The Arm River Outdoor Education Centre is located in the upper
Mersey Valley between lakes Parangana and Rowallen. It is located
in State forest surrounded by the Cradle Mountain — Lake
St. Claire and Walls of Jerusalem National Parks. The area is
rich in human history. Aboriginal history, dating from the end
of the last ice age, is evident in many locations. The first roadway
to the North West coast, surveyed and constructed by the Van Diemen’s
Land Company in the late 1920s, passes through the area. Innes’s
track, the first direst link between the North and the West coast,
passes across the February Plains above the Arm Valley. Snaring
and cattle grazing began in the late 1840s, with the latter continuing
today, utilising the same grassy plains that first attracted the
early Europeans. A rich mosaic of vegetation types from grassland
to rainforest containing trees over 1000 years old are readily
visited from the Centre. This vegetation is complimented by a
diverse underlying geology and evidence of glaciation is everywhere.
Waterfalls, gorges and spectacular alpine scenery are within easy
walking distance of road access. Forestry activities and hydro
development round off a wide range of learning opportunities.
During the field trip we will be addressing the learning opportunities
which a study of forests, and human interaction with them, provides
for students focussing on the SOSE, Science and Technology learning
areas. Residential program options will be investigated.
Linking the field experience to the
Project Forest — Teacher Resource Package
Content Overviews
Almost all aspects related to Forest Systems and Forest Management
in the SOSE and Science Content Overviews can be covered at the
Arm River Outdoor Education Centre. One of the main advantages
of such a centre for learning is the opportunity to explore a
number of areas related to forests, their ecology, their management
and issues arising from human interaction with them and make meaningful
links between these areas while in the forest. The focus of any
residential experience needs to be carefully determined, in consultation
with an FEF Education Officer, for students to gain maximum benefit
from their visit. The nature of the experiences should directly
relate to outcomes that are to be achieved through the particular
unit of study students are engaged in. Familiarity with the area
and the learning opportunities available as a result of an orientation
field trip will be of significant advantage to the teacher in
planning a unit of study.
Orientation field trips to the Arm River
1. Full day field visit (8:30am to 5:00pm)
This visit would be suitable for teachers from Launceston through
to Burnie
Aspects that could be covered in this time frame
2. Residential experience (one or two
nights)
(Such programs would typically begin on day 1 at 12:00 noon and
finish on day 2 or 3 at 4:00pm)
This visit would be suitable for teachers from any part of the
state who:
