FIELD TRIPS

Minjerribah | Stradbroke Island

  • $115 AUD per ticket

    • Ferry Excursion to Minjerribah

    • Welcome to Country

    • Visit to the freshwater lake, Bummiera / Brown Lake

    • Coastal Walk

    • A box lunch will be provided

    • Hat

    • Sunscreen

    • Swimming gear and towel (optional)

    • Warm clothes and jacket (weather dependent)

    • Delegates must have a moderate level of fitness to negotiate steps as part of a half-hour walk for the coastal viewing

  • Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island) is a sand island located 20 km offshore of Brisbane. Queensland, Australia. It was originally a single island but split into North Stradbroke, the site for the field trip, and South Stradbroke Island in 1896. The island is largely in pristine condition, with kangaroos, koalas, and numerous bird species on land, and dolphins, turtles, and whales viewed from coastal lookouts. The island has a rich Indigenous heritage and is the traditional land of the Quandamooka people. Minjerribah has some local environment challenges related to groundwater pumping, lake and ground water level fluctuations, and the condition of some of its freshwater springs. This fieldtrip will include a ferry excursion to Minjerribah, Welcome to Country, a visit to one of its freshwater lakes (Brown Lake, Bummiera) and a coastal walk to view Minjerribah’s diverse marine life.

Gold Coast | Hinze Dam

  • $65 AUD per ticket

    • Visit to Hinze Dam

    • Opportunity for a swim on a Gold Coast beach (weather permitting)

    • Visit to Marine World, Sea Jellies Display

    • A box lunch will be provided

    • Hat

    • Sunscreen

    • Swimming gear and towel (optional)

    • Warm clothes and jacket (weather dependent)

  • The Gold Coast is Australia’s most rapidly growing urban area and is famous for its expansive white-sand beaches. The Gold Coast has a number of water challenges, however, and these relate to sea level rise, flooding and water supply. More recently, a cyclone (Alfred) eroded large quantities of sand from its beaches.  This field trip will include a visit to the major water supply reservoir for Gold Coast, Hinze Dam, which also serves to mitigate flooding in the downstream urban receiving waters.  It will include examination of the extensive canal and lake network which are integral to the urban environment of the Gold Coast, and the challenges of managing water quality in the system.  There will of also be an opportunity for a swim at one of the Gold Coast beaches (weather permitting) and a visit to Marine World to view the sea jellies display and examine the research supporting this display.

North Pine Dam (Brisbane) | Seqwater

  • $65 AUD per ticket

    • Visit to catchments, North Pine Dam, treatment and distribution networks for supplying water to Brisbane

    • A box lunch will be provided

    • Hat

    • Sunscreen

    • Swimming gear and towel (optional)

    • Warm clothes and jacket (weather dependent)

  • Australia’s weather is characterized by extremes; storms that lead to flood damage and are interspersed with periods of drought that necessitate conservation measures to ensure water supplies are maintained.  South East Queensland and Brisbane have an extensive water storage, distribution and supply network that has been adapted to cope with these climatic extremes.  This field trip will view the catchments, North Pine Dam, treatment and distribution networks for supplying water to Brisbane. It will discuss the critical balance that water utility managers make between water storage and flood control, releases of water for environmental purposes and control of dam overtopping, and efforts to address landuses that impact sediment, nutrients and microbial contaminants in source water.