St Mary’s at Metricup
The Lady Treatt Centre for Learning and Leadership
St Mary’s at Metricup: The Lady Treatt Centre for Learning and Leadership is our outdoor education facility. Located in the heart of the world-famous Margaret River region, the Centre is the largest of its kind for an all-girls’ school in Western Australia and provides our students with wonderful opportunities to learn, explore and experiment outside the walls of a conventional classroom.
St Mary’s at Metricup boasts a large recreation and dining area that is equipped with a commercial kitchen and four dormitories that sleep up to 112 students. Each of the four dormitories has laundry, shower and toilet facilities, and a small living area. A separate area of the property is home to a camping ground that features a large, communal canvas eco tent and 20 smaller canvas eco tents which can sleep up to 88 students and staff. The camping ground also possesses shower and toilet facilities, electric and gas barbecues, a pizza oven and normal circulation lighting.
Thanks to the generosity of the St Mary’s Foundation, St Mary’s at Metricup now has an adventure challenge course, mountain biking and walking trails, and a bush chapel. In 2021, the Foundation also purchased an adjoining property, adding a further 43 hectares to the existing parcel of land. The additional land, which features a natural wetland, will allow our girls to participate in more curriculum-based learning activities that centre around the environment and sustainability.
A brief history
The St Mary’s Foundation, which purchased the land for St Mary’s at Metricup in 2005, has contributed more than $7.4 million towards the project. Our parents, Old Girls and friends of the school have also given generously to support the evolution of St Mary’s at Metricup.
Countless students have enjoyed St Mary’s at Metricup since it opened on 5 April 2008. Our Years 5 to 11 girls have enjoyed regular camps at the property. Several Year 4 mother-daughter camps, as well as many surfing, music and language camps, have also been held at St Mary’s at Metricup.
In 2008, students helped plant a vineyard comprising more than 3000 vines, and in 2009 our girls planted 60 fruit trees – plums, pears, apricots, oranges and lemons – as well as olive trees. In 2012, the camping ground was transformed with the installation of 20 canvas eco-tents for accommodation, a communal eco-tent for group activities, and a new amenities block.
In 2021, the Foundation funded the construction of an adventure challenge course and purchased an adjoining property of 43 hectares which boasts natural pockets of tuart and wandoo trees, as well as a natural wetland.