Year 9 Wandering Spirit Program

What is Wandering Spirit?

Our unique Year 9 Wandering Spirit program is a compulsory high school program that takes your daughter beyond the classroom and into the natural world.

A key highlight of the program is our retreat at the Yeagarup campus in Pemberton, a truly unique opportunity for your daughter to unplug from technology and fully immerse herself in nature. This transformative experience sets us apart, offering a rare chance for personal growth. Throughout the retreat, she will engage with themes such as community values, personal identity, respectful relationships, goal setting, and self-respect—deepening her connection with peers, mentors, and the world around her.

Why Wandering Spirit?

This unique program provides an opportunity for your daughter to develop leadership skills, forge stronger relationships with her peers and significant adults, and create a vision for her future. The Wandering Spirit retreat is not just the adventure, it’s about building resilience, strengthening self-belief, and emerging with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity as she moves forward in adult life.

“Wandering Spirit was so much more than just a camp. It was a chance to connect, to slow down, and to appreciate the little things; nature, friendship, and community. I came back feeling so grateful, and I’ll always remember it as something really special.”

Lucy, Year 9

What sets it apart?

It is dedicated to nurturing your daughter’s independence and sense of self, helping her gain a clearer vision for her future. The retreat fosters self-reflection, providing a rare opportunity to pause, step away from daily pressures, and embrace technology-free moments in a calm and supportive setting.

In this environment, she will discover her personal strengths, set meaningful goals, and develop essential self-care practices, all while immersed in the stunning natural surroundings of our campus.

This opportunity the school is providing to our children is absolutely fantastic. Allowing them to be mindful rather than having a mind full has got to be a step forward in the approach to good mental health in this challenging world. There is a lot to be said about ‘stopping to smell the roses.

Year 9 Parent

Panoramic view of Yeagarup camp site used for immersive outdoor learning at a private high school

Wandering Spirit Intentions

Develop stronger and deeper connections with peers and significant adults.
Increase independence.
Improve understanding of personal strengths, sense of self and vision of self, moving forward into adult life.
Deconstruct schedules and provide opportunities to enjoy technology free time.
Evolve tool kit to self-care, supported by their natural environment.
Develop emotional and social awareness.

How will they achieve these intentions?

Pastoral Care – Students will engage in a year-long Belonging program supported by their Head of Year, Homeroom teachers and the Wandering Spirit Program Leaders. This program will provide opportunities to develop and practice skills learnt.
Curriculum – Students will be exposed to topics and material across different learning areas that will support their Wandering Spirit journey. For example, in Health they learn about other countries and what challenges they may experience in accessing health care and education. In Belonging, they learn about different rituals and celebrations across the world.
Wandering Spirit / Character Education Connect Program – A series of activities that provide an opportunity for students from St Hilda’s and Hale School to collaborate and develop a healthy understanding of respectful relationships.
Significant Adult Participation – Significant adults are an integral part of the Wandering Spirit program. There will be an opportunity for each parent/guardian/significant adult in a Year 9 student’s life, to participate in an activity hosted at St Hilda’s after their retreat. We also encourage significant adults to attend the farewell ceremony for their child as they leave for their retreat.
Yeagarup Retreat – the retreat is held at our Yeagarup campus in Pemberton. Without the distraction of technology, students are provided the opportunity to ‘digitally detox’ while exploring themes such as:
• Community values
• Personal identity
• Personal strengths
• Respectful relationships
• The natural world
• Goal setting and future vision
• Honouring yourself and others

A Safe Space

Our goal is to construct and facilitate a safe space and environment for them to:

Undergo a process of self-reflection, discovery and development about who they are and who they wish to be as young adult
Identify challenges that could or are holding them back from reaching their potential and create strategies to deal with them
Gain critical social and emotional competence so they can build healthy relationships
Realise their potential to take on leadership roles
Be inspired to dream big and live a life of their choosing

Thank you very much for providing such a wonderful experience for the girls, in the Wandering Spirit program.

Our daughter had heard from previous groups that the Wandering Spirit camp was great, but it truly exceeded her expectations. She said she missed it as soon as she got back!
The opportunity for the girls to bond without the distraction of phones or other normal school worries is critical, as well as a program which builds confidence and relationships. This is the perfect age and stage to do this, and particularly for my daughter it couldn’t have come at a better time.

St Hilda's Testimonials

Trusted by over 5000 parents

When I first left for Wandering Spirit, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought it would just be a normal camp with a few boring workshops and a super long hike. But once we got there, it turned out to be something completely different — something that made me stop and think about who I am, and taught me how to truly relax.

I loved that we had nine days without phones, because it meant we could really get to know our House. Wandering Spirit brought me so much closer to my peers, and that’s something I’m really grateful for. It’s rare to have that kind of space where you can just be yourself without worrying about how you look or what you’re supposed to say.

