Outdoor Education

Barker College places a high value on Outdoor Education, and on the opportunities that a carefully planned and graded Outdoor Education experience can provide for the personal, spiritual and social development of boys.

The Outdoor Education Program at Barker runs from Year 3 to Year 12. There are certain aspects of the School’s compulsory Outdoor Education Program that commence in Year 7 which lead your son, and later on your daughter, through a range of other activities. Barker is fortunate in that it is well resourced for the conduct of its Outdoor Education Program.

In Year 8 during Term 2, boys elect to do either the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DEAS) or Cadets, or both, in order to fulfill their Outdoor Education commitment in Middle School.  An initial commitment of 10 months must be given by all students when joining the Cadet Unit and a student's commitment to DEAS ceases at the completion of their Bronze level.

Barker owns its own Outdoor Education and Environmental Studies Centre, The Grange, situated at Mt. Victoria in the western Blue Mountains. It can accommodate groups up to 80 in size and contains a range of facilities. It is primarily used for class sized camps of short duration.

Barker owns two four wheel drive vehicles and a range of trailers for its own mountain bikes, canoes and for general duties, as well as maintaining a number of UHF hand-held radios, satellite phones, etc for communication purposes. In addition it is able to issue or hire to students backpacks, bedrolls, tents etc.

The second centre is Barrington River Lodge located on the white water Barrington River near Gloucester to the north of the Hunter Valley. This centre is a focus for the school's canoe program and acts as a base for its Duke of Edinburgh's Award hiking program in the nearby wilderness area of Barrington Tops.

Both centres are used extensively by other groups and are available for hire by contacting the school.