OUTDOOR EDUCATION
 Visit the GTOEC Photo Gallery to see some photos of the centre, its staff and recent camps. The centre is committed to minimal impact practices and seeks to achieve its program goals without compromising the beauty and grandeur of the local national parks.
Take a tour of our facilities and view images from the opening of the Br. Barry Buckley Outdoor Education Centre
Look around our conference facility using a Quicktime VR movie
or look at the surrounding countryside as a Quicktime VR movie
History
 The outdoor education program at St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace has been based at Maroon Dam since 1976. The first director of the Centre was Kerry Thomas, who with the support of Brother Buckley initiated the program and established the centre. Kerry moved on in the early 1980’s to be replaced by Mark Deery as the director. Together with Greg Rush, Mark developed the centre and its programs, until Mark tragically lost a long running battle with cancer in 1994.
The Co-Directors at Maroon are Jon Hodges and Jenny Vran.
Facilities
 The centre is located on the southern shores or Maroon Dam about 120km south west of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. The centre nestles in amongst the Main Range, Mt Barney, and Mt Maroon National Parks. Currently the centre is equipped with a new ablutions block, kitchen and dining hall, four student cabin blocks (12 beds each), staff accommodation (10 beds), fully equipped boat shed, low and high ropes course, twenty seater minibus, Toyota landcruiser troop carrier, and director’s residence.
Program
 The outdoor education program at the college caters for years five to ten and each year level visits the centre for approximately one week per year in house groups. The program is designed to be sequentially developmental for the students over the years which they visit the centre. As the students gain more skills and experience with each visit to the centre more responsibility is passed onto them. The level of challenge in adventure activities also increases with each visit, culminating with the high adventure ropes course activities in year ten. The activities offered across the year levels include: canoeing, low and high ropes courses, abseiling, rockclimbing, expeditions, and campouts.
Visit the GTOEC Photo Gallery to see some photos of the centre, its staff and recent camps. The centre is committed to minimal impact practices and seeks to achieve its program goals without compromising the beauty and grandeur of the local national parks.
Outside Group Bookings
Over the last few years many outside schools and community groups have taken advantage of the facilities at Gregory Terrace Outdoor Education Centre.
Groups have ranged from: other private schools, state schools, church groups, disadvantaged youth groups, and national and state sporting teams. With the new facilities planned for 1998 the outside group bookings will continue to increase.
Professional Development Programs
 The centre is fast developing a reputation as a venue that provides excellent professional development opportunities for other outdoor education practitioners of all experience levels. The centre has recently hosted workshops and training programs in facilitation skills, risk management, wilderness first aid, adventure based programming, and rockclimbing instruction. International presenters have included: Dr Simon Priest from Canada, Dr Michael Gass from USA, and Chris Loynes from the UK. Courses planned for 1999 include: Adventure Therapy Conference with international presenter Martin Ringer in March; and Leaders Wilderness First Aid run by the Safety Network from 3-9 July. Details of more professional development opportunities will be released soon.
Contact Details
Gregory Terrace Outdoor Education Centre
358 Burnett Ck Rd
Mail Service 488
Maroon Queensland 4310
Australia
Phone: 07 54636180
Fax: 07 54636280
Mobile: 017 806 402
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