A cloudy day and some light drizzle didn’t deter year four Sunshine Beach State School students from keenly embarking on their walk through the Noosa National Park for their investigation on erosion’s impact on the environment and erosion solutions.
As one of Noosa National Park’s neighbours, taking Sunshine Beach School students from their classrooms to the beautiful walking tracks in the popular scenic headland of the park could not have been more perfect. The tracks are wide and sandy through open woodlands for the most part, with narrow, rainforest sections near the coast. Noosa National Park is extremely important for nature conservation and is home to several rare and threatened species and provides an important refuge for native wildlife including the koala, glossy black-cockatoo, ground parrot and wallum froglet.
Along the way students found some evidence of erosion, such as exposed roots and rocks. However, they also saw some of the many strategies that National Parks has implemented to minimise or prevent erosion. Students recognised erosion solutions including; rock walls to prevent slopes slipping, banks to stop the flow of water downhill, gravel to hold the surface soil down, and logs to retain path edges.
Prior to the bushwalk the students had studied the causes, effects and solutions for erosion so that they were able to recognise these in the natural environment. Along with the geology aspects of the bushwalk, they enjoyed observing nature at its best, from the giant trees to the eucalypts, and the myriad of bird life. Students commented on the enormity of some of the trees. Others said they had never noticed so many bird calls before. Many recognised species that frequent our school grounds. The students could see why it is so important to look after this area. Walkers, joggers, locals and tourists were out enjoying the track, proving how popular the park is and how it provided an ideal natural resource for formal and informal education.
Students loved the chance to walk into the National Park right by their school, with Isla commenting, ‘I enjoyed walking through the National Park and hearing lots of birds. We saw erosion and then got to see how the park workers put down gravel and make banks to guide the water off the walking tracks’.
Teachers were equally impressed. Mr Blandford commented, ‘All the children had a great time and it was a wonderful experience for them to learn outside the classroom. The walk through the Noosa National Park provided an ideal opportunity for the students to see environmental care at work and to promote a sense of pride in the natural assets of the local area.’
