Decompressing at Camp Laurence

We arrived at Camp Laurence jet lagged and a bit wide-eyed at the strange new land in which we found ourselves। We spent the next 3 days keeping very busy with day hikes, ropes courses and a bizarre competition to build a bridge to a floating raft across crocodile-infested waters (imaginary crocs, that is!!), and to get the whole team across the bridge। Professors Shaw and Rodbell (George and Don, that is) even got in a few geology lectures। In the end we knew each other quite a bit better than when we arrived, and it was time to head back to Brisbane to meet the homestay families।

Clare Hendry and company survey the surroundings of Camp Laurence

The best geology classroom is in the field!

George Shaw and the rock cycle (or 1/3 of it!). So what the heck is a diorite afterall?

Andy Scaplen demonstrating what it takes to complete the high ropes course

Clare and company discussing how this whole belay thing works...






Bunny negotiating the hardest section of the high ropes course

Steve and Jordan paying close attention to their charge

Bridge construction 101! 17 dry students and one wet Brandon Boldt.

the crossing

they made it!








Trail head at the beginning of the 1/2 hike up Mt. Greville, an extinct and highly eroded rhyolitic volcano (Parents, ask your kids what these are!). The hike was steep but the vista from the top and the view of columnar jointing made it all worth the effort.







a view from near Camp Laurence





the steepest part of the climb!