Tallebudgera Outdoor and Environmental Education Centre

Building Cultural Connections 🌀

For us, it’s about more than partnerships - it’s about genuine relationships, built through connection, shared ways of working, listening, learning and reciprocity.

Wonderful to spend time with Jellurgal First Nations Rangers Heidi, Aliya & Jaxon, QPWS Ranger John and Youth Justice Liaison and dancer Josh - sharing stories, perspectives, knowledge and ideas, and continuing to strengthen the connections that support our work with young people, culture and Country.

We’re grateful for the time, knowledge and energy shared, and look forward to where these relationships continue to take us. 🖤💛❤️💙🤍💚



Queensland Department of Education
Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre

✨Exemplary Program Award! ✨
We are excited and honoured to be receiving this award from Outdoor Education Australia at the upcoming National Outdoor Education Conference in Cairns. 🙏🏽

For more than a decade, Tallebudgera Outdoor & Environmental Education Centre has delivered The Hero’s Journey, a transformational five-day residential Outdoor Education program for Year 6 students… | Outdoor Education Australia For more than a decade, Tallebudgera Outdoor & Environmental Education Centre has delivered The Hero’s Journey, a transformational five-day residential Outdoor Education program for Year 6 students at a pivotal stage in their development. In 2026, this program is being honoured as an Exemplary Pro...

Cultural Connections - Learning with and from each other 🌀

We were thrilled to welcome the Jellurgal First Nations Rangers to our Currumbin Valley campus, strengthening connections through shared learning, culture and caring for Country.

The Rangers joined the final day of our Connecting to Country program, a three-day camp where students are invited to become ‘Jagun Jimbelungs’ – friends of Country. Through experiential learning in the natural environment, students are encouraged to Care, Notice and Appreciate – deepening their connections and sense of custodianship.

The day began around the campfire, listening to a First Nations Elder share stories, wisdom and encouragement for students to discover the magic and talents within themselves. From there, we journeyed along the creek, noticing the unique features of our riparian ecosystem and sharing conversations, observations and knowledge along the way. 🔥

The Rangers are enrolled in our Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management, so were also able to connect their studies with industry practice. Our RTO Manager, Lia, shared real-world examples from across the campus, before Rangers and students worked side-by-side to give back to Country, planting in and mulching native species. 🌱

It was wonderful to hear the Rangers reflect on the curiosity and engagement of our students, their respect for culture and Country, and the value of creating these unique learning opportunities for young people.

For our team, the day was equally valuable – a chance to share, listen, connect and learn in reciprocal ways. 🫶🏽

Shout out to our amazing catering team for providing breakfast pancakes and delicious ‘bush flavours’ morning tea to sustain our Ranger Jimbelungs. 💚

Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre
Queensland Department of Education
Outdoor Education Australia
Australian Association for Environmental Education Inc.

🌟 Support Staff Superstars! 🌟

This week we celebrated our incredible non-teaching support staff who help keep our centres humming as places of learning, productivity and connection.

A special thank you to our amazing Teacher Aide, Jan, who created these thoughtful personalised goodie bags for our staff. Such a wonderful example of wellbeing in action and celebrating the people who make our school community so special.

Cheers to the many contributions of our support team that help create welcoming, supportive environments where students and staff can thrive. ✨🙌🏽✨

Queensland Department of Education

National Tree Day 🌱💚

What better way to celebrate National Tree Day than by getting our hands in the soil!

Today, Chris and Kalindi joined our fellow EEC friends at Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre for a planting day as part of the ‘Numinbah – Holding Tight’ Catchment Restoration Project.

It was also wonderful to plant alongside our friends Jaxon, First Nations Ranger at Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Brighid, Project leader with Friends of Parks Queensland - a great reminder of the power of partnerships and community working together for Country.

Together with Seqwater and dedicated volunteers, this long-term project is restoring habitat, strengthening wildlife corridors and protecting the catchments that provide clean drinking water. It is now in its sixth year and approaching an incredible milestone of 20,000 trees planted! 🌿

Queensland Department of Education
Australian Association for Environmental Education Inc.
Outdoor Education Australia

Deepening Place-Responsive Practice 🌿

As part of our professional learning, our teaching team explored Enchantment and Place-Responsive Pedagogy, with Ron Tooth and Peter Renshaw. Together, we reflected on how wonder, curiosity and meaningful relationships with place can enrich learning and foster deeper engagement for students.

