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: TBC payable before 13 September 2023 or TBC after this date.

Handbook

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 27 March 2023

Handbook

GEOL20003 - Building Earth: Rocks, Minerals and Magmas

Location: Western Victoria Volcanoes
Dates: Wednesday 27 September - Friday 20 September 2023
Staff contact: Eleanor Green

Cost: TBC Payment due Sunday 27 August 2023.

Handbook Practical information

EVSC20008 - Earth's Surface Processes

Location: Buchan
Dates: Tuesday 4 July - Tuesday 11 July 2023
Staff contact: Stephen Gallagher

Cost: $650 payable by 20 June 2023

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

Handbook Practical information

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 2023
Staff contact: Claire Vincent

Cost: N/A

Handbook

GEOL30002 - Tectonics and Geodynamics

Location: East Gippsland
Dates: 13–19 February 2022
Staff contact: Sandra McLaren

Cost: $365 payable by 1 February 2022

Handbook

GEOL30007 - Geobiology

Location: Batesford Quarry
Dates: Friday 2 September 2023
Staff contact: Stephen Gallagher

Cost: TBC payable by 29 August 2023

Handbook

GEOL30009 - Field Geology

Location: Flinders Ranges
Dates:  10 July 2023 - 20 July 2023
Staff contact: Mark Quigley

Cost: $700 payable by 1 July 2023

Handbook

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 payable by 18 April 2023

Handbook for GEOG30001

GEOG30023/GEOG90026 - Global Climate change in Context

Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Dates: Thursday 24 November - Tuesday 6 December
Staff contact: Russell Drysdale

Cost: TBC (Deposit of $500 due by 29 August with the balance due by 30 September)

Handbook for GEOG30023

Handbook for GEOG90026

GEOG30025/GEOG90027 - Biogeography & Ecology of Fire

Location: East Gippsland
Dates: Monday 17 January - Monday 24 January
Staff contact: Michael-Shawn Fletcher

Cost: TBC

Handbook for GEOG30025

Handbook for GEOG90027

GEOG30026/GEOG90025 - East Timor Field Class

Location: Timor-Leste
Dates: 7-18 July 2023
Coordinator: Lisa Palmer
Cost: TBC

Handbook for GEOG30026

Handbook for GEOG90025

Information for students travelling on a field trip

  • 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.

    Download the medical questionnaire (PDF 95.4 KB)

  • 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
  • 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."