2024 AGTA Conference, Darwin

The Australian Geography Teachers Conference was held in Darwin this year. This biennial conference rotates around each state, and if you are a Geography teacher, is worth the investment to attend. The event usually includes a series of lectures and workshops, field trips and a couple of social events including a conference dinner. 

The welcome event was a viewing of "Wilding" at the Deckchair Cinema. Unfortunately, I was still on my way back from Kakadu, so I missed this event, but heard it was excellent.

There were a range of presentations and workshops at the conference. 

Here are a few other posts detailing a few of these:

• Historic sea level rise and Warramiri people - 2024 AGTA Conference Darwin
• Kakadu - 2024 AGTA Conference, Darwin
• Forest Learning - 2024 AGTA Conference, Darwin
• Ecosystem Restoration - Engaging students in Geography through ecosystem restoration projects - 2024 AGTA Conference Darwin

The Conference Dinner on Thursday night was held at Crocosaurus Cove. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about the location. Crocosaurus is a tourist site in the middle of Darwin that houses a number of large crocodiles and where you can swim in a translucent cage with one. That experience is definitely not for me, but there were a couple of people from the conference that went for it. We were able to pat a little crocodile on entry which was pretty cool. The food was seriously amazing - literally the best steak I have ever eaten, and the entree was amazing as well. At the Conference Dinner at each AGTA Conference, awards are given out for resources released in the previous two years, and the Dom Biddle Friend of Geography Award for outstanding service to Australian Geography - won this conference by Debbie Claridge from Tasmania.

​There is real significance in having a range of social events associated with a longer professional learning event like this. People relax, get to know each other and are more likely to be open and share ideas and resources. The conference also used the Eventee app, which the organisers used to share updates, and allowed attendees to share photos of field trips, compete for prizes and message each other.

Well done to the AGTA Organising Committee for an excellent conference.