On the first day back of Term 3, 40 Year 10 students and six staff packed their bags and made their way north. The Top End Camp, previously done in Year 9, goes for eight days and forces students into close quarters for the entirety of the trip. Tempers usually fray and it is a great test of character and maturity to see how students negotiate these tribulations.

Day One saw us to Banka Banka Station, where we stayed the night. Day Two was off to Nitmiluk, where we took a walk to the Barawei Lookout overlooking where the gorges along Katherine River rise up along the Arnhem Plateau. In the morning of Day Three we took the ‘Two Gorge Tour’ up the Katherine River where we learnt of some of the ecological and cultural significance of Nitmiluk National Park. After the cruise we had a longer than expected drive to Base Camp Wallaroo, 35km east of Humpty Doo along the Arnhem Highway. Here students spent about 36 hours, where they had the opportunity to go on a 160 metre flying fox; go rock climbing; and do a ropes course.

From here it was on to Ubirr Rock and then to Cooinda where we took a Yellow Waters cruise at sunset. This cruise was awe-inspiring, getting quite close to all sorts of top end wildlife, including a few fights between saltwater crocs. From Cooinda we travelled to Darwin. With the boom in domestic tourism, no accommodation in Greater Darwin was available for a school group. But luckily we had a friend in O’Loughlin College, Karama, with our sister school loaning us their hall.

In the metropolis of Darwin we got to do some ‘city stuff’, such as a visit to: the Leanyer Water Park; Mindil Markets; The Oil Tunnels; Darwin Museum and Stokes Hill Wharf. After a brief shop at Casuarina Square on Monday afternoon, it was back on the bus for a leisurely 20 hour drive back to Alice.

All students who attended should be congratulated on the way they carried themselves on the camp. The maturity and good humour made it enjoyable for all involved. Our staff and the staff from all businesses we dealt with were full of praise for these young men and women. While a logistically difficult way to start a semester, the Top End Trip has helped bring this group closer together, which will serve them well over their remaining time at OLSH.

- Keiran Curnow (Year 10 Camp Coordinator and Senior RE Teacher)