Through our signature suite of camps, trips and exchanges, our students move beyond their comfort zone and thrive in dynamic and divergent team settings while embracing new passions and discoveries.
Outdoor Education
Our Outdoor Education Program complements the academic and co-curricular life of the School by providing enjoyment of and respect for the outdoors, sustainability, and social and personal development.
The Junior School camping calendar includes visits and stays at locations such as Kangaroo Island, the Murraylands, the Adelaide Hills and the Mid North of South Australia as our youngest adventurers enjoy a taste of the great outdoors.
The outdoor education base for the Middle School is Old Watulunga, Pembroke’s own 17-hectare property on the Finniss River just over an hour’s drive south of Adelaide where Years 7, 8 and 10 participate in age-appropriate camps featuring kayaking, sailing, bushwalking, rock climbing and orienteering. Year 9 students enjoy a camp on Yorke Peninsula with activities including coastal exploration, bushwalking and aquatic pursuits.
Beyond the core camps, another Middle School highlight is our unique annual exchange with Marree Aboriginal School where approximately 20 of our students embark on a transformational five-day journey, sleeping in swags, exploring the South Australian outback and learning about Aboriginal culture. A new addition to our Middle School calendar is the incredible Beyond the Horizon program where Year 9 students can opt to connect with remote communities through meaningful service opportunities and cultural immersion while undertaking an intrepid adventure. Scores of students set off in the October school holiday period on one of the trips being offered in regional New South Wales, Queensland or Western Australia.
In Senior School, students can study Outdoor Education as a SACE Stage 1 and Stage 2 subject, providing the opportunity to build on their skills and knowledge acquired in Middle School. This is a rigorous program focused on developing extensive skills, knowledge, positive impacts on wellbeing and a lifelong connection with the outdoors. Pursuits range from surfing, rock climbing and white water rafting to kayaking, bushwalking and snorkelling, with locations including Mount Arapiles in Victoria, the Australian Alps, Kangaroo Island, Flinders Ranges and Beachport. Students studying the IB subject Environmental Systems and Societies undertake a cultural and environmental immersion experience at Kakadu in the Northern Territory hosted by traditional owners and Pembroke community members.
Here and Abroad
Other travel opportunities enjoyed by Pembroke students span language immersion trips to Spain, Germany, France and China, exchange programs with partner schools in South Africa, Chile and more, music and sport tours, ski adventures including to Japan, and a host of field trips capturing curriculum areas such as Geography, Tourism, Biology, Literature and History.
