Bushwalks

Step outside the classroom and into the bush with a guided bushwalk. Explore the unique local flora and fauna, hear stories of the local Aboriginal people and their connection to this land, and learn how these landscapes have evolved and been cared for over time.

  • Suitable for early Stage 1 to Stage 3.
  • 1 to 2 hour guided bushwalk in a local bushland reserve during weekdays with a Council educator.
  • Most schools in the LGA are within walking distance of reserves listed below. Select 1 location that is suitable. 

Locations

 Locations Learning focus
Artarmon Reserve A small bushland reserve and thriving community garden located near Artarmon train station, offering the opportunity to meet with volunteers working to care for the bushland and grow food communally.

Flat Rock Gully

 Flat Rock Gully is rich in culture and history. Learn about Aboriginal heritage, view traditional artwork, and hear stories from its past - from poet Henry Lawson’s visits and 'Fatty' Dawson's piggery to its time as a rubbish tip and its rebirth as a vibrant urban bushland reserve.

Ferndale Park

 Appreciate the unique biodiversity of Ferndale Park on this guided bushwalk. Learn about the local flora and fauna and understand their roles in the ecosystem. Discuss the challenges they face in an urban setting, including habitat loss, invasive species and the impact of stormwater pollution on local creeks and beyond.
Harold Reid Reserve This spectacular coastal reserve allows students to understand their own connection to coastal environments, geographical concepts and take in the local history and natural beauty. 
Mowbray Park
 Mowbray Park is Willoughby’s most biodiverse reserve and a key wildlife corridor to Lane Cove National Park. Observe and identify local flora and fauna, including species like the eastern osprey, explore mangrove habitats and learn about the Aboriginal clans who once lived along the river.

North Arm Reserve

 A beautiful coastal reserve offering a challenging but manageable bush walking experience for students. The walking track traverses diverse habitats including mangroves, salt marsh, tall forest and coastal environments. 
Warners Park

Once a thriving dairy farm, this park offers a variety of landscapes to learn from including estuary, creekline vegetation and mangroves. The restoration of this once degraded area offers learning opportunities on the management of bushland, waterways and community spaces.

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Selection process

  • Submit an application detailing preferred dates and student group.
  • Bushwalks will be allocated based on Council staff availability.

Apply now

Download the risk management plan and safety risk assessment for outdoor school excursions

Risk management plan(PDF, 456KB)

Safety risk assessment(PDF, 563KB)

Learning outcomes

Learning area  Learning outcomes Content
Science and Technology 

Early stage 1

  • Identifies and describes characteristics of living things, properties of materials, and movement STE-SCI-01.

Stage 1

  • Measures and describes changes in living things, materials, movement, Earth and the sky ST1-SCI-01.

Stage 2

  • Uses information to investigate the solar system and the effects of energy on living, physical and geological systems ST2-SCI-01.

Stage 3

  • Uses evidence to explain how scientific knowledge can be used to develop sustainable practices ST3-SCI-01.
 Early stage 1
  • Describes how living things get air, water and energy to survive in their environment.
  • Examine the physical features of plants and animals and their functions.
  • Describe ways Aboriginal peoples use knowledges of plants and animals to survive.
  • Explore how Aboriginal peoples use natural materials for specific purposes.

Stage 1

  • Describe changes in a plant or animal as it goes through its life cycle.
  • Describe how Aboriginal peoples use knowledges of the life cycle of living things.
  • Investigate how seasonal patterns influence behaviour and appearance of living things.
  • Describe ways in which Aboriginal peoples use seasonal indicators.

Stage 2

  • Describe the relationship between habitat, ecosystem and environment.
  • Observe and describe living and non-living things in a habitat.
  • Describe the transfer of energy between plants and animals using food chains. Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary.
  • Describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other for survival.

ST3-SCI-01

  • Observe behavioural and structural adaptations of plants and animals and suggest how these may help their survival.
  • Interpret a food web to describes the flow of matter and energy between plants and animals in an ecosystem.
  • Identify and describe how the loss or introduction of species affects an Australian ecosystem.
  • Examine evidence that environments have changed over time and continue to change.
 HSIE

Early stage 1

  • Identifies ways that Aboriginal peoples connect with Country, culture and community HSE-ACH-01.
  • Identifies and locates places people connect with, using geographical information HSE-GEO-01.

Stage 1

  • Describes ways people connect to and care for places, water environments and each other, using geographical information HS1-GEO-01.
  • Describes interactions between Aboriginal peoples and Country HS1-ACH-01

Stage 2

  • Describes Aboriginal people's obligations to Country, culture and community HS2-ACH-01
  • Explains how people care for Australia's environments and participate in Australian society, using geographical information HS2-GEO-01

Stage 3

  • Describes Aboriginal knowledges and practices that care for Country and the importance of Aboriginal languages revival HS3-ACH-01
  • Examines global citizenship and how people organise, protect and sustainably use the environment, using geographical information HS3-GEO-01.

Early Stage 1

  • Describe natural features of the land, water and sky Country by engaging with Aboriginal dreaming stories and languages.
  • Describe natural and human features of Australian coastal and inland places using Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary.
  • Identify and describe how people care for places.

Stage 1

  • Describe how Aboriginal peoples use knowledge of the land, water and sky country in everyday life.
  • Explain how people can use and care for water responsibly.

Stage 2

  • Describe how Aboriginal peoples sustainably used the resources of Country.
  • Observe and describe ways people organise places into spaces for different purposes.

Stage 3

  • Describe how local knowledges of Country influence Aboriginal people's management of environments and World Heritage areas.
  • Research and present practices people can engage with to sustainably manage or protect global environments into the future.
History (HSIE)

Early stage 1

  • Identifies information about daily life and transport in the past, using stories, images and objects HSE-HIS-01.

Stage 1

  • Describes the ancient past and changes in communication over time, using stories, images, objects and sites as evidence HS1-HIS-01.

Stage 2

  • Explains how people lived in the past, how navigation connected the world, and what life was like in Sydney Cove penal settlement, using sources as evidence HS2-HIS-01.

Stage 3

  • Examines and describes the development of Australian colonies and Australia as a nation, using sources as evidence HS3-HIS-01.

Early Stage 1

  • Identify ways local Aboriginal peoples connect to Country by engaging with Aboriginal dreaming stories, objects and oral histories.
  • Describe how features of daily life and transport have changed over time using stories, images and objects.

Stage 1

  • Locate and discuss objects and sites that evidence Aboriginal peoples as the oldest living continuous cultures in the world.
  • Describe ways communication has changed over time by comparing stories, images, objects and sites as evidence.

Stage 2

  • Explain how the arrival of the First Fleet affected Gadigal peoples.

Stage 3

  • Research how interactions between Aboriginal peoples and early colonial settlers led to the recorded sources of Aboriginal languages and describe the benefit to the reclamation of Aboriginal languages.
  • Describe the ways Aboriginal peoples’ languages and oral traditions of song, dance and story were disrupted by European settlement.
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