On Monday 4th March, Year 12 Geography students made their way to Mt Keira to the Illawarra Escarpment Subtropical Rainforest to conduct geographical fieldwork as part of our current unit, Ecosystems and Global Biodiversity.

After an early morning start at school, we traveled to Mt Keira Lookout by bus, arriving at 8:30am. After taking in the brilliant morning view over the Wollongong coastline, we got stuck into our fieldwork.

We began by examining topographic maps of the area to understand the physical features of the landscape, including how the escarpment leads to a hydrological phenomenon known as the orographic rain effect. This creates ample precipitation at the base of the escarpment, allowing for the development of the tropical/subtropical lowland rainforest ecosystem. The students also examined a range of other maps including both geological and cadastral maps, to understand the make-up of the lithosphere, as well as land use in that area. As part of this, the students were surprisingly very excited to use field magnifiers to examine the sandstone up close!

We then headed down the mountain to the Mt Keira Girl Guides camp, where we conducted vegetation surveys, took light measures, examined the presence of invasive species such as lantana, and discussed the challenges faced by remnant rainforest ecosystems such as this including habitat fragmentation and loss of biodiversity. One activity the students had great fun with was a field-method called a ‘bolus test’, where they used their hands to examine the soil properties at the site. It was great to see our students connecting with the biophysical environment in this way! 

Overall, it was an excellent learning opportunity and a wonderful day out in the field together!