Published on: 12 October 2023



Over the Term 3 holidays, Year 11 students Alex Molyneux, Andrew Dreyer and James Gregory travelled to Albany to undertake a challenging bushwalk expedition. The boys hiked for four days and three nights on a section of the Bibbulmun track between Albany and Denmark. Alex Molyneux is striving for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold level, which requires participants to plan and lead a demanding, three-night journey by foot, cycle, canoe or kayak.

As Alex chose a bushwalk, the group’s Venture skills were put to good use! To fulfil the ‘Adventurous Journey’ criteria, all members of the group must be involved with the planning and training, including those not undertaking the Journey as Duke of Ed participants. In the weeks prior, the students worked together to assess and plan for factors including meals, camp locations for each night, what to pack, distances between breaks to prepare their water supply, weather conditions, possible challenges and emergency scenarios.

The students cited their Year 10 Venture experience, in addition to further physical training in the year since their Venture experience, as helpful in equipping them with the skills to sufficiently prepare for the journey and to undertake it safely and with confidence. The group was spoilt with glorious spring sunshine, making their bushwalk even more enjoyable and memorable!