Sample school camp programs
Every school camp program at Sunnystones is built around your group size, year level and length of stay. Our most popular camps are the 2-day overnight camp and the 3-day camp, and we run day trips and longer stays too. Here’s what a typical camp looks like, hour by hour.
The shape of every day
Every full day at camp follows the same rhythm, so students settle in quickly and teachers always know what’s next.
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
|---|---|
| 9:30am | Morning activities, with morning tea |
| 12:30pm | Lunch |
| 1:30pm | Afternoon activities, with afternoon tea |
| 4:30pm | Free time and showers |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Evening activity: campfire, night walk or similar |
A typical 3-day camp
Day 1
| 10:30am | The walk-in. Our instructor meets the group in the Long Forest Nature Conservation Reserve and walks everyone into camp, while the bus takes the luggage round. Students bring their own morning tea and water in a small backpack. |
|---|---|
| 12:30pm | Lunch — students bring their own |
| 1:30pm | Bush hut building or geocaching — one activity for the whole afternoon. Afternoon tea: damper and billy tea, fruit. |
| 4:30pm | Room allocation, bed set-up, free time and showers |
| 6:00pm | Dinner: pasta bolognaise with garlic bread and green salad; chocolate mousse with raspberries |
| 7:00pm | Optional campfire or night walk, run by your teachers |
Day 2
| 8:00am | Breakfast: cereal, toast, yoghurt and peaches, orange juice |
|---|---|
| 9:30am | Rotations: archery, canoeing and bush cooking. Morning tea: chocolate cakes baked in oranges, apples. |
| 12:30pm | Lunch: ham or chicken salad rolls, fruit platter |
| 1:30pm | Rotations: bouldering wall and Dreamweaver, low ropes course, initiative games. Afternoon tea: Saladas with cheese and tomato, watermelon. |
| 4:30pm | Free time and showers |
| 6:00pm | Dinner: chicken taco bowls with toppings; apple crumble |
| 7:00pm | Optional campfire or night walk, run by your teachers |
Day 3
| 8:00am | Breakfast, then rooms packed and emptied |
|---|---|
| 9:30am | Geocaching. Morning tea: cheese and bacon scrolls, oranges. |
| 12:30pm | Barbecue lunch: sausages in bread with salad, icy poles |
| 1:30pm | Depart for school |
The activities and meals shown are an example. Your program and menu are tailored to your group, and the order of meals can change from camp to camp.
A 2-day overnight camp
The 2-day camp keeps the best of the 3-day program in one night.
- Day 1: the walk-in at 10:30am with packed morning tea and lunch, afternoon activities, room set-up and showers, dinner at 6pm, then an evening campfire or night walk.
- Day 2: breakfast at 8am, morning activities from 9:30am, a barbecue lunch at 12:30pm, and departure at 1:30pm.
Day trips
| 9:00am | Arrive, welcome and briefing on toilets, water taps and the day ahead |
|---|---|
| 9:30am | Morning activities, with two groups rotating through three activities each |
| 12:30pm | Barbecue lunch |
| 1:30pm | Afternoon activities, groups swap |
| 4:30pm | Depart for school |
Day trips can also stay on for an early dinner at 5pm and leave at 6pm. It’s a great first taste of camp for younger students, from Prep to Grade 2.
Confirm your arrival and departure times with our program manager, and make sure every student has a hat, water bottle and sunscreen. If rain is forecast, they’ll need a raincoat — a puffer jacket isn’t suitable.
Longer camps
A 5-day camp follows the same daily rhythm and adds activities there isn’t time for on a shorter stay, such as an environmental bush walk to the ridge where the wedge-tailed eagles fly, down to the creek and past the wombat burrows. The last day ends the same way: rooms emptied after breakfast, a barbecue lunch, and departure at 1:30pm.
Campouts
On a 3-day camp, half the group can camp out under canvas while the other half stays in the homestead, then swap the next night.
How groups move through the day
The group is usually split in half. Half-day activities run for about three hours and suit groups of up to 60 — the walk-in, bush hut building, geocaching and the Instincts for Survival game. Smaller rotation activities run for 45 to 60 minutes in groups of 12 to 18 — archery, canoeing, low ropes, raft building, bush cooking, bush art and the bouldering wall.
Evenings
Evening activities are run by your teachers, after a briefing from our staff. The campfire is about 50 metres from the homestead, and a night walk is a chance to see the stars — and, with luck, a tawny frogmouth. They’re often mistaken for owls, but they’re actually relatives of the nightjars.
Arriving: the walk-in
Camp starts with an easy bushwalk — an exciting way to arrive. The bus drops the group in the Long Forest Nature Conservation Reserve at Canopus Circuit, Merrimu, and our instructor walks everyone into camp along the Coimadai Track while the bus takes the luggage round.
There are no toilets on the walk, so stop at the Merrimu Reservoir on Diggers Rest–Coimadai Road, five minutes away. Students carry a small day pack with their morning tea, lunch, a filled water bottle and a hat, and wear walking clothes and shoes.
Mealtimes and dietary requirements
A teacher needs to be at every meal service, so students with dietary requirements receive the right meal. Enter all allergies and dietary requirements in the online portal at least two weeks before camp.
Common questions
Can we change the program?
What time do we arrive and leave?
Who runs the evening activities?
How long is each activity?
Enquire about a school camp
Tell us about your year level, group size and preferred term, and our team will be in touch within one business day.