Water environments excursion | Stage 1 HSIE Geography | Field of Mars EEC

Cost, risk assessment and details

Cost	DoE $27 per student – GST free Non-gov $37 per student – GST free, min charge $750 per class Term 1 – Non-gov weeks 3 to 5 cost = DoE cost – GST free, min charge $750 Program costs may change. Bookings are charged at the cost confirmed when you book.
Classes	Maximum 4 classes with up to 30 students per class.
Risk assessment	Buffalo Creek Reserve risk assessment - main location
Bring	Sports uniform, backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes, reusable name tag.
View	Preparing for your excursion
Welfare	Rugged bushwalking, limited wheelchair accessibility. May not suit recently unwell participants. For medical or special needs notify staff prior to program.
Extreme or wet weather	Program may be modified, postponed or cancelled due to predicted extreme temperatures, bush fire danger, heavy rainfall, high winds or dust storms.
Booking policy	Confirm student numbers and classes 7 days in advance.
Cancellation or rescheduling	Cancellation or rescheduling with less than 30 school days’ notice before the booking date – $650 Cancellation with less than 14 school days’ notice before the booking date – full program cost Cancellation due to unsafe weather or fire danger – $0

Activities

Activities may vary depending on student needs, timing and weather.

Welcome to Country, maps and bushwalk fieldwork

Students begin with an Acknowledgement of Country and locate Buffalo Creek Reserve on a large-scale map. On a guided bushwalk, students practise simple fieldwork skills by using directional language and observations to identify natural and human features along the route.

Tide investigation

Students explore how tides influence saltwater places by observing water level changes at Buffalo Creek. Using a simple marker activity, students predict and explain how water levels rise and fall over time and how this affects living things.

Pond inquiry

Students compare freshwater and saltwater places through a guided discussion and a shared story. Using dip nets and magnifiers, students observe aquatic life and describe ways to protect freshwater habitats.

River exploration

At Sugarloaf Point, students investigate the features of the Lane Cove River foreshore and discuss why people value river places for recreation. Students engage in low-impact exploration such as shell collecting, fish spotting and (when conditions allow) crab searching, using respectful handling practices.

Mangrove features

Students investigate a mangrove forest using observation prompts to locate distinctive features such as pneumatophores, seedlings and animal evidence. Students also consider how built features, including boardwalks, help people care for sensitive water environments.

Aboriginal connections to waterways

Students learn how Aboriginal Peoples value water Country and Place and how waterways supported travel and food gathering. Practical demonstrations of tools and technologies (such as fishing tools and bark canoes) help students connect cultural knowledge to sustainable resource use, before finishing with a brief reflection activity.

Explore related fact sheets

Use these student-friendly fact sheets before or after your Water environments excursion to introduce creeks, rivers, mangroves, water habitats and ways people care for waterways.

• ⁠River and creek environment fact sheet – Learn about flowing water environments, creek banks, plants, animals and food webs.
• ⁠Water habitats fact sheet – Explore ponds, creeks, wetlands and damp places that support frogs, insects and other animals.
• ⁠Mangrove forest ecosystem fact sheet – Discover tidal mud, mangrove roots, seedlings, crabs, fish nurseries and estuary food chains.
• ⁠Grey mangrove fact sheet – Learn about a mangrove tree with breathing roots that grows where salt water and freshwater meet.
• ⁠Estuary environment fact sheet – Explore places where freshwater and saltwater mix and support many connected living things.
• ⁠Semaphore crab fact sheet – Learn about small crabs that live on muddy tidal flats and mangrove edges.

Suggested timetable

Time	Activities
9.45 - 10.30	Introduction, toilets and recess
10.30 - 12.30	Bushwalk and activities
12.30 - 1.00	Lunch and toilets
1.00 - 2.00	Activities Nature map
2.00 - 2.15	Pack up, toilets and depart

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

explore, observe, compare, record, explain, care, responsibly, freshwater environment, marine environment, mangrove forest, river bank, pond, boardwalk, bridge, eucalypt

Syllabus outcomes and content

Human Society and its Environment K-6 Syllabus (2024)

People are connected to places and groups

Outcomes

• Describes ways people connect to and care for places, water environments and each other, using geographical information HS1-GEO-01

Content

People care for Australia's water environments

• Observe and describe natural and human features of Australian rivers, lakes, beaches and oceans by collecting and representing data
• Compare the ways people use water environments in Australia by posing questions to collect data
• Explain how people can use and care for water responsibly

Human Society and its Environment K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024