Canberra 

Year 6 Visit the National Capital

"Beep, Beep" our alarm went off at 5:30 on Tuesday 29 August to go to camp. We crawled out of bed, tired but excited we set off to the school. When we arrived at the school, Bob the bus driver took our suitcase and placed it in the bus. Eventually we got onto the bus and the 50 other kids and the 4 teachers Mr D, Miss Frame, Mrs Scott and Sam Martin left for Canberra while Miss Higgins got to go in the car.

The bus trip was a long one but we kept ourselves entertained, soon enough we came to our first stop at Ironbark for a snack. Following that we piled on the bus and we had one more stop at Gundagai then we finally arrived at Canberra and everyone was bursting to get out of the stuffy, hot bus.

Before we got to our motel we got a taste of Canberra at the National Capital Exhibition at Regatta Point. We built lego and looked at maps of Canberra. Finally after a long bus trip we arrived at our cabins and set up for the next 4 days.

After two hours we had some dinner. Dinner for the first night was fish and chips and then a dessert. After that we went to mini golf. It was really enjoyable but it was freezing the temperature was -3°C. Our group was Tilli, Sienna, Ava and Brodie. We had so much fun going around the 18 holes.

The next day and we woke up bright and early to get ready for the day. At 6:50am we headed off to the bistro to eat our breakfast. After our food we left to go to the AIS. The AIS was one of our favourite places to go. We got toured around the place and it was really cool to see where the athletes train each day. When we were done on our tour we walked to a little place that is a part of the AIS and it is an interactive area. Some of the things there were soccer, footy, cycling and a rock climbing wall.

Next we left to go have lunch. After that we went to the Australian War Memorial. We stayed there for about 3 hours having a look around at all of the exhibits and learning a bit about war. Some of the areas our group went into was World War I, World War II and some other areas. It was a great experience.

Next we went to the Old Parliament House. It was really cool to see what it was like back then. When we got there we had to put white gloves on so the memorial place is kept nice and clean. Before we went into the Old House Of Representatives we did a little activity. We were given a card, with that card you go around to all these computers that ask questions about the place. When we were done we went into to Old House of Representatives. In the Old House of Representatives we did a little bit of role play with Genevieve and Nate getting chosen to act like they are the leaders of the Old House of Representatives. It was great fun.

After the Old Parliament House we hopped back on the bus, went back to our cabins and got ready for dinner. For dinner we had lasagna it was really good. Next we headed to the recreation room and watched the netball. Australia was playing against South Africa, Australia won the match. While we were watching we had an icy pole even though it was freezing. Once the netball was finished we all headed to bed after a long day.

On day 3 we woke up bright and early for breakfast. Breakfast that day was a choice of sausages, spaghetti, baked beans, scrambled eggs and more. It was quite nice. Then we went back to our cabins for a bit. After that we headed to our first activity for the day.

After breakfast we piled on the bus to go to the Parliament House. When we got there we had to go through lots of security, it's really protected. Then we went to this special room and did some more role play. Some people were chosen for speeches and we pretended that we were in the Senate. It was really enjoyable. After that we had a guided tour of the Parliament House. We went into the real Senate and the House of Representatives. We also saw a wall which had all of the previous Prime Ministers on it, that was so fascinating. Then we went into the gift shop. We spent such a long time in there because there was so many nice things in there. We all loved seeing the things. Next we were going to go to have some lunch.

For lunch we had sandwiches and fresh fruit. After we ate we played some soccer and had a kick around then we left for the next thing.

After lunch when went to the National Museum of Australia . When we first got there we saw a massive statue of Uluru. Once we got in there we had a look around we went to K-Space where we had an interactive board and got to design our characters. Then we went into a control room and we had a race to see who go the most points. After that we had a look at the gift shop and some people brought a gift. While everyone was finishing shopping we waited outside and had a look at this big cave. We had heaps of fun making our own characters.

After that we went to have dinner and dessert. It was really good food. We were all so excited for the next activity, just waiting for it.

A while after we all got on the bus to go to Questacon. Questacon was one of our favourite activities because of the vertical slide. When we got there we went straight to the gift shop as we were buying things before we went in. There was heaps of rooms with different things in them. One room had a section called “The earthquake room” you got to stand in there and the ground would shake as though you were in an earthquake. Also in the same room there was a bit where lightning strikes and it was so cool to watch. The vertical slide was by far our favourite. We went down it so many times. Some not so much. Some were a bit scared. Some people were so close to doing it but just didn't by a little bit.

It was bright and early on day 4 and we were heading for breakfast at the bistro. After breakfast we got ready for the day ahead.

Next we got onto the bus and headed for the Royal Australian Mint before we went home. It was really interesting to see how the money turned into what it is today. We got a guided tour which I loved. We also got to see a robot that helps make the money. When the tour was finished we got to go to gift shop to buy things. There was a really cool coin that has got a railway on it.

After all of our fun activities we hopped back on the bus for one last time. We had a big trip ahead of us and there were a lot of tired people so most people had a sleep. After three hours we had a quick stop at Holbrook for lunch. In Holbrook there was a massive submarine that you could climb on. After lunch and looking at the

submarine we got onto the bus. Our next stop was in two hours for a quick toilet stop. After what felt like forever we were finally back home. We all found our parents and our bags and headed home all very tired. 

Whilst we were in Canberra our school was grateful and fortunate to be able to benefit from the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER)  this is an initiative of the Australian Government which provides some financial assistance to students in Year 4-12 across Australia to travel to Canberra, the nation’s capital.

Under PACER, we were able to learn about civics and citizenship in the classroom and see our knowledge brought to life when we experienced Canberra first hand. As part of our Canberra camp itinerary we visited Parliament House, Old Parliament House (The Museum of Australian Democracy and/or The National Electoral Education Centre) and the Australian War Memorial.

We had an amazing time at Canberra and are so thankful that the teachers organised it.

By Brodie Jardine and Ava Charnas