Parents of more than 1100 West Australian school students will benefit from a new cost-of-living initiative to help make school camps at Rottnest Island more affordable.
The subsidy of up to $150 per student for a three-night camp will help parents who otherwise may not have been able to give their child the chance to join in on arguably one of the more expensive school excursions.
More school students will be able to join in on school camps at the popular tourist destination. Credit: Getty Images
Students from across the state will benefit from the scheme – to be unveiled on Wednesday – including those from the Wheatbelt towns of Wagin and York, Mount Barker in the south and Dongara in the north.
Participating schools will also receive as much as a 100 per cent subsidy on accommodation at Kingstown Barracks, bike hire from Pedal and Flipper Hire, and Rottnest Island Voluntary Guides Association educational tours. Subsidised ferry transfers are also available.
The school camp subsidy will be available for overnight bookings during term 3, 2025, and is in addition to those available to all school groups throughout the year.
Those include a 40 per cent accommodation discount for school group bookings, discounted rates on bike hire, and waiving of the island admission fee.
Education Minister Sabine Winton said it was important to make school camps more accessible for more students, as they formed a crucial part of education outside a classroom environment.
“School camps give students the opportunity to build new friendships, experience different environments, and create lasting memories,” she said.
“Rottnest Island is ideally set up for school camps, with a range of accommodation options and the chance to learn about the island’s history.”
Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said it would be great to get more young people out to experience Rottnest Island in an educational way.
“Rottnest Island is one of Western Australia’s premier tourism destinations, enjoyed by locals as well as interstate and international visitors,” he said.
“I’m pleased that more WA school students will now have the opportunity to experience the joys of an overnight school camp at this iconic location.”
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