Narrabundah College students win International Geography Olympiad in Beijing

Claire Yung and Deepan Kumar made up half the country's team at the International Geography Olympiad in Beijing, helping lead Australia to victory as the best national team.

They returned to school to a hero's welcome this week after edging out multiple first-place winners Singapore and 44 other countries to claim the title, something Claire found to be a "complete surprise".

"I didn't have such high expectations for us, so it was quite a pleasant surprise when we won," she said.

Part of the competition involved travelling to a Beijing suburb on fieldwork, analysing different aspects of sustainability and livability.

The team members then worked together to develop a plan to improve sustainability in the area.

Written exams were also part of the olympiad, which ran from August 16 to 22.

Access to past tests and fieldwork meant there were few surprises for the competitors, but Claire said one of the most memorable parts of the trip was meeting people from all over the world.

"There were a lot of passionate and friendly people from all over the world which was really exciting," she said.

"Although we had great results, what I took away from it most was the experiences we had and we got to meet so many different people."

Deepan said the Australians had spent a lot of time with the Netherlands team and other countries during the week-long competition.

"The atmosphere of the competition wasn't focused on the exams; it was focused on the overall experience," he said.

"Even though the exams were hard, I didn't feel overwhelmed by them."

As well as the competition, the pair went on tours around Beijing, to the Great Wall of China and to Xi'an.

Australia came second in 2010 and 2014, and third in 2008.

Claire came second in the individual category, just behind Wuttiput Kiratipaisarl of Thailand.

Next year's competition will be held in Serbia.