SURVIVAL AT CRESCENT
HEAD!
If all the shops closed down and you had nothing to eat, how would you find your
own food?
Would you survive?
Indigenous Australians were able to survive in Australia for over 40,000 years
before Europeans landed. They survived because they understood the ECOLOGY
of their environments and used SEASONS and TIME to interpret the ecology in
their area to feed themselves SUSTAINABLY.
In this unit you will:
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listen to Aboriginal Elders explain the culture, hunting and gathering
techniques their families used to survive
identify the abiotic factors that determine ecosystems
identify the cycling of animals and plants within the ecosystem
interpret the cycling and use indigenous methods to gather pipis, beach
worms, crabs, oysters
compare sustainable indigenous fishing methods to the use of fishing bag
limits today
create food chains and food webs
associate the terms producers, consumers and decomposers to living things
that are encountered
identified some adaptations and relate them to the ecology of the animals/
plants
identify plants using simple keys
classify living things based on structural features
At the end of the excursion, circle each dot above to show which outcomes that
you feel you have learned today. Hand in your sheets to your teacher before you
board the bus.
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
Page 1
STATION 1:
CRESCENT HEAD FACTORS THAT DICTATE ECOLOGY
1.1 Different Ecosystems at Crescent Head
Activity:
 In the following squares, draw four different types of ecosystems at Crescent
Head. Detail each one with animals and plants that you see.
(this can be done in groups expert/teacher?)
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Use the keys and diagrams over page to identify the names of any
organisms that you see.
Extension: Try to draw each ecosystem as a food web
Estuary
Ocean
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temperature of the water
depth of the water
salinity
organic matter
Sand dune
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Rock-pool
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temperature of the water
depth of the water
salinity
organic matter
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temperature of the water
depth of the water
salinity
organic matter
temperature of the water
depth of the water
salinity
organic matter
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Activity:
For each ecosystem, perform the following tests on abiotic factors and write
the information in your squares (above):
 take the temperature of the water
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depth of the water
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salinity of the water (use silver nitrate Salt turns this white)
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organic matter (use hydrogen peroxide and measure the height of the foam)
Question: What are the features of the ecosystems that make them different?
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
Page 2
Estuary
Ocean
Sand Dunes
Rock-pools
1.2 HUMAN IMPACT ON CRESCENT HEAD
On the following map of Crescent Head estuary area, there are a number of spots
marked X which show sources of pollution.
Activity:
 Find the spots marked X then work out what sort of pollution is affecting the
estuary or ocean. Write down next to the X on the map, what you have found.
Question:
When Aboriginals used Crescent Head over 200 years ago, they were able to eat
fresh seafood without fearing that they may get sick from polluted water. From
the map of X marks, work out what are two ways human activity may affect the
quality of sea food that is taken from the estuary today?
i.
ii.
Question:
What is one way that that the pollution sites, building and recreation at Crescent
Head have affected each of the following:
i.
ENVIRONMENT
ii.
TOURISM
iii.
SEAFOOD QUALITY
1.3 MAKE UP AN ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
Activity:
 If you were in charge of trying to make Crescent Head an area that was to
keep its ecosystems and not let the water get dirtier, write down five points
that you would insist on to make it safe for all the present animals and plants.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
STATION 2:
A SLICE OF LIFE: SAND DUNES AND BELOW!
2.1 RUNNING THE SAND DUNES
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
Page 3
Activity:
 Draw a section of beach from the low tide mark to the back of the dunes. Use
KEY 1 (over the page) to identify any plants you see. Write the names on the
drawing.
25m
LTM=low tide mark
20m
15m
10m
5m
Activity:
 OBSERVE and identify any animals that you see and place them in the groups
below.
Birds
Mammals
Reptiles
Fish
Invertebrates
2.2 BENEATH THE SAND LURKS…??
Question:
Read the article and look at Fig 2.2
Complete the sentences that show you what lurks under the sand!
The sand is an ecosystem for many …………………………..
A study of sand on a NSW North Coast beach (Arrawarra), like Crescent Head,
has found in one metre of sand there are ………………………. Animals in one metre.
These animals include ……………………, isopods, amphipods, and three species
of…………………..
