Field Trips
Friday 19 July 2024
All Field Trips depart The University of Sydney in front of the School of Geoscience, Madsen Building at 8.00 am and return by 6.00 pm to the same location.
BLUE MOUNTAINS WORLD HERITAGE AREA
A SCENIC AREA OF INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
COST: $60 (Workshop Delegate) $20 (Student) LIMIT 48 people.
Led by Dr Peter Hatherly, a specialist of landforms of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, experiencing the World Heritage Exhibition Centre with morning tea in the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens located on the volcanics outcrops of Mt Tomah, the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, and various geosites and short walking trails including the Triassic sedimentary landscapes of the Upper Blue Mountains at the iconic Govetts Leap and Echo Point .
Departing at 8.00 am, travelling via the scenic Bells Line of Road, visiting the renowned Blue Mountains Botanical Gardens and World Heritage exhibition at Mt Tomah. Travelling to Blackheath in the Blue Mountains to experience the Govetts Leap lookout (Triassic sandstone escarpment of the Narrabeen Group) and visiting the National Parks Visitor Centre followed by a visit to the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba.
After lunch, a visit to Echo Point (including a walk along the new nature trail to the world famous Three Sisters landmark).
Travelling back to Sydney along the Great Western Highway (following much of the historic Cox’s Road) to Glenbrook in the Lower Blue Mountains to see the unique geomorphological features created by the Lapstone Structural Complex, arriving back in Sydney around 6.00 pm.
Tour package includes transport cost, lunch, morning tea, and entry fees.
KU-RING-GAI GEOREGION
GEOTRAIL DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDY: LONG REEF, SYDNEY’S NORTHERN BEACHES
COST : $40 (Workshop delegate) LIMIT 20 people
Led by Dr Peter Mitchell OAM, a geologist, an environmental specialist, and a member of the GeoRegion Steering Committee, join him at Long Reef on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to gain an appreciation of how a geotrail along the coastline with 17 identified sites in a highly populated area is being constructed.
The Ku-ring-gai GeoRegion is well known for its significant natural and cultural heritage values. The GeoRegion covers protected areas, principally the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park as well as the coastal cliffs and lagoons along a section of the Northern Beaches of Sydney. An integral part of a GeoRegion is the development of geotourism projects such as educational geotrails focusing on the geology, landscape, flora and fauna, and cultural heritage.
Tour package includes transport cost, morning tea and lunch.
ROYAL NATIONAL PARK AND SOUTH COAST VOLCANICS
COST : $50 (Workshop delegate) LIMIT 11 people per 12 seater vehicle
Led by Dr Sabin Zahirovic, this field trip will take participants to the NSW South Coast, more specifically to Kiama and Bombo. This area records the end-Permian mass extinction in the rock outcrops, driven by volcanism on the other side of the planet (via the Siberian flood basalts) 251 million years ago, as well as preserving the Late Cretaceous rift-related basalts formed during the opening of the Tasman Sea. Further inland, the region also hosts significant and geologically recent intraplate volcanics, highlighting the significant impact of volcanism and tectonics on shaping this region. In addition, the Kiama Blowhole is a significant geotourism destination on the NSW coast, and importantly is accessible via public transport (notably the train from Sydney to Kiama).
Departing at 8.00 am, the field trip will start in Sydney, with a scenic coastal drive through the Royal National Park, as the second-oldest national park in the world (only Yellowstone National Park being older). We will make stops to discuss the role of geology in shaping our landscapes and society and will invite discussion on the future development of geotourism in NSW and beyond. The field trip logistics will be provided closer to the date, but please consider that the field trip will require walking on and across rocky coastal platforms, sandy beaches, and uneven terrain.
Tour package includes transport cost, morning tea, and lunch.
