Flashback: Schools camp in the outdoors
Did you scale the high ropes or paddle the kayaks as a kid at the Kinchant Outdoor Education Centre?
Mackay
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NO DOUBT one of the best parts of growing up in the Mackay region was heading on school camp to the Kinchant Outdoor Education Centre.
The centre was the idea of a group of Mackay teachers who met in 1986 to discuss outdoor camping sites.
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West Mackay State School was the first group through when the centre opened in 1992.
Principal Zach Roberts said about 40,500 kids have camped there with their favourite activities being out on the water or on the high ropes course.
“But generally, the students simply enjoy camping in a tent with their friends and just having social time in a different environment,” Mr Roberts said.
He said the most rewarding part of his role was watching students achieve things they did not think were possible.
Teachers often said their students who struggled in the classroom setting thrived in the centre’s outdoor environment, Mr Roberts said.
What are your favourite memories – was it the high ropes, windsurfing, kayaking, archery, team challenges, mountain bikes, giant swing or something else?
Email me at heidi.petith@dailymercury.com.au
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