About Us

Botany Bay Environmental Education Centre is one of twenty two centres operated by the NSW Department of Education and Communities to help students and teachers with fieldwork, environmental education and education for sustainability.

Botany Bay Environmental Education Centre is located in the Visitor Centre of Kamay/Botany Bay National Park at Kurnell, in southern Sydney, Australia. The site is significant for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians as the point of first contact between Captain James Cook and the crew of the Endeavour and Aboriginal people of the Dharawal nation.

The primary role of the Centre is to assist schools undertaking excursions and field work activities in Kamay/Botany Bay National Park and other locations such as Bate Bay, Cronulla and Towra Point.

Together with the Royal National Park Environmental Education Centre and Observatory Hill Environmental Education Centre, Botany Bay Environmental Education Centre acts as a Regional Advisory Centre to jointly promote environmental education by:

  • Providing teachers with the opportunity to work with their classes in acquiring field techniques which can then be applied to their local environment.
  • Assisting schools to plan environmental programs and field trips.
  • Assisting schools develop their School Environmental Management Plan.
  • Providing in-service training.
  • Assisting with implementation of school based environmental programs.

The Centre assists school students to:

  • Learn about and act for the environment in a socially responsible way.
  • Develop an awareness of the cultural significance of Captain Cook's landing in Australia.
  • Acquire an understanding and an awareness of the functioning of natural systems typical of the area. These include wetland, woodland and heath communities.
  • Develop field skills in investigation and problem solving.
  • Develop students as environmental leaders in their schools.

Further support for Environmental and Sustainability Education, including the DEC Policy document and resources to support school planning, implementation and management, can be obtained through the DEC website at: www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au