The ‘seventies and ‘eighties saw a great expansion of independent schools in Melbourne which led to intense competition. This in turn forced schools to explore new innovative programmes such as Outdoor Education.

Such expansion was not as prevalent in NSW and as a result there was less impetus to develop co-curriculum areas as a means of gaining a competitive advantage over rival schools.

It is also true to say that unlike NSW, Victorian schools have had a long tradition of expedition based Outdoor Education and, in some cases, of dedicated remote campuses such as Timbertop (Geelong Grammar) and Howqua (Lauriston) which revolve around very strong Outdoor Education philosophy. There are very few direct equivalents in NSW.

Perhaps because of this there has been a feeling in NSW that journey based programs are beyond the physical abilities of both staff and students. The need to look after ageing teachers who may have a diminished capacity or willingness to operate out of the classroom, fear of litigation, concerns over student security in areas with public access and the higher cost of expeditions (including the cost in terms of time lost due to long distance travel) are some of the factors cited as deterrents to bush based camping programs. As a result, many of the Outdoor Education facilities in NSW are located within two hours of Sydney and focus heavily on teacher comfort.

In addition, NSW schools commonly employ a different Outdoor Education provider for each year level. This approach hinders a strong sequential delivery and results in student skills and experience even in schools with a multi-year program being lower than they could be.

In the last couple of years, however, we have seen signs that NSW schools are becoming more open to journey based programs, particularly if staff comfort and accessibility can be improved. Schools are becoming increasingly frustrated by the traditional activity based camp, seeing them as being more focused on entertainment (keeping busy) rather than on education.

A good example of how Outdoor Education is maturing in NSW can be found in our experience of our venue ‘Biloela’ in the Southern Highlands http://www.oeg.net.au/biloela/. Biloela was conceived and built to bridge the gap between centre based camps and multi day expeditions. The venue has six architect designed cabins each supported by wood fired heating, rainwater tanks, solar lighting and composting toilets. While there is a central ‘normal’ ablutions block primarily for teacher use, cabins do not have showers or flushing toilets.

When Biloela was opened in 2002 it was a step too far for many schools. Whilst comfortably appointed, the lack of hot running water, ensuites and TVs (and even power) presented an enormous mental hurdle to teachers used to 3 or even 4 star facilities on camp. Over a period of time, however, those self same teachers have come to appreciate not just the advantages of working with children in an environment free from the distractions of the modern world but also that such a place offers an incredibly powerful avenue to developing community and understanding of the natural world.

Some 10 years on schools have come to recognise that these attributes are key to extending students beyond their normal comfort zones, and that students in fact thrive in such an environment. Furthermore, by providing a perfectly pitched transition from centre based camps to independent expeditions, such expeditions have become more satisfying (students are better able to work together and individually) and more diverse (as skill development follows a logically laid out sequence).

So, we find Outdoor Education in NSW in a very exciting phase of discovery. While the long established Victorian programs are well into maturity (and perhaps even in danger of becoming stale) Outdoor Education in NSW is just completing the difficult move out of childhood and puberty. There is tremendous energy and motivation to gain more from Outdoor Education as a powerful pastoral care tool, as a way to develop life skills such as independence, managing risk, dealing with social diversity and as a way to relate to the simple constructs of self, others and the natural world.

It’s certainly an exciting time to be an Outdoor Education professional in NSW!