Camp Toonallook

The bus was full of kookaburras, chattering excitedly to birds near them. A faint sound of ‘Mr Bean’ played in the background, as the bus soared across the sandy tracks. We were almost there! I couldn’t believe we went this far already…

On the first day of Camp Toonallook, the class was a bundle of joy, waiting enthusiastically for our first activity to begin. The class was split into 2 groups, and we would switch activities when both groups were done. On that day, we went kayaking and cycling, and my group went cycling first. We cycled to a place and played a game. When we got back, after a snack of scones and cordial, we headed of to go kayaking. Fortunately, the staff who went with my group didn’t flip our kayaks over. After dinner, which was burritos and apple crumble, we played a game, which was called ‘The Shoe Game’. In The Shoe Game, there are a lot of ridiculous rules, such as “You cannot question the judge”, or “Points will be taken away if you don’t cheer”. When we played ‘The Shoe Game’, there were two teams, aka our activity groups. We all had lots of fun, and had a good night.

On the next day, after our activities, we packed our bags and set of walking for our expedition camp. At expedition, we would put up tents, had a fireplace and did stuff in the outback. There was even a portable toilet! Unfortunately, at one time, rain was pouring hardly and some people’s belongings got soaked. On the other hand, our tents were waterproof, so our sleeping bags and things inside the tent were dry. 

After a night in tents, we had breakfast and then went on a epic adventure to a island near Toonallook, which is called Ramen Island. On the island, we went cycling (again!) and koala spotting. Both activity groups saw more than 30 koalas. When going to the island, we took a fast boat that Toonallook owns. (Toona-Storm) On the way back, we took a bus. When we got back,I  couldn’t believe that camp was almost over!

On our last day, in the morning, the majority of my class woke up very early to see the sun rise. It was extremely beautiful! After going back after the sun rising, we did a Toonallook challenge, which was some obstacle courses. After morning tea, we thanked the staff and began our journey back to Melbourne.

Have you been to Toonallook, or been to a place near it?