Camp Rumbug
“On Monday 3 February we departed Salesian and started our journey to Camp Rumbug. We first stopped at a little playground and mini oval where we had snacks and played on the equipment. We then jumped back on the bus and continued our journey. Upon arrival at camp, we were introduced and allocated into groups which determined who we going to be sharing a cabin with for the duration of camp. When we got into our cabins we unpacked and played around until it was time to start our first activity. The first activity was the low ropes; a fun, wet, hands-on activity where you were suspended over water. The teachers requested we do tricks which if completed, we got merit points for, which included trying to clap our hands three times whilst on the low ropes. We begged the teachers to have a go and we expected them to fall in, but they didn’t fall, which ended up not being very funny. We all then participated in a fun hike to the flying fox. All of us had at least 3 attempts in pairs on the flying fox. When we reached the bottom, there was a pit crew who would unclip us from the zipline and then get ready for another two to come down. After we had completed our activities for the day, we hiked back up the mountain to have dinner and played in our cabins until dinnertime. Dinner consisted of pasta, which was not the best as it tasted like it had been cooked with no salt, nor any pepper. Once everyone had finished dinner, we then said goodnight and turned in for the evening. Oh the exhaustion!
The next morning, we were woken up at 6:30am, and had breakfast at 7:00am. Our breakfast was a nice meal consisting of baked beans, toast and eggs. After breakfast we then got ready for the day ahead. Our first activity was canoeing. The people in my boat suggested we capsize the boat. I didn’t really want to at first, but was eventually convinced that this would be a great idea. The teachers started a game where pretended our boats were different countries and tried to invade the world (all the canoes). My canoe started off as Turkey. Another group of canoes who were Greece won and took over the world, but before the world was conquered, we jumped out of the boat like the Greeks did to the Trojans with their Trojan horse. Then time was up and the game was ended so we had to get out and put away the boats. Once we had done this, we all jumped into the lake and played around. When we came out we were soaking wet, and then we were off to the next activity. I can’t remember them all because I had so much fun, and then it was lunchtime. Once lunch was finished we were off again, and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. On the menu for our second night was baked potatoes with sour cream and salad. For dessert we had strawberry mousse, which was great as it had the texture of liquid marshmallow. We all finished our food and then it was off to bed, ready for another day.
On Wednesday, which was our last day, we woke up at the usual time and had spaghetti from a can. I didn’t have any because I don’t like pasta in a can, I like fresh Italian pasta. We also had some toast and orange juice. After breakfast we got ready for our last set of activities, which included abseiling which we had to wait for another group to finish. In the meantime, we played ‘gaga ball’ and a trampoline basketball activity. When it was our time for abseiling, we put on helmets and a safety harness and were ready as ever! The structure we were abseiling off was at least 12 meters tall, but that didn’t bother me because I had been on something higher before. When it was my turn, I sprinted up the ladder ready to go. When I got to the top it was very high, and when the instructor told us to lean back, all I thought about was rock-climbing. When I made it all the way down, it was so exciting. We soon finished our time at camp, and so we packed up and headed for school, stopping at the same place we had on the way there, and getting back to Salesian at 2:30pm to wait for our parents to pick us up.
Camp was so fun. The food wasn’t the best, but the activities were amazing. It was an excellent camp and I would go back there for sure.”
– Gabriel Mainey, 7C
“On Monday 3 February the Year 7s embarked on a long journey to Camp Rumbug, lasting until that Wednesday. It was here that we experienced things that we have never experienced before, and it was also here that we forged lifelong friendships with our 2020 cohort.
The camp had a huge variety of different activities, with a lot of them strengthening our trust in each other, such as canoeing, or the team challenges.
Each one of the activities presented us with their own challenges. Such as the Giant Swing, which tested our courage, and the Low Ropes, which tested our strength and bravery.
When we first arrived at Camp Rumbug, we were introduced to our new group leaders, and we got to have a short look inside our new cabins. Every group got to do around two activities, which were all scattered around the camp. After we had completed our activities, we headed back to the main site for dinner. The times for dinner varied depending on which group you were in. Group 1 consisted of the classes 7A – 7D, and Group 2 consisted of classes 7E – H.
While we were waiting for the other group to eat, there were plenty of activities to keep us occupied. There were always small cricket matches outside, there were card games, and you were also presented with the option of staying in your cabin to socialize a bit more with your cabin mates. Just before we went to sleep on the first night, Father Chambers kindly came all the way down to Camp Rumbug to give us Year 7s a blessing. After Father Chamber’s blessing, our College House Captains set up activities for us to do. At 9:30 that night, we finally were sent to go to sleep.
At the beginning of our second day, we were served breakfast. Shortly after that, we got back into our small groups to complete our other activities. The activities we completed were really fun, and they all gave us opportunities to bond with each other. The day was filled with action, and by going through all those activities, we shared a sense of comradery with each other.
On our final day at Camp Rumbug, we were given our final breakfast, and then we went in our groups to do our final activities. After we finished our activities, we were given a small packed lunch, and then we went into the buses, to return back home.
Here are the activities that were available to us during camp:
- Abseiling
- Low ropes
- Giant Swing
- Flying Fox
- Canoeing
- Team Challenges
- Initiatives”
– Peter Yip, 7C
