Students from the Port Macquarie campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) recently undertook a four day bushwalk in Barrington Tops National Park as part of their Bachelor of Applied Science degree.
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The group of five students and their teacher liaised with Gloucester’s Barrington Outdoor Adventure Centre for assistance in planning and preparing for their journey.
Andrew Davis, coordinator of outdoor recreation studies for the university was pleased to bring his students to Barrington Tops.
“It proved an ideal location for all our learning outcomes and was quite a challenge for the students just being outdoors and remote for four days.
“Temperatures were minus 5 degrees at 7am and only about four degrees by lunchtime.
“The topography worked really well for navigation and the vegetation was good for bushwalking and, of the course, the recent weather made them take preparation and safety seriously,” he said.
The group trekked through high-altitude rainforest in the Gloucester Tops section of the park for their study subject ‘Bush Introduction 161PMQ’.
Naomi Kilby from Barrington Outdoor Adventure Centre believes Barrington Tops offers the ideal teaching location for the growing number of students undertaking courses and degrees in outdoor recreation.
“People are often telling kids interested in the outdoors to get a real job and now they can, with internationally-recognised qualifications.
CSU’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Outdoor Recreation and Ecotourism is now available to mid coast students at their new Port Macquarie campus.
Such outdoor qualifications offer a career path in alternative industries and they open up opportunities for work and travel around the world,” she said.
“Careers in outdoor recreation include outdoor adventure instructor, ecotourism guide, outdoor recreation officer, outdoor education instructor and tourism officer.
“People in these jobs develop and conduct outdoor education programs, school camps, sport and fitness programs, and lead tours to wild and remote areas of Australia.
“The programs range from bushwalking, rock climbing and abseiling, to canoeing, ski touring, mountain biking, sea kayaking, white-water kayaking and rafting. These are real jobs, available now across Australia and overseas.”