The Outback Adventure of a Lifetime

The Domain ‘Independent Schools Guide’ shares the far-reaching effects of
our award-winning Year 9 Kakadu Program

When Caulfield Grammar School students swap the classroom for Kakadu National Park, the effects on young minds are far-reaching and long-lasting. The award-winning Year 9 program immerses students in communities where they learn first-hand about living in one of Australia’s remotest regions.

First Nations people teach students about Indigenous languages, living on Country and the harshness and beauty of the environment. Year 9s stay on a working cattle property near Katherine, learn about the culture and histories of the Jawoyn people and visit community and social justice organisations to understand the challenges the resident population faces.

Caulfield Grammar Director – Student Experience Mike Gregory says the 24-day experience is profound.

“The Kakadu Program is about personal growth, taking students away at that mid-adolescent age and providing them with a challenging experience,” he says.

“We put them in a very different place, far away from their normal routines and environment. Some of the scaffolding from school and home disappears, and students have to manage homesickness, resolve any conflict with peers and negotiate living spaces. They work out how they are going to care for each other and they gain a greater understanding of two worlds – their world and the world of remote Aboriginal communities.”

The program has been designed with First Nations community support. Caulfield Grammar School operates a permanent campus in Kakadu National Park with the agreement of the traditional owners of the land.

“When students return to school, they’re very aware of the experience they’ve had and the personal growth that has happened. They take that forward through the rest of their years at Caulfield Grammar,” Mike says.

What the Year 9 students say

Student 1: “Community was an important factor that helped me grow and alter my identity for the better. We frequently interacted with the Jabiru Area School [JAS] and I’m grateful we got to bond with and help the students in JAS. It helped me gain a new perspective that everyone’s life is different.”

Student 2: “Two life-changing things I found [were] the importance of relationships and friendships, and discipline. The trip was the longest time I’d been away from home and the things that helped me through were my connections to the staff and my peers, and my determination to get through. Staff and friends supported and encouraged me, which I’ll remember when going through any challenge.”