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.
Disclaimer: Field trip costs for students are listed on this site as cost-ranges. This is to ensure coordinators have adequate time to calculate the full cost of the trip and charge students accordingly. The fees charged relate to accommodation, food and transportation.
The final price for will be communicated to students by the subject coordinator prior to the last date self-enrol for the relevant subject. For more details on the cost, we suggest you contact the relevant subject coordinator.
Students may also be expected to pay for purchase additional items. These costs will be communicated separately by the subject coordinator prior to the last date to self enrol.
Never Lost: Journey across Timor's Mountains and Sea
2023 Timor-Leste Tourism Short Film Awards
First-year Field Trips
ERTH10002 - Understanding Planet Earth
Location: Phillip Island
Dates: Monday 28 September, 2026 to Wednesday 30 September, 2026
hayden.dalton@unimelb.edu.au
Cost: $380.00 - $440.00
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: 16-21 February 2026
Trip 2: 22-27 February 2026
Contact email: GEOL20001-admin@unimelb.edu.au
Cost: $750 payable by Wednesday 7 January 2026
Please submit payment via our eCommerce website.
Specific information regarding the GEOL20001 field trip can be found here.
GEOL20002 - Investigating Earth's Structure
Location: Cape Liptrap
Staff contact: Mark Quigley
Dates: 22th August - 23rd August 2026
Cost: $180.00 - $220.00
GEOL20003 - Building Earth: Rocks, Minerals, Magmas
Location: Western Victoria Volcanoes
Dates: Wednesday 8th April - Friday 10th April 2026
Staff contact: Eleanor Green
Cost: $380.00
Handbook Practical information
EVSC20008 - Earth's Surface Processes
Location: Buchan
Dates: Trip 1: Saturday 4 July – 11 July 2026, repeated Trip 2: 15 July – 22 July 2026
Staff contact: jack.stacey@unimelb.edu.au
Cost: $900.00 - $1050.00
Handbook Practical information
GEOG20002 - Landscapes and Environmental Change
Location: Great Ocean Rd, Lake Corangamite, The Otways
Dates: Tuesday 7th April - Saturday 11th April 2026
Staff contact: Jan-Hendrik May
Cost: $180.00 - $210.00
GEOG20015 - Environmental Change and the Human Journey
Location: Western Victoria - Lake Surprise, Portland, Budj Bim National Park
Staff contact: michael.fletcher@unimelb.edu.au
Cost: $500.00 - $580.00
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: University of Melbourne
Dates: 31st March 2026
Staff contact: Claire Vincent
Cost: N/A
GEOL30002 - Tectonics and Geodynamics
Location: East Gippsland
Dates: Sunday 22th - Saturday 28th February 2026
Staff contact: Mark Quigley
Cost: $500.00
GEOL30007 - Geobiology
Location: Batesford Quarry
Dates: 10th September 2026
Staff contact: Stephen Gallagher
Cost: TBC
GEOL30009/GEOL90053 - Field Geology
Location: Flinders Ranges
Dates: Tuesday 14th July - Wednesday 22nd July 2026
Staff contact: Ashleigh Hood
Cost: $900.00 - $1050.00
GEOG30001 - Geomorphology: From Catchment to Coast
Location: Cumberland River and Great Ocean Road (between Lorne and Aireys Inlet)
Staff contact: David Kennedy
Cost: $55
GEOG30023/GEOG90026 - Global Climate change in Context
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Dates: 10-22 February 2025
Subject Selection
30 September 2024: GEOG30023/GEOG90026 Information Session 1
14 October 2024: Interested students to submit EOI form to Russell Drysdale via rnd@unimelb.edu.au.
21 October 2024: Successful students will be notified.
28 October 2024: $200 deposit due via SGEAS eCommerce website.
11 November 2024: Subject enrolment for 2025 opens. Successful students to enrol into subjects via my.unimelb.
25 November 2024: Final payment due (and the last date to self-enrol).
2 December 2024: GEOG30023/GEOG90026 Information Session 2 and subject outline.
Information and Resources
GEOG30023/GEOG90026 Information Session 1 Recording
GEOG30023/GEOG90026 Information Session 1 PowerPoint Slides
Staff contact: Russell Drysdale (rnd@unimelb.edu.au).
Cost: TBC
GEOG30025/GEOG90027 - Biogeography & Ecology of Fire
Location: East Gippsland
Dates: 16th January - 22nd January 2026
Staff contact: Michael-Shawn Fletcher
Cost: Deposit: $100 – payable by 01/12/2023 Remainder of cost: $850 – payable by 18/01/2024
GEOG30026/GEOG90025 - East Timor Field Class
Location: Timor-Leste
Dates: Not running in 2026
Coordinator: Lisa Palmer
Cost: TBC
Information for students travelling on a field trip
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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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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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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."