Geography 11 - Bushfire Excursion

Our intrepid Geography students journeyed all the way to the Hill Forest Discovery Centre on the 24 March in their pursuit of knowledge regarding the natural hazard of Bushfires. A presentation about the 2014 Parkerville Bushfire provided students with a real life local example of a bushfire. The Parkerville story is a dramatic one, but one that many lesson have been learned from. Significant changes have occurred in relation to the preparation for, response to and the recovery from bushfires that occur in Western Australia.

Following this presentation student visited two sites at the centre. One of the sites was an area that had not had a prescribed burn on it for quite some time. The other area had been prescribe burned only 12 months prior to our visit. Student used these two sites to focus on the mechanics of the fire, the impact of fire and the manner in which the bush recovers from fire. Some excellent examples were provided to students relating to the response of plants to fire.

Our final activity for the day was to conduct a bushfire assessment at the centre. This encouraged students to focus on the risks associated with the location of the buildings, the materials the structures were made of and the danger associated with the surrounding vegetation types. This activity allowed students to apply their learning to complete a checklist to guide a discussion as to the risks and vulnerability of the centre.

A big thank you goes to Mike from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions who was a font of knowledge and good humour throughout the day.

Richard Guthrie
Geography Teacher