Canberra Camp

Year 6 Canberra Camp 2026

The Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER)

Students from our school have recently undertaken an education tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. 

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education and to assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion, the Australian government contributed funding of $45 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program. 

Here is a summary of our adventure in the Nations Capital....

Canberra Camp 2026 Written by 6B

Tired, excited, yet nervous about the tour of Canberra, we arrived at KPS in the darkness of the early morning. With our bags packed and ready to load onto the bus, we waved goodbye to our families and set off on our adventure.

The journey was fairly quiet at first. Our Entertainment Minister, Johnson, chose Despicable Me 1 and Despicable Me 2 for us to watch, followed by Ice Age, which everyone enjoyed. Cheers erupted as we arrived in Yea for a quick morning tea and bathroom break. About two hours later, we stopped in Holbrook for lunch, where we climbed aboard the HMAS Otway submarine.

Back on the road, we made another stop in Gundagai to visit the famous Dog on the Tuckerbox. After what felt like forever, we finally arrived at Alivio Tourist Park, but it was raining! We headed straight to our cabins, unpacked our bags and sorted out our sleeping arrangements before dinner.

Dinner consisted of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, peas and gravy, followed by a not so popular jelly cup for dessert. After a long day of travelling, some students were ready for an early night before setting off to explore the sights of Canberra the next morning.

At the Electoral Education Centre, we learnt how democracy and voting rights have changed over time. We took part in a mock election, with Jack R and Addison handing out ballot papers and marking names off the electoral roll. We voted for our favourite fruit, resulting in a tie between apples and peaches! We also explored electorates, learnt about preferential voting and discovered what makes Australians eligible to vote through interactive games. 

Our next stop was Old and New Parliament House. At Old Parliament House, we sat in the historic House of Representatives chamber. We learnt that the Speaker’s Chair was a gift from the United Kingdom, symbolically linking Australia’s Parliament to the Westminster tradition. Parliament last sat in the building in 1988 before moving to the new Parliament House. 

We admired the huge LEGO model of the New Parliament House while enjoying frozen yoghurt before our tour. We learnt that the water feature in the foyer helps reduce noise between levels and viewed the Prime Ministers’ portraits, some of which took years to complete.

We then role-played a proposed bill in the House of Representatives on whether rainwater tanks should be installed in all new homes. James carried the ceremonial mace, Vincent was the Speaker, Quinnie explained the rules, Amelie was the Prime Minister and Addie was the Leader of the Opposition. Members showed support by calling “hear, hear!” while Heil crossed the floor to vote against his party.

The next morning, Brad drove us around the embassies and high commissions of Canberra. We learnt that embassies represent countries with diplomatic relationships with Australia and that each building is designed to reflect the architecture