Maroon Outdoor Education Centre Maroon Dam

Are you kids going on camp with their school to Maroon Outdoor Education Centre (M.O.E.C.), also known as Maroon Dam or Lake Maroon?

Master 10 is in Year 5 and he just got back, so what better time to give you a detailed review about the activities and options available for this school camp for both primary and secondary school aged kids!

Where is Maroon Outdoor Education Centre?

Maroon OEC is a unique Education Queensland school on the shores of Maroon Dam in the foothills of the Scenic Rim with a permanent staff of registered teachers and skilled support staff. The centre is located south-west of Brisbane near the township of Boonah.

What activities will my child do at Maroon Dam Camp?

All the activities at camp are designed as genuine learning experiences that are safe to help kids learn about themselves, each other and the environment. Learning experiences are selected and sequenced to assist students to achieve program outcomes. All activities are conducted under the direct supervision of a qualified Maroon OEC teacher.

Students may be involved all of the following adventure activities:

Team Building

These activities require the initiative of the individual or group to complete a task. They utilise a variety of equipment with the safety of each person being a key component of the task. They do not require safety ropes and harnesses.

High challenge

Activities higher than 3 metres such as High ropes, Rockclimbing and Abseiling. Students use harnesses, helmets and ropes to remain safe while attempting challenges on constructed equipment and natural surfaces.

Aquatics

All participants are required to wear covered shoes and a correctly fitted personal flotation device:

Maroon Outdoor Education Centre - Maroon Dam Camp canoes

• Canoeing –using a single blade paddle in on open canoe.

• Kayaking – using a double bladed paddle in an enclosed double kayak.

• Rafting – using a range of equipment to design and build a raft for their group.

Bushwalking and Camping

Camping and bushwalking involve students sleeping in tents or shelters at campsites away from the facilities of Maroon OEC. In many instances students will bushwalk or canoe to and from their campsite. Many of these campsites are accessible by vehicle (4WD) however some campsites are only accessible on foot. Students may be driven to and from campsites or bushwalks in Maroon OEC vehicles driven by Maroon OEC staff.

Swimming

Supervised swimming may be conducted in Lake Maroon or freshwater swimming holes. Participants are required to wear covered shoes and may be issued a correctly fitted personal flotation device.

Orienteering

Students are taught how to use a map and compass and undertake a series of sequenced courses to find locations that have been marked on a map.

What is the school camp accomodation like?

Each of Maroon Outdoor Education Centre’s nine cabins can accommodate 18 people in four, four bunk bedrooms plus two people in one twin bedroom. Seven of the nine cabins have amenities attached. The new “Lakeview Bunkhouse” has 8 rooms with 4 beds in each. There is a total of 194 beds available for students and staff.

High School Maroon Dam Camp

This video will give you an overview of high school activities:

Vocational Education and Training at Maroon OEC

Maroon OEC is registered with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority to deliver the Certificate II in Outdoor Recreation (SIS20213) to Queensland yr 10, 11 and 12 students. Because the Centre has no permanently enrolled students, schools are able to utilise MOEC to deliver part or all of the full certificate. Find out more here.

Our own Master 10, having just returned (was apprehensive about leaving for 3 nights but) loved the whole experience! So much so he has written an article for us about his favourite 5 things about school camp!

Here are 5 reasons why Maroon Dam Camp is great for primary school kids.

I just got back from Maroon Outdoor Education Centre and it was excellent. We left school on a Tuesday morning and got back on Friday afternoon. Here is what I thought the best parts were.

The cabins at camp are great!

The cabins are just amazing, cabins through A-I 1-4 with a teacher or parent helper in each room. Cabins are all super kid friendly. When you walk in you see cabin no.2 and to the right cabin no.1. Opposite cabin no.1 there are the toilets. On the right wall there is the teacher cabin. Now going to the left you have cabin no.3 on the side opposite the door and cabin no.4 opposite cabin no.3.

I loved the food

The food at Maroon Outdoor Education Centre is AMAZING! We had cooked meals for all three meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner. One night we got to do a cook out!

All meals have water with special drinks for the meals as shown below

Breakfast – A juice with every fruit you could think of.

Lunch – Lime & orange cordial.

Dinner – Chocolate milk.

The helpful and friendly staff

The Maroon Outdoor Education Centre staff are super friendly and are all special in their own way, they only ask one thing, that you listen to them when they are talking, and, they always go that extra mile to make your stay the best it could be.

The fun activities for kids

The activities at Maroon Outdoor Education Centre are super exiting and fun, with courses from canoeing to high ropes to building your own D.I.Y. catapult, activities should be the least of your worries.

Kitchen jobs

At camp all kids get a turn to be in the kitchen duty groups which means eating 10 mins earlier and then getting to help clean and sanitize the dishes and wipe the tables clean. This allows children to get a taste of what the big world is like out there.

So there you have it, my main 5 reasons why Maroon OEC is great for primary school kids. Hopefully this helped you out. If you have already been to Maroon OEC tell us what you thought in the comments. Have a great day! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Maroon Outdoor Education Centre Maroon Dam | Review for Parents & Kids