Leavers turn to low key mornings amid big night celebrations in Dunsborough and Busselton

Leavers week may have a reputation for big nights and non-stop celebrations but not all school graduates are chasing the party scene — many are opting for quieter, more low-key ways to mark the milestone.

On day two of leavers week, Dunsborough cafe Merchant & Maker manager Chris Schut said he had noticed a shift in how some teenagers were spending their mornings.

“We’ve noticed more leavers coming in fairly early in the morning who are maybe not so interested in partying as the others,” he said.

“We’ve had a busy week so far but it’s always hard to tell if that’s due to leavers or if it’s the usual holidaymakers.

“We’ve also had a deal on for Red Frogs this week, so a lot of the volunteers have been coming in.”

In Busselton on Tuesday morning, many leavers were in recovery mode, filling the quieter hours with activities before gearing up for night two of celebrations.

“Last night was a big night. We’re finding it a bit boring during the day, so we’ve just been going around town on scooters,” said school leaver Dale Webb.

“The buses were so full of people, it took ages to get home, an hour-and-a-half to Busselton.”

Other leavers took to the Busselton Jetty for a refreshing dip.

“We’ve just been for a swim, so now we’re going to go back to our hotel and chill out before the next night,” jetty-jumper Alexander Denton said.

Later that evening, the Times visited Dunsborough Lakes Holiday Park Resort, where owner Herbie Schaal and partner Donna Williams are hosting close to 1200 school graduates.

The resort is also operating a “Schoolies Cafe,” serving burgers, chips and meat boxes to hungry party-goers.

“We’ve already gone through 150kg of chips, 20kg of chicken and about 20-30kg of beef,” Ms Williams said.

“The kids come here for a feed and a relax after they’ve been out for the night, they’ve been really good so far.”

Accommodation choices among leavers vary widely, with some camping in swags and tents while others stay in cabins, hotels or Airbnbs with friends.

Caroline Baldwin, mother of a school leaver, said her daughter and friends were enjoying the festivities but also taking time to unwind.

“They like to go for walks, get their breakfast and they just like hanging out,” she said.

“They’re more emotionally and mentally switched on than maybe I was at that age. I wouldn’t have recognised, ‘oh I’m having a burnout, I’m tired, I don’t need to keep going’ but they seem to recognise that.”

Leavers week runs until November 27.