The Sanctuary offers a fabulous learning environment of accessible rockpools, sandy beaches which show evidence of human impacts and an array of intertidal and coastal plant and animal life.
The Marine Education Centre within Beaumaris Life Saving club not only provides shelter and amenities as required on the day of your program, but is a wonderful resource to support your student’s learning. The Centre hosts interpretive signage panels and an AV system.
The animals we encounter on the day vary, as we do not keep any animals in tanks, rather we explore the rock platform at low tide to discover the variety of organisms that are hiding under rocks and in rockpools, and a nearby storm water drain and evidence of litter along the sandy beach provide great conversation starters about human impacts on this special place!
To learn more about the wonders beneath the waves at Ricketts Point and why this place is so special, check our this VIDEO!
Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary Excursions
Beach Secrets: Kinder
Explore the beautiful Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary with all of your senses! We take you on a journey along the sandy beach to discover items washed ashore. Explore the rock platform to discover the creatures that make this special place their home. Discover our guided play-based learning stations to uncover more secrets of the beach!
I Sea Changes: Prep – Year 2
Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary is a unique protected area that incorporates intertidal rock pools and sandy beaches. Through hands-on exploration and personal observations, students will discover the plants and animals that live in this protected place and how human use of these areas have changed over time and with the seasons.
Sand Safari: Prep – Year 2
End of year activities can be a fun way to celebrate and consolidate the year’s achievements. Why not bring your students to enjoy one last outing with their class mates in the ocean air to connect and play! Inspire connectedness and stewardship towards each other and a local marine sanctuary and ecosystem. This low cost, playful and educational 2 hour program will delight students and teachers alike!
Everything Beachy: Years 3 & 4
Explore the intertidal rockpools and sandy beaches of a Marine Sanctuary and discover common marine creatures with adaptations for survival in this harsh intertidal environment. Explore the ways human activities can impact on our coastlines and how this can impact on the balanced ecosystems in these regions.
Tidal Survival: Years 5 – 7
Discover the intertidal rockpools, sandy beaches and coastal vegetation of a marine sanctuary, discovering common sea creatures, explore their array of adaptations for intertidal survival and human impacts upon the marine ecosystem.
Rockpool Food Webs & Classification: Years 7 & 8
Explore the intertidal rockpools and sandy beaches of the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary. Discover the similarities and differences between organisms, and uncover human impacts on this fragile ecosystem.
Species Interactions in the Intertidal Ecosystem Years 9 & 10
Explore the intertidal rockpools and sandy beaches of Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary. Discover how abiotic factors influence the distribution of species on the rocky platform and how organisms have adapted to these highly variable conditions.
VCE Biology Fieldwork (Unit 1 Area of Study 2): Year 11
Students will discover the physiology and behaviour of common marine species within Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary and how these adaptations assist their survival in this challenging environment. Abiotic factors in the environment will also be introduced and how these impact species internal systems (homeostasis). Students will undertake a field investigation across the intertidal zone to gain a better understanding of the relationships between organisms within an ecosystem. They will have the opportunity to develop their fieldwork skills including quadrat surveys, species identification, classification, observation and data recording.