The last night was my favourite — full of hugs, tears, as we honoured our new and old connections. It reminded me that everyone’s on their own journey, with their own struggles and stories. It made me appreciate how much we’ve all grown, and how much more we’ll grow if we keep showing up for each other with kindness and respect.

If I could give one piece of advice to next year’s group, it would be this: go in with an open mind. Don’t hold back, don’t worry about what others think — just be present. Because the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it

Beatrice. B

We had so much fun spending time together as a House and everyone came back with new friends and connections. It has been pretty hard for me to narrow down my favourite part of the camp, as we did so many activities and it's hard not to spoil everything for all the younger years. Overall, I really loved my time on Wandering Spirit, from the first day, where we weren’t really sure what we were going into, to the last day where we were crying because we had to leave.

Louisa. K

Each day on Wandering Spirit we were given a theme of the day. They ranged from identity, and self-care to boundaries and mindset. They inspired the workshops and activities that we did on the day. One of the themes was 'Challenge', and on that day was the hike. It was definitely a challenge, but one that paid off because it taught us that although things can get tough at times, if we have the right tools and resources we can overcome them. My personal favourite theme was 'Self Care Sunday', which was the halfway point of the retreat. We got to sleep in, have pancakes for breakfast and moved
from the chalets to the dorms or vice versa. It was a great chance to reset after four busy days and get ready for the next four days.

Emily. G

When De Grey first arrived home from Wandering Spirit, the emotions ran high. We all desperately begged them to tell us what happened, but the answer was always the same - "you'll find out when you get there"! After three terms of patiently waiting, the Gascoyne House found out. We stepped off the bus and into our new life for the next nine days. A typical day in the life of a Wandering Spirit girl would go like this - we wake to the sound of outside birds (or our roommates going to the bathroom) followed by our choice of morning activity, such as yoga, a run or a walk. After refueling with a nutritious buffet breakfast, we would then move into a day filled with a range of activities. One of my personal favourites was when we had a chance to connect with others on a walk around the cascades, a scenic route on the edge of a waterfall. Following this, we had a lunch (wraps and sandwiches) before launching into the next activity. Free time at the end was a time of independence - just friends and a bowl of two-minute noodles in the chalets. Each night, a different chalet group would cook dinner, and it was always a thrill to see who you were seated next to, and what the surprise dinner was. While one of the dorms would show off their dance moves singing to Mamma Mia while cleaning up, the rest of us would head to the nest and participate in a range of activities, from painting to Monopoly to volleyball. Some nights, we had an activity to wear us out before bedtime - including a highly competitive games night (where we also got to see the instructors in some hilarious outfits!) We would then head to the chalets - where there would still be another five hours of activity before everyone finally wound down. When we arrived back at Perth, we had finally experienced what we had been waiting for since the first Houses came back. Wandering Spirit was journey that we would never forget.

Eva. S

My Wondering Spirit journey started from the moment I heard about the camp. I was terrified as I did not want to leave my family for nine days and go spend, what I was yet to find out, a wonderful and life-changing time down at the Yeagarup campus. As someone who is the typical person to be scared until they really figure out what the opportunity holds, I told myself to be optimistic and try to enjoy the days I had ahead of me, little did I know that stepping onto that bus I was about to enter a time full of lasting memories that I would cherish for so long to come.

Down at the yeagarup campus, the many activities spread across the days allowed me to explore a different part of myself that I hadn't yet done before. Some my favourite workshops included the identity, maturity and goal setting. I learned so many valuable lessons and information that I know I will use for years to come. I think what I cherish the most about the wandering spirit programme was the time spent with my friends. Every spare minute we were either playing a card game, hanging around in the nest, or just relaxing together in our chalet or dorm. Meeting so many new girls on this trip truly

showed me how much depth we have in our year group and the different personalities and interests each girl has.

My advice to the younger girls going on wandering spirit in the upcoming years is to enjoy it from the beginning. Each activity is another opportunity to get to know new people, find common interests, and laugh until your tummy hurts. Take on every day with a positive attitude and be grateful for everything you are given. Something special that I learned from wandering spirit was to live in the moment. A true skill that has really taught me to be grateful and appreciate everything I have in my life right now. Continuously being told to “trust the process” we often got frustrated but didn't realise how essential this “living in the moment” thing would be. Taking in everything we saw made us all the more emotional when it was time to leave. I truly said to myself at the start of the camp that I could not wait to go home little did I know when it got to the Thursday and we were getting on the bus I had never been more upset to leave somewhere in my life. Wandering spirit has truly been a highlight of my time at St Hilda’s and I loved all the new memories and experiences this monumental camp had to offer.

Alexia. S