We also participated in ReciprociTREE: Cultivating Respect, Relationship and Reciprocity with Trees, exploring ecological relationships, First Nations perspectives, and practical ways to strengthen environmental stewardship through outdoor learning. The workshop encouraged us to consider not only what we teach, but how relationships with the natural world can inspire connection, responsibility and care. 🌀

To conclude the day, staff rolled up their sleeves to plant native trees, turning learning into action. Caring for Country is something we value deeply, and contributing to the restoration of our local environment was a fitting way to give back to the places that give so much to us. 💚

Every tree planted is an investment in the future - for biodiversity, for community, and for the generations of young people who will continue to learn in these remarkable places. 🌱

Queensland Department of Education
Australian Association for Environmental Education Inc.
Outdoor Education Australia

Custodians of Our Natural Places - Jellurgal to Fleays 🌀

Our teaching team spent a day learning on Country alongside some incredible people who care for and protect the natural places that inspire so much of our work with students.

Each year, more than 3,000 students journey through Jellurgal (Burleigh Headland), David Fleay Conservation Park, Tallebudgera Creek and surrounding coastal ecosystems as part of our Hero’s Journey program. This professional learning experience strengthened our understanding of the stories, partnerships and custodianship that underpin these remarkable places, helping us continue to deliver authentic, place-responsive learning experiences.

A heartfelt thank you to:
🌿 Ranger John and the Queensland National Parks team based at Burleigh Heads for sharing their knowledge of local protected areas, the diverse conservation initiatives underway, the breadth of their work, and current environmental priorities.

🖤💛❤️ Jaxon, First Nations Ranger from Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, for sharing perspectives on caring for Country and strengthening cultural connections through conservation and community engagement.

🌱 Brighid and Patrick, Project Leaders for Friends of Parks Queensland, whose passion for habitat restoration, volunteering and citizen science continues to inspire community participation in environmental stewardship.

🐨 Rangers Brett and Sarah from David Fleay Wildlife Park for providing insights into the park’s unique wildlife, conservation priorities and opportunities to enrich student learning.

The day concluded with kayaking along Tallebudgera Creek, lined with mangroves. Travelling through these living ecosystems provided an opportunity to reflect on the day’s learning and consider how these remarkable landscapes continue to inspire curiosity, wonder and meaningful outdoor learning experiences for our students.

Learning alongside the people who care for these places strengthens our own connection to Country and reinforces the value of working together to protect, celebrate and learn from the environments we are privileged to share. 💚🙏🏽💚

Queensland Department of Education
Outdoor Education Australia
Australian Association for Environmental Education Inc.
Outdoors Queensland

Happy NAIDOC Week! 🖤💛❤️

As we celebrate this year’s inspiring theme, ‘50 Years of Deadly’, we pause to recognise and acknowledge the enduring strength, wisdom, leadership and legacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The theme is also an invitation to look ahead with hope - to the next generation of leaders, knowledge holders and changemakers, and to the responsibility we all share in creating opportunities for connection, learning and growth.

At Tallebudgera Outdoor & Environmental Education Centre, we are inspired by the relationships we are privileged to build with First Nations Elders, mentors and cultural educators. These partnerships enrich our learning and challenge us to listen, learn, reflect and grow.

We remain committed to strengthening opportunities for connection, collaboration, culture and community through authentic outdoor and environmental learning experiences.

Together, we continue seeking meaningful ways to respectfully embed First Nations ways of knowing, being and caring for Country within our programs, strengthen reciprocal relationships with community, and create learning experiences that inspire curiosity, respect and belonging.

May connection continue to guide us. 💙🤍💚

Queensland Department of Education
Reconciliation Australia
Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre

Improving Biodiversity! 🌿

Our Unit Support Officer and conservation champion, Roh, worked alongside ecological restorers Richy and Pablo from Landmark Environmental, LLC to plant established and tubestock native species around our Currumbin Valley campus and along our creek corridor, while also removing invasive plant species within an important restoration zone. 🌱

We love enhancing ecosystems and outdoor environments to support learning in, for and about the environment - creating spaces where biodiversity can thrive. 💚

✨Celebrating Cleaners! 🧼✨

On ‘School Cleaners’ Day’ we proudly celebrate our incredible cleaners who work tirelessly and often quietly behind the scenes to keep our school sites clean, hygienic, maintained and well-presented for our visiting school groups.

Across our two sites, they take on all kinds of tasks and respond to unique situations every day - all in a day’s work, and always with focus, pride and a smile.

We are so grateful for the care, effort and pride they bring to maintaining our learning environments and helping create safe, welcoming spaces for students, staff and visitors alike.

To our wonderful cleaners - please know you are genuinely appreciated, valued and noticed for all that you do. ✨🙏🏽✨

Queensland Department of Education