Hear, There and Everywhere
Our Stories
It’s alway an enjoyable drive to Ballarat when we know we are picking up our second year REEF kids! We arrived for a 11am pickup and hit the back to Cottage by the Sea for a late lunch. After we were all fed and settled in we split into groups to try out a new activity – Geocaching. Geocaching is an activity where you use GPS coordinates to find hidden treasures. The kids all enjoyed the hunt and there were many tired legs after. Our groups arrived back at Cottage in the late afternoon to take part in some circle time to discuss the goals for the week before dinner. That evening we ventured outside to play one of the kids favourite games Camouflage.
The next morning ten lucky kids were given the opportunity to head out on a guided fishing tour with our friends at Gone Fishing, whilst the rest of the group went for a surf at Ocean Grove. The ocean was alive and we caught an abundance of flathead and squid to bring back to the others for lunch. As always after fishing, the kids were introduced to the process of preparing and cooking the seafood. The keen fishers were also presented with some fishing rod and tackle sets to assist them in continuing their newfound activity at home.
After lunch we found the time to get together and play a few Cottage games outside before our special guest arrived for the afternoons activity. At 3pm our guest and new Cottage friend, Benji arrived to give us a crash course in some circus tricks. The REEF kids had a ball juggling, hoola hooping and learning some new trust activities that helped the group bond and build better relationships with one another.
Before we knew it, it was the final day of camp. In keeping with the camps adventures and outdoor based theme, we headed to the You Yangs for a morning of activities. The highlight was hiking to the the highest point of the you Yangs, Flinders Peak where we were able to enjoy the surreal views. A sausage sizzle was fired up upon returning to refuel the hungry explorers before it was time to get back on the bus to Ballarat.
As always it was a pleasure to have the REEF participants stay and was inspirational to see the way that they approached every challenge thrown at them. We’re already looking to the next camp with this awesome group!
