilet and usually a small established fireplace.

It is about a three hour drive from school to our starting point.

The weather does vary a bit, although because it is almost on the coast it doesn't get particularly cold. Light rain is quite frequent, although this year we were fortunate to have fine weather for the whole trip - clear skies, light winds, temperatures around 25 deg (C).

The animals are a variety of natives - kangaroos, wallabies, emus and plenty of possums (especially around the campsite at night looking for food). There are also quite a variety of birds along the way, including water fowl, swans, ducks, cormorants and blue wrens that are very inquisitive. The dominant species of plant are eucalypt trees.

In terms of pollution, the area is quite good - plenty of fish in the water and quite safe to swim in. There are a lot of landings and campsites along the river, although these do have the effect of keeping the human impact more contained to these specific areas. Rubbish is probably the main problem, not necessarily from people leaving it everywhere. There are bins at each campsite that generally are emptied every few days (by Parks Victoria staff). However, animals often get into the rubbish and spread it around (particularly possums). For this reason we have a policy on our trips that all rubbish must be carried out.

This is just one aspect of our Outdoor and Environmental Education program. We also have other trips that are based around rock climbing, mountain bike riding, and coastal activities including snorkeling and surfing. If there is any more you would like no know, please let me know!

Debbie McDonald
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