Stage 4 - Landscapes and Landforms
Discover the formation, value, and sustainable management of Sydney Harbour’s landscapes and landforms through interactive fieldwork at Waverton and Balls Head Reserve.
About this excursion
‘Landscapes and Landforms’ is an S4 Geography fieldwork excursion that focuses on an exploration of a harbour landscape and a headland landform, including the processes that created it, the value people place on it, and ways to sustainably manage it. Students will visit the Coal Loader Sustainability Centre at Waverton and Balls Head Reserve to learn about the landscape of Sydney Harbour and the landform of Balls Head. Students participate in hands-on activities to enhance geographical inquiry.
Key Inquiry Questions
- How has the landform at Balls Head Reserve been transformed by environmental and human processes over time?
- Why have people valued this landform?
- How has the landform been sustainably managed and protected?
Student previsit and follow-up activities
Successful fieldwork visits have direct links to current classroom learning. Pre-visit activities carried out before the excursion will help students better understand the excursion content and provide a sense of connectedness and relevance to classroom learning.
Have students visit the Student Support Website provided on booking and complete any pre-fieldwork activities to familiarise them with the study area.
Activities on the day
- Understand the coastal landscape studied and its formation.
- Visit the Coal Loader Sustainability Centre to appreciate how people valued the headland over time, including evidence of Aboriginal use of the area, a tour of the historic Coal Loader facilities and a tour of the Sustainability Centre.
- Visit Balls Head Reserve to participate in a geographic skills session, including map reading and using geographic measurement tools, such as a compass.
- Participate in an activity to investigate and observe the erosion processes.
- Observe sustainable management practices in the reserve throughout the day, which enhance the quality of the headland environment.
Important information
The Coal Loader Sustainability Centre and Balls Head Reserve, Waterhen Drive, Waverton, Sydney.
View the Google Map with approximate walking route, meeting location and pick up location.
Students investigative the Coal Loader and Balls Head Reserve to:
- Examine one landscape and its distinctive landforms
- Describe processes and influences that form and transform places and environments
- Examine perspectives of people and organisations on a range of geographic issues
- Discuss management of places and environments for their sustainability
- Acquire and process geographical information by selecting and using geographic tools for inquiry.
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About our centre
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