Tallebudgera Outdoor and Environmental Education Centre

02/10/2026

Celebrating Outdoor Education! 🙌🏽

Ten members of our teaching team spent part of their holidays in Cairns participating in the 2026 National Outdoor Education Conference (NOEC) - learning, sharing practice and engaging with outdoor educators from across Australia.

We were proud to contribute to the conference program as presenters and facilitators:

• Steve, Dale and Bryce shared ‘The Hero’s Journey’: A Year 6 Outdoor Education Program, exploring the learning design underpinning our five-day residential program and its focus on ‘call to adventure’, challenge, identity, reflection, personal growth & transformation.
• Chris presented ‘Leaving the Nest – A One-day Contemporary Rites of Passage Program for Year 6 Students and their Community’, sharing a framed and approach to transition centred on story, belonging, crossing a threshold and community.
• Kalindi facilitated ‘The Risks We Don’t See: Beyond Physical Safety in Outdoor Education’, an interactive workshop exploring a broader, ethical approach to safety and resilience that considers psychological, emotional, social and cultural factors, while supporting wellbeing, agency and meaningful challenge.

Conference streams explored curriculum and pedagogy, safety and risk, Country, culture and place, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, program design and future directions for outdoor education.

Field experiences took the learning outdoors, with our team participating in whitewater rafting, mountain biking, visits to Outdoor & Environmental Education Centres, and program design experiences.

🌟 A special moment was receiving an Outdoor Education Australia Exemplary Program Award for ‘The Hero’s Journey’. Shaped through many years of design, innovation, delivery and ongoing refinement, this recognition is a credit to the many people, past and present, who have contributed to the program and the thousands of students who have experienced it. 🌟

Most importantly, our team returned with a strong sense of purpose and camaraderie, new professional relationships, fresh ideas and plenty of inspiration for what comes next. We especially valued time with colleagues from other Queensland Department of Education Outdoor & Environmental Education Centres and the wider Outdoor Education community. Conference reflections echoed much of what we value - people, relationships, place, connections with Country, deep listening, meaning-making and lifelong learning. 🫶🏽

A huge thank you to the conference hosts at Trinity Anglican School, Cairns, Outdoor Education Australia, Outdoors Queensland, & Outdoor Educators' Association Queensland creating such a purposeful, collaborative and joyful national gathering.✨🙏🏽✨

21/09/2026

🌿 More Habitat Restoration!

Caring for our environment is part of what we do - little by little, restoring habitat and creating healthy, natural spaces for learning and wildlife.

Our conservation champion Roh, with support from the Landmark Environmental team, has been busy clearing woody weeds and invasive species at our Currumbin Valley Campus, making way for new Hoop pines and grass trees.

Spring is looking glorious! It’s especially rewarding to see seedlings planted by our visiting students and staff throughout the year flourishing - a growing reminder of the impact of many hands caring for Country. 🫶🏽

15/09/2026

A huge shout-out to our friends at Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre! 💚

We were proud to support their final ‘Numinbah – Holding Tight’ Community Field Day for 2026 - an inspiring community conservation and education project that is about to reach an incredible 20,000 native trees planted along critical riparian corridors. 🙌🏽

Wonderful to see our Outdoor and Environmental Education Centre community coming together too, with staff from Tallebudgera OEEC, Numinbah Valley and Jacobs Well joining community members and partners to lend a hand.

Caring for Country, restoring habitat and connecting community - such a great example of environmental education in action. 🌱

Queensland Department of Education

08/09/2026

🌿 Support Staff Conference - ‘Connected Purpose – Collective Impact’🌿

What a fantastic two days of connection, learning and celebration as around 80 support staff from 25 Outdoor & Environmental Education Centres across Queensland came together at our Currumbin Valley Campus for the inaugural 2026 OEEC Support Staff Conference!

This special gathering shone a spotlight on the strategic & practical work that keeps our centres operating safely, effectively and sustainably - from statewide systems and processes to health and safety, managing unique sites, facilities and operations, wellbeing, First Nations connections and caring for our natural environments.

Participants shared knowledge, resources and best practice across administration, catering, cleaning, grounds, program and unit support roles, recognising the important contribution each person & role makes to the success of our centres and programs.

The itinerary also included drumming, nature reflection, night bush walk, campfire yarns, the history of our OEEC sector, a conference dinner, great food and field visits to our Tallebudgera Beach Campus, Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre and Nudgee Beach Environmental Education Centre.

A heartfelt thank you to the Health, Safety and Wellbeing and Facilities leaders from the Queensland Department of Education South East Region, who facilitated valuable & insightful workshops, as well as to our other guest presenters who generously shared their knowledge and expertise. 🙏🏽

Much gratitude also to everyone who contributed to this inaugural conference, embodying the theme of ‘Connected Purpose - Collective Impact’ and helped make it such a warm, valuable and memorable experience. We’re proud to be part of a statewide OEEC network that continues to learn, connect and grow together. 💚

20/08/2026

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

17/08/2026

✨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 at a pivotal stage in their development. In 2026, this program is being honoured as an Exemplary Pro...

15/08/2026

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.

08/08/2026

🌟 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

26/07/2026

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

17/07/2026

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