Deep Creek Reserve STEM Excursions
Swinburne PrimeSCI! and Cardinia Shire Council offer a range of F-Yr10 excursion programs, based around the themes of STEM, environment and sustainability, delivered from the Deep Creek Reserve Centre.
The Deep Creek Reserve Centre in Pakenham provides school students with the opportunity to learn about science, environment and sustainability as part of Victorian Government curriculum-based STEM education sessions, by utilising the indoor and surrounding wetlands.
PrimeSCI! School Excursion Fees
Effective from Term 1 2025, school excursions and bus transport to Deep Creek Reserve Centre will no longer be free to schools. To support accessibility, subsidised excursion fees are available to eligible priority schools. Please contact PrimeSCI! for more information.
The maximum excursion capacity is 60 students, with the cohort split into two classes (max. 30) and taught in parallel. Classes run for 1.5 hours and incorporate demonstrations and hands-on learning.
- One Class (max. 30 students), Half Day (One topic): $460 + GST
- One Class (max. 30 students), Full Day (Two topics): $660 + GST
- Two classes (max. 60 students), Half Day (One or two topic): $740 + GST
- Two Classes (max. 60 students), Full Day (Two topics): $1140 + GST
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The indoor classroom for hands on activities -
The fenced Deep Creek Reserve Playground -
Environmental lessons include studying water samples collected from the surrounding wetlands -
Hands-on activities from the Climate Change lesson, funded by the Cardinia Shire Council
Deep Creek Reserve Centre
Cameron Way, Pakenham VIC 3810
Book your excursion
School Excursion expression of interest open now.
Excursions available
New in 2025, Swinburne PrimeSCI! will be delivering more Environmental and Sustainability lessons, such as Adapt & Survive (Yr 5 - 6), Life Cycles (F – Yr 2) and Renewable Energy (Yr 5 - 6), and will be introducing half-day and full day excursion options.
Foundation to Year 2 excursions
Discover more about the biodiversity of plants and animals of the Deep Creek Reserve using our special collection of artefacts. Use dichotomous keys to identify living things with adaptations that help them to survive in their environments. Explore genetic diversity and survival of species using a tassie devil mock-DNA case study.
What is a catchment, what is our impact and ways that we can help use water more sustainably and improve the health of the waterways?
Water is a scarce and finite resource that is vital for the life of every living thing on the planet. Our local waterways are part of a larger catchment that our drinking water comes from. Our activities have an impact on our local waterways and in turn the larger catchment, oceans and all the life that depends on it for survival. Students will learn about our impacts and ways to help. They will also become citizen scientists by learning how to monitor the chemical, physical and biological health of their local waterway.
Victorian Curriculum: VCGGC059, VCGGK068, VCSSU041, VCSSU042, VCSSU047.
What do we dig up from the Earth? Students identify samples from Australian mines and work out the uses of these minerals in our everyday lives. We can’t keep digging up and chopping down Earth’s resources forever, so students work in groups to make their own recycled paper.
Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Curriculum: VCSSU047.
Year 3 – 4 excursions
Discover more about the biodiversity of plants and animals of the Deep Creek Reserve using our special collection of artefacts. Use dichotomous keys to identify living things with adaptations that help them to survive in their environments. Explore genetic diversity and survival of species using a tassie devil mock-DNA case study.
Climate change, caused by humans, is affecting habitats all over the world. In this program students will use the Deep Creek wetland environment to investigate:
- the biodiversity of wetlands including freshwater macroinvertebrates, birds and frogs
- changes to temperature in man-made and natural environments
- use of renewable energy to reduce the impact of climate change.
Victorian Curriculum : VCSSU056, VCSSU057, VCSSU058, VCSSU062, VCSSU063, VCSIS067, VCSIS068, VCSIS070, VCSIS072, VCGGC074, VCGGK081, VCGGK082.
What is a catchment, what is our impact and ways that we can help use water more sustainably and improve the health of the waterways?
Water is a scarce and finite resource that is vital for the life of every living thing on the planet. Our local waterways are part of a larger catchment that our drinking water comes from. Our activities have an impact on our local waterways and in turn the larger catchment, oceans and all the life that depends on it for survival. Students will learn about our impacts and ways to help. They will also become citizen scientists by learning how to monitor the chemical, physical and biological health of their local waterway.
Victorian Curriculum: VCGGC073, VCGGK082, VCMSP149, VCSSU057, VCSSU058, VCSIS068.
Investigate different wetland water samples from of the Deep Creek Reserve to identify freshwater invertebrates. Discuss the needs of animals that live in these habitats as you learn about living and non-living factors that influence life in our local waterways. Best taught in Term 1 and 4 for greatest waterbug diversity.
Understand the physics of electricity generation, with focus on how energy is transformed to meet our needs. Use hands-on activities to explore renewable energy technologies currently used locally in Victoria, and in Australia.
Learn about different types of rocks and the processes that move them around the surface of the Earth. Examine specimens from our mineral collection and the Deep Creek Reserve while investigating weathering and erosion. Explore links between Earth's water cycle and rock cycle in hands-on activities.
Victorian Curriculum: VCSSU062.
Year 5 – 6 excursions
Discover more about the biodiversity of plants and animals of the Deep Creek Reserve using our special collection of artefacts. Use dichotomous keys to identify living things with adaptations that help them to survive in their environments. Explore genetic diversity and survival of species using a tassie devil mock-DNA case study.
Climate change, caused by humans, is affecting habitats all over the world. In this program students will use the Deep Creek wetland environment to investigate:
- the biodiversity of wetlands including freshwater macroinvertebrates, birds and frogs
- changes to temperature in man-made and natural environments
- use of renewable energy to reduce the impact of climate change
Victorian Curriculum: VCSSU073, VCSSU074, VCSSU075, VCSSU079, VCSIS084, VCSIS086, VCSIS087, VCSIS088, VCGGC088, VCGGK095, VCGGK096.
What is a catchment, what is our impact and ways that we can help use water more sustainably and improve the health of the waterways?
Water is a scarce and finite resource that is vital for the life of every living thing on the planet. Our local waterways are part of a larger catchment that our drinking water comes from. Our activities have an impact on our local waterways and in turn the larger catchment, oceans and all the life that depends on it for survival. Students will learn about our impacts and ways to help. They will also become citizen scientists by learning how to monitor the chemical, physical and biological health of their local waterway.
Victorian Curriculum: VCGGC087, VCGGK096, VCSSU073, VCSSU074, VCSSU075.
Investigate different wetland water samples from of the Deep Creek Reserve to identify freshwater invertebrates. Discuss the needs of animals that live in these habitats as you learn about living and non-living factors that influence life in our local waterways. Best taught in Term 1 and 4 for greatest waterbug diversity.
Victorian Curriculum: VCSSU075.
Year 7 - 10 excursions
What is a catchment and how have catchments changed over time? How do we impact our waterways? How can we use water more sustainably and improve the health of the waterways?
Water is a scarce and finite resource that is vital for the life of every living thing on the planet. Our local waterways are part of a larger catchment that our drinking water comes from. Human activities have an impact on our local waterways and in turn the larger catchment, oceans and all the life that depends on it for survival. Students will learn about our impacts and ways to help. They will also become citizen scientists by learning how to monitor the chemical, physical and biological health of their local waterway.
Victorian Curriculum:
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