Inclusive education and accessibility | Field of Mars EEC

All NSW public school students have the right to learn in safe, supportive and inclusive environments where they feel happy, respected and valued. NSW public schools are equipped to support students with disability and additional learning and support needs through reasonable adjustments and personalised learning strategies.

At Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre (Field of Mars EEC) we work with schools to plan inclusive excursions and incursions so that as many students as possible can participate. Many of our programs can be modified to support students with disability, including wheelchair-accessible options, adjusted fieldwork routes, alternative activities and social stories. Teachers are encouraged to contact us to discuss student needs so we can help create an accessible and positive environmental education experience for every class.

Support for students with additional needs

The information below is designed to help students, families and teachers prepare for a visit to Field of Mars EEC. You can view visual social stories for selected excursions on our social stories page. If a program does not have a social story or you need additional information, please contact us.

Preparing for your excursion

Prepare for your excursion by making sure you bring the right gear and know what to expect.

Watch the video below to see what Field of Mars EEC and Field of Mars Reserve look like before you visit.

https://bcove.video/3KnIo0J

Getting around Field of Mars Reserve

Use the map below to see paths, boardwalks and key features of Field of Mars Reserve. This can help students and families plan how they will move around the site.

Some tracks are steeper or uneven, while the boardwalk and some paths are more accessible.

Watch this video to see what it is like to walk on the boardwalk, including railings, surface and surroundings, before you come.

Field of Mars Reserve map PDF

What will you see?

When you visit Field of Mars Reserve, you may see some of the plants, animals and places shown below.

Kookaburra sitting on a branch in a tree

You might see a laughing kookaburra sitting on a tree branch, looking around the bush.

Large sandstone rock situated in a bush setting.

Some parts of the reserve have big rocky sandstone outcrops surrounded by trees and plants.

Two millipedes curled up in the bark of a tree

Tiny millipedes can sometimes be found curled up and hiding in the bark of trees.

Ducks glide quietly along the creek, sharing the water with lots of other wildlife.

A brush turkey walking on the ground with people sitting behind it

A brush turkey might wander past you on the track, scratching in the leaves while people sit nearby.

Looking upwards at the leaves in the canopy of a eucalyptus tree

When you look up, you can see the tall eucalyptus trees forming a green canopy overhead.

Close up of a magpie standing on the ground

Australian magpies often walk on the ground, searching for food and watching what is happening around them.

Paper bark trees standing in a fern undergrowth

In some places, paperbark trees and ferns grow together, showing that there are many different environments to explore.

Some spiders build webs between branches and plants to catch their food.

Large rock boulders in the bush provide different types of habitats for animals and plants.

View of a boardwalk in between a forest setting with some flowers in the foreground

The boardwalk takes you through the forest so you can safely look at the plants, flowers and creek.

Banksia flower cones grow on banksia trees and provide food and shelter for different animals and birds.

What will you hear?

Listen to some of the sounds you might hear at Field of Mars Reserve, such as birds, wind and water.

https://bcove.video/46ofsgu

What is the boardwalk like?

Watch this video to see what it is like to walk on the boardwalk, including railings, surface and surroundings, before you come.

https://players.brightcove.net/6129823267001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6379953388112

Wheelchair accessibility

The boardwalk track provides an accessible immersion into the Field of Mars Reserve that runs along Buffalo Creek and past our nature play space. The boardwalk is equipped with a kick rail for wheelchair safety.

Field of Mars EEC has a Hippocampe all-terrain wheelchair available for students to safely and comfortably navigate the accessible track that features gravel and soil in some parts.

Field of Mars Reserve track map showing the wheelchair accessible track route alongside Buffalo Creek.