Students along with Mr Olarenshaw, Mr Unland and Mr Knoll met at the school at 7:30 am and set off for a day of adventure and learning. Stop one was the Wonthaggi Desalination plant where students underwent a tour and an education session about how the plant was built, why it was needed, impact on the environment and the process of turning salt water into fresh via reverse osmosis.

Students then headed off to the Wonthaggi wind farm where the focus was on understanding how these 69-meter-high windmills worked and could produce enough energy to power 5200 houses each without carbon emissions once fully installed

From there a quick dash was made to San-Remo to catch the feeding of the pelicans before a well-deserved lunch break and coffee.

Driving onto the island the Mooroolbark cohort met up with a ranger on Cape Woolamai where they explored the impacts of pests and biohazards on the environment such as Marran grass, rabbits, oil spills and marine debris.  It was great for students to get hands on with their learning particularly when hunting for micro plastics on the shoreline.  They began to realise just how big the issue of micro plastics and its impact on the environment has become.  Students found hundreds of small plastic pieces in just a few hundred meters.

After grabbing some dinner, it was time for the grand finale and students headed out to the end of the Cape to watch the sun set. Close to a million short tailed shearwaters lifted of the water to come in to their nests for the night. Students and teachers lay on the ground watching the sky as birds circled lower and lower literally skimming the students faces as they came into land.

It was a weary but very happy group that arrived back at school at 11:45pm.  A wonderful day of learning and new experiences that will not be forgotten any time soon.

Thanks to Matthew Bethell for the great photos.

Luke Knoll
Teacher in Charge

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