Timbertop
Timbertop is a full-time boarding, co-educational campus of Geelong Grammar School located near Mansfield, Victoria, Australia.
They participate in a wide variety of physical activities including running, hiking, and skiing, as well as a normal academic routine.
Additionally, students at Timbertop do not have access to devices such as computers, mobile phones, or digital cameras, and external news is typically received via newspaper or radio.
In order for students to receive hot water for showers, cleaning and heating, they must chop their own wood, which is then placed in a boiler accompanying each unit building.
[4] The concept was the initiative of headmaster James Darling, who was inspired by the likes of Kurt Hahn and England's Outward Bound schools.
[5][6][7] The Timbertop campus opened at the start of the 1953 school year with 40 students who would be building sheds, paths, roads and a plantation.
[8] On 5 December 1978, the then-principal, The Hon Charles Fisher, whilst en route to Timbertop as part of a routine visit from the main campus, fell victim to fatigued driving, potentially owing to the lengthy drive between Geelong and Timbertop, and subsequently drove his car off the Maroondah Highway and crashed into a tree in Kanumbra, outside of Merton, killing him instantly.
In 1996, Tim Collins, a student in G Unit, collapsed and passed away as a result of a congenital heart condition whilst on the final 6-day-long hike of Timbertop, near 'Peters Corner', the intersection of Circuit Road and an old 4WD track that leads down to King Hut, below Mount Stirling.
Both Graeme Vanner and Tim Collins have since been immortalised in the form of a memorial grove of trees beneath the summit of Bald Hill which was planted in June 2024, occupying a vista on one of the most prominent geographic features on the campus.
[9] In 2006, a large bushfire, which had not only encircled nearby Mount Buller and its ski resort, but had reached the rear of the school grounds, resulted in the entire campus being evacuated in a space of three hours.
Students take part in compulsory "core" classes, such as English, mathematics, science, Australian curriculum history, and positive education.
Students begin with two training sessions at the start of the year, in which they are taught to use and clean trangia stoves, pitch tents, and correctly use their hiking gear.
The first "Solo" session also occurs, with students spending a day by themselves in a tent on the Timbertop Campus, where they reflect, and think about goals for the year, and future life.
The students also learn Cross Country Skiing on two unit based trips, on Mount Stirling, near GGS hut, and on the Bogong High Plains.
The aim of the running programme is to build the resilience and fitness of the students, to prepare them for The Timbertop Marathon, and ultimately later life.
Other than former alumni, gappies typically hail from regional Australia or the United Kingdom, but the campus has seen people from countries such as France, Germany, Canada, Japan, and others.
[20][21] Notable features on the campus include: The Agriculture Centre was established in the late 1980's, and primarily deals with cattle and sheep.
The large paddocks at the entrance of the school, as well as a small parcel of land on the opposite side of Mount Buller Road, are reserved for grazing.
This region, whilst not on the campus boundary, is located at the base of Ruby's Knoll, a small hill upon which many orienteering challenges take place.
The funds for the Chapel were gifted by Mrs Margaret McWhae, who lived at 'Ellingerrin', a large pastoral property in the Western District of Victoria.
Almost all of the materials used in the construction of the Chapel were sourced locally, with the sand and gravel coming from the nearby Delatite River, the stone from the school grounds used for the wing walls and the main altar, and the stone paving around the sanctuary taken from a nearby property bordering the Timbertop Creek that was owned by the Lovick family, another prominent family in the region.
The 'Country Club' is the name given to a large flat section of ground located on the banks of the Timbertop Creek, where sports lessons typically take place.
The dining hall's large verandah boasts picturesque views of the surrounding hills, and maintains an imposing location, being one of the first buildings of Timbertop seen on the drive into the school.
At the end of meal times, a bell is rung by one of the teachers, and everyone must pause eating and drinking, and listen to news and information given by staff.
This track is arguably more utilised than Grammar School Road, due its usage in several running and hiking routes.
Additionally, the Klingsporn Track makes a feature in the route of the 'infamous' "Buller Road", a punishment run issued to select misbehaving students.
The hill is often included in runs in Term 1, as a particular section of the route that has a steep set of stairs is often deemed to be grueling by the new and unprepared students.
Pool doughnuts are assembled and taped together in such a way to resemble a rowing boat, and students, using their arms as oars, must paddle from one side of the river to the other in a race.
Flowing directly through the middle of the campus, Timbertop Creek begins near the summit of Mount Timbertop, flows down Rhyolite Falls, before it passes through campus, where it reaches Monty's Weir, then onward through B Unit Flat, the Country Club, the base of Bald Hill and finally converges with the Delatite River off-campus near the township of Merrijig.
