RECENTLY the year eights from Mansfield Secondary College visited the Rubicon Outdoor School for five days of adventure.
Day one
The bus putters down the Taggerty and Thornton road squeaking as it rolls over the potholes.
I look out the window and the bush is thick surrounding the road but I catch a glimpse of the Rubicon River as we pass over a bridge.
The crystal clear water trickles over the smooth river rocks, gum trees hang limp over the river creating the illusion of a cave.
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We turn a corner onto the Rubicon road, and nestled amongst the sweeping farms and hills the shape of the Rubicon camp sits adamant against the horizon.
We surge up the camp driveway and roll to a stop
“Okay everyone once you get off the bus help takes bags off and put them under the tree."
I get off the bus and start carrying bags out of the lower compartments.
The sun is high in the sky now and I can feel the heat slicing through my synthetic shirt.
Once all the bags are taken out of the bus we all sit down on the rocks in the middle of the camp and one of the instructors welcomes us and introduces us to our group instructors.
Once we are all established he tells us our groups.
My group is the last one to be called out.
It is a small group, but I somehow manage to have a few of my friends.
After our group instructor showed us where we would be sleeping for two of the four nights we were sorted into groups of two.
For the bunk rooms, I am partnered with one of my friends.
We figure out our room number and start setting up our beds.
The rooms are small with a bunk bed on one side next to an assortment of shelves.
We set up our bunks and head down to the mess hall.
The smell of baked potatoes waft from the kitchen.
After a delicious dinner, we headed toward the meeting room where a teacher told us our bed time and what we would be doing for the next couple of days.
After a long conversation with our instructor we went to bed.
Day two
I woke up the next morning to the sound of True Colors by Cyndi Lauper playing at full volume.
We went out to meet our instructor.
He gave us our equipment and we started the long drive towards the Big River.
We set up our rafts and entered the river.
The persistence of the current didn't help as we tried to get into the river without capsizing.
We spent most of the day smashing through the rapids and by the end everyone was worn out and ready to go back to camp and have a shower.
Before we went back to camp we drove a little further up the river and put our rafts in just above one of the biggest stretches of rapids we have encountered all day.
We went down one at a time and somehow everyone made it.
Dinner that night was butter chicken.
We had half an hour of free time before we had to go to bed and get ready for the hike we had tomorrow.
Day three
I woke to the sound of kookaburras laughing and the brisk morning breeze drifting in through the half-open window.
I made my way to the mess hall for breakfast.
The sun was peering over the hilltops now and the gum trees cast mangled shadows on the concrete pathways that snake between the bunkhouses.
We talked to our instructor and started packing all of the food and gear that we will need for the next couple days.
After packing we shoved our bags onto the bus and started heading for our campsite.
The sound of a river wakes me from my daze.
We cross a bridge and I get my first glance at our campsite before we surge up the next hill and finally come to a stop at a roundabout at the top of a hill.
The shadow of the Jawline Ridge Suspends us in darkness.
We put on our day packs and start the hike.
The birds whistle through the trees.
As we trudge up the ridge I scan the hillside; a sea of trees seem to stretch for miles.
We are almost at the top now and I can see the rocky outcrops that span the peaks of the ridgeline.
We scramble up the last few rocks and we finally emerge at the top of the ridge.
The tranquility was amazing here and we had it all to ourselves.
We were all tasked to find a place away from each other and sit there for five minutes to try and get a little bit of our energy back.
After a long rest and a break we headed back down the hill towards the bus.
The sound of shoes crunching on the gravel resonates as we walk toward our campsite.
We take out all our equipment and start setting up the tents.
It is late in the day now and we can see some orange glowing on the horizon.
We finish our tent and begin to make dinner.
For dinner, we have gnocchi with cheesy sauce.
The sun slowly sunk below the treetops as we sat by the fire and ate our pasta.
After dinner we wandered off to our tents one at a time and went to bed.
Day four
I woke up the next morning to the smell of toast cooking on a campfire.
I opened the tent.
The bright morning light blinds me as I crawl out onto the cold grass.
“Good mourning everyone,” our instructor announces.
We have breakfast and begin to pack our hiking equipment.
Today we are hiking Sugarloaf Peak - the biggest we will hike all week.
The bus rumbled over the gravel road slowly making its way toward the starting point.
I gaze out the window.
The trees passing by look like green smudges on a tattered canvas.
The bus rolls to a stop beside a large shed.
After we got off the bus we were all told how to put on our harnesses.
We will be needing them a lot today.
We were handed two walkie talkies to share amongst the group to stay in touch with our instructor because he went ahead to set up a secure rope for us to climb the first cliff face.
It didn't take us long to catch up to him.
The rock face we were climbing was decently steep.
We all got strapped in and began climbing up the rock one at a time.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I climbed up the rock, gripping onto anything I could find to try and gain some leverage.
I finally made it to the top and I had a view of all of the valley below.
The leafy treetops ripple like waves in the afternoon wind.
A strong breeze pushes in from the east across the mountainside.
We walk across the hill following the pathways until we get to the mouth of a cave.
The cave transcends deep into the cliff side whittling down until it is nothing more than a narrow pathway.
We are sent off in groups of two.
Once one group has reached a certain point the next starts.
I clamber up the rocks in the cave, my knees scraping on the rough stones as I pull myself up the next bank.
I reach a point where I have to take off my bag and shuffle sideways just to make it through the passage.
At last, I see a light at the end of the cave.
My boots kick up dust as I stumble out of the passage.
Onto the rocky pathway one by one the rest of the group appears out of the opening.
We have a short break before we begin the next section of the hike.
After we have lunch our instructor goes ahead again to set up a safety line.
After a couple of minutes of walking we reach the final stretch of the hike.
The final part is a rock face with little to no places to put your hands so you have to try and grip onto flat surfaces until you get to the first place where you can get a foothold.
I clip in and start climbing.
My feet slide over the smooth rocks sending chips of stone cascading onto the brush below.
I scramble up the last section of rock and pull myself up onto the cliff edge.
I stand up and look out at the valley below.
Fields of grass span out for kilometres in every direction.
I pull out my lunch and find a rock to sit on to admire the view while I eat.
A cool breeze drifts through the rocky outcrops where we have decided to stop for a break.
After a long rest and a snack, we pick up our stuff and start on our way back.
The walk back is relaxing, bringing attention to my sore muscles.
I listen to the birds fluttering through the trees casting shadows that dart around the bush.
We finally make it back to the bus and start driving to camp.
It’s late in the afternoon when we make it back to camp.
We start the fire and get ready for dinner.
Today we are cooking butter chicken.
We watch embers drift out of the fire only to get swallowed by the night sky as we talk about the highlights of the day.
After having dinner we put out the fire and head off to bed.
Day five
I woke up to my friend already packing up our tent.
I must have slept in because everyone was up and about jamming their stuff onto the bus.
It was a warm spring morning and butterflies fluttered around our tent casting contorted shadows on the canvas.
After everything was packed we took our final walk beside a river.
The sound of running water trickling over the river rocks and the beautiful colours of the sun reflected through the leaves soothe me as my feet fall softly on the cushiony grass.
After a short walk we find our selves back at our bus and head back to the Rubicon camp.
Once we are there we say our final goodbyes to the instructor and begin the journey back to Mansfield.
As we drive past the grassy paddocks I watch the birds take flight and the rabbits dart away through the trees as we head for home.