They live in a strip between ……………………… tide and …………………tide and to a
depth of ……. centimetres. …... and …………..vehicles can destroy this ecosystem
without even knowing it!! How???
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
Page 4
Activity:
 LOOK for signs of pipis, beach worms and crabs between the high and low tide
marks. On your cross section of a sand dune, draw where you expect to find
pipis, beach worms and crabs.
What signs do you look for in the sand to find?
i.
a crab hole
ii.
pipis
iii.
beachworms
DRAW A FOOD CHAIN for the beach strip (Ask your teacher for help)
2.3 Aboriginal Fishing and Gathering Techniques (Elders)
Activity:
i.
How did Aboriginal people catch pipis, beachworms, oysters, crabs and
other seafood?
ii.
Draw or write the methods used.
iii.
What food value were these foods? How did Aboriginals cook or treat
them?
Sustainable Limits:
Before the Europeans arrived 200 years ago, the population of Australian coastal
areas was small. Also, the Aboriginal way of food taking was based on
SUSTAINABLE methods of fishing.
Question: What does SUSTAINABLE mean?
Question: Look at the diagram for bag limits of fishing under present NSW law.
What are the bag limits for each of the following….
i.
Pipis
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ii.
Beach worms
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iii.
Crabs
………………….
Question: Why do we need bag limits for fishing today?
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
Page 5
Activity: How many crabs?
A healthy ecosystem has a good population of crabs.
Ecologists count
numbers of animals in sample areas to work out how good or bad is the
ecology. Use random throwing over your shoulder of 1m X 1m quadrats along
the wet beach strip and count the number of crab holes. Put your results and
other group results in a table so that you can work out the average in class.
Group Names
Number of crab holes in one metre
square
Total number of crab holes
Average number of crab holes per square metre
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Question: Is the sand ecology healthy or not? Give one reason.
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
Page 6
A Sand Dune Succession: Survival for All!
Activity:
In the table below, draw a picture of each plant. Find out what special adaptation
(survival feature) it has to let it survive on the dry, salty sand dunes. Which of
these plants were used for Aboriginal food? What season was the food available?
Name/ drawing
Aboriginal food and
season available
Special Adaptation
Spinifex
Pigface
Beach geranium
Warrigal greens
Coastal wattle
Tea tree
Banksia
Melaleuca (paper bark)
Others
 Sarsparilla
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Diberry leaves
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Jarning
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
Page 7
STATION 3:
POINT PLUMBER FISH TRAPS (ELDERS)
LISTEN, WATCH and LEARN to the Elders as they show how Aboriginal people
used
Point Plumber has an Aboriginal
stone tool factory. What was its
 fish traps
significance? What was its use?
 plant stunners
What was the reason for the rock
 spears and other weapons
types used?
with their knowledge of the life cycle of fish (timing of fish runs) and other
seafood to provide protein-rich nutrients for their families.
Question: When do the Luderick (black fish) and mullet run? Relate this to the
life cycle of these fish.
Use the rest of this page to draw and write down important facts about Aboriginal
fishing and hunting techniques. Include a drawing to show a fish trap and how it
works.
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
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STATION 4:
Activity:
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POINT PLUMBER
Ecological Treasure Hunt (in groups of 3 or 4)
Find the 10 items listed on the mystery paper given at you. You have 10
minutes to find all of these items.
Activity:
Sand Webs: Use items on your treasure hunt to draw 4 food chains in the sand.
Then join them up to form a food web. Show this to your teacher or group leader
Activity: If time: Tag touch game
Extension:
REFLECTION Put yourself in the place of an Aboriginal teenager who lived 300
years ago on the mid north coast of NSW or a present day teenager from John
Marsden’s “Tomorrow” series where all food is cut off to your area due to the
invasion by a foreign country.
Explain how you would survive by looking at the ecology of ecosystems in your
area and formulating a life plan of one year to collect food and hunt depending on
seasons. Include in it what things you would do to be sustainable. Think about
summer, autumn, winter and spring.
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
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EVALUATION
1. What new things did you learn today on this excursion that you did not know
before?
2. What was the most enjoyable thing you did today?
3. What did you enjoy least?
4. What do you think could be improved or added to the excursion?
KEMPSEY HIGH SCHOOL
STAGE 4: ECOLOGY UNIT
Page 10