Sustainable futures: Learning from Country

HSIE

Small waterfall flowing over layered sandstone into a shallow creek pool, surrounded by bushland and native vegetation at Wattamolla in Royal National Park.

This program explores how geographical information supports sustainable management of places, using Wattamolla as a case study. Students will develop skills in observing, measuring, collecting, and recording geographical data to understand how natural and human features interact. The program integrates Aboriginal Cultural knowledge, including oral traditions and language, highlighting their role in Caring for Country and managing environments. Students will examine concepts of global citizenship and environmental sustainability.

Book during whale season (peak June-July) for an opportunity to whale watch.

Site visited

View across Wattamolla lagoon and sand spit toward the ocean from sandstone clifftops, Royal National Park.
Wattamolla

Walk to clifftops looking south over Curracurrang

Suggested timetable
10:00 Introduction and Acknowledgement of Country
10:20

Complete a loop bushwalk south on the Coast Track and out to the lookout at Providential Point. Walk to clifftops looking south over Curracurrang.

Activities on the bushwalk and/or at Wattamolla include:

  • identify natural features and draw a labelled field sketch
  • use fieldwork tools to measure weather conditions
  • annotate a map with human features; link to habitat conservation and future sustainability of site
  • listen to a Dreaming story that links to landscape
  • model or discuss sustainable management of Wattamolla
2:00 Conclusion and depart

* Lunch and recess to occur at varying times and locations along the coastal walk

**There may be variations to timetable based on specific location, group size and weather

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

Tier 2:

Observe, measure, collect, record, explain, investigate, protect, manage, describe, examine, plan

Tier 3:

environment, landform, sustainable, Country, geographical information, management, field sketch, mapping, habitat conservation, Dreaming

Syllabus outcomes and content

HSIE K-6 Syllabus (2024)

Geographical information is used to plan for sustainable futures
Outcomes
  • describes Aboriginal Knowledges and Practices that care for Country and the importance of Aboriginal Languages revival HS3-ACH-01
  • examines global citizenship and how people organise, protect and sustainably use the environment, using geographical information HS3-GEO-01
Content
Aboriginal Cultural Knowledges and Practices that care for Country
  • Examine Aboriginal Cultural works as evidence of Oral Traditions and mapping of landscapes
  • Describe how local Knowledges of Country influence Aboriginal Peoples’ management of environments and World Heritage areas
People organise and manage places using geographical information
  • Observe, measure, collect and record geographical information to explain how places are organised

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