Field trips
Field trips are an important part of undergraduate and graduate study within many of our courses, giving our students the opportunity to develop their knowledge and to understand and analyse real world contexts.
As well as providing experiences essential to developing students' geographical and geological knowledge, field trips help students develop strong cross-cultural skills and an awareness of diverse environments. See Recognising Indigenous Connections to Country for more information on how we strive to study our environment.
How we do field trips
Many of our subjects include short field trips, but we also feature longer intensive field classes in China, East Timor, Aotearoa-New Zealand, Tasmania, Arnhem Land, Western Victoria and Melbourne.
Auriel Yeap made two videos about the GEOG90007 - China Field Class PG subject.
First year field trips
ERTH10002 - Understanding Planet Earth
Location: Phillip Island
Dates: Tuesday 26 September to Thursday 28 September 2023
Staff contact: Anne-Marie Tosolini
Cost: $350 payable before 13 September 2023 or $380 after this date.
Second year field trips
Second and later year students are required to provide their own field compass, hammer and hand lends. The Geological Hammer and Field Notebook can be purchased online.
GEOL20001 - Geology of South East Australia
Location: Otway Coast
Dates: Trip 1: 12-17 February 2023
Trip 2: 21–26 February 2023
Staff contact: Stephen Gallagher
Cost: $600 payable by Wednesday 8 February 2023
Handbook Practical information
GEOL20002 - Earth’s Structure, Geophysics, Geodynamics
Location: Cape Liptrap
Dates: Sunday 31 March 2023 - Sunday 2 April 2023
Staff contact: Sandra McLaren
Cost: $180 payable by Monday 27 March 2023
GEOL20003 - Building Earth: Rocks, Minerals and Magmas
Location: Western Victoria Volcanoes
Dates: Wednesday 27 September - Friday 20 September 2023
Staff contact: Eleanor Green
Cost: $300 Payment due Sunday 27 August 2023.
Handbook Practical information
EVSC20008 - Earth's Surface Processes
Location: Buchan
Dates: 29 June - 6 July, 2022
Staff contact: Stephen Gallagher
Cost: $550 payable by 15 June 2022
Handbook Practical information
GEOG20001 - Society and Environments
Location: Melbourne Zoo (there may also be an online option available)
Dates: TBC (Available Semester One, 2023)
Staff contact: Catherine Phillips
Cost: TBC
Third year field trips
Second and later year students are required to provide their own field compass, hammer and hand lends. The Geological Hammer and Field Notebook can be purchased online.
ATOC30008 - Atmospheric Processes and Composition
Location: Wombat Flux Tower, University of Melbourne
Dates: Thursday 31 March
Staff contact: Claire Vincent
Cost: N/A
GEOL30002 - Tectonics and Geodynamics
Location: East Gippsland
Dates: 13–19 February 2022
Staff contact: Sandra McLaren
Cost: $365 payable by 1 February 2022
GEOL30007 - Geobiology
Location: Batesford Quarry
Dates: Friday 2 September
Staff contact: Stephen Gallagher
Cost: $50
GEOL30009 - Field Geology
Location: Flinders Ranges
Dates: 4 July - 16 July
Staff contact: Mark Quigley
Cost: $700
GEOG30001 - Geomorphology: From Catchment to Coast
Location: Cumberland River and Great Ocean Road (between Lorne and Aireys Inlet)
Dates: Friday 21st- Sunday 23rd April 2023
Staff contact: Runjie Yuan
Cost: $200
GEOG30023/GEOG90026 - Global Climate change in Context
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Dates: Thursday 24 November - Tuesday 6 December
Staff contact: Russell Drysdale
Cost: $1750 (Deposit of $500 due by 29 August with the balance due by 30 September)
GEOG30025/GEOG90027 - Biogeography & Ecology of Fire
Location: East Gippsland
Dates: Monday 17 January - Monday 24 January
Staff contact: Michael-Shawn Fletcher
Cost: TBC
GEOG30026/GEOG90025 - East Timor Field Class
Location: Timor-Leste
Dates: 7-18 July 2023
Coordinator: Lisa Palmer
Cost: TBC
Information for students travelling on a field trip
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Medical questionnaire
Before your first field trip, you need to complete a medical questionnaire and submit it to the School of Geography, Atmospheric and Earth Sciences front office.
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Student Travel Insurance
If you are going on an overseas trip - including New Zealand - you must apply for Student Travel Insurance first. Detailed information on insurance is available at the Current Students site, but useful advice specifically for students in our School is below:
- We recommend registering your proposed Travel at least seven University Business Days prior to your Departure Date. Applications registered outside University Business Hours (eg Saturday, or Sunday) will be delivered to the applicable approver the next University Business Day (eg: Monday).
- If your Application is not fully processed before the registered Departure Date, the automated Online System will “expire” it. This is because the University has no authority (from the Travel Insurer) to issue Travel Insurance for a “journey” on or after the actual Departure Date. If your Application is expired by the system you automatically receive a system-generated email to let you know.
- Please make sure to direct your registration to Faculty of Science > School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Select the Course Coordinator as the "Initial Staff Approver"
- East Timor Field Class: Dr Lisa Palmer (GEOG30007/GEOG90007)
- New Zealand Field Class: Prof Russell Drysdale (GEOG30023/GEOG90026)
- China Field Class: Prof Mark Wang (GEOG30007/GEOG90007)
- The Itinerary Table must record the approved UoM “Business/ Course related” Travel Dates (up to a maximum of 14 days) and all other (Incidental) Personal Travel Days occurring Before, During or After the prescribed UoM “Business/ Course related” Travel Dates
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Payments
You can make payment for field trips, course notes and field equipment via the Science online store.
If you are withdrawing from the subject
In order to gain a full refund for the field trip costs, 10 business days’ notice must be given in writing to the course coordinator.
If you are no longer able to attend the field trip
As the field trips are a compulsory component of the subject, all students must comply with the University's special consideration policy in order to obtain a full refund and exemption from the field trip.
Please note that the University of Melbourne’s Statute #10.1.10 applies when no payment is received for relevant field trips: "...a person who has not paid all fees or charges owing by the person to the University shall not be entitled to enrol; receive any results of assessment; graduate; receive a diploma in the University; or receive a certificate of academic record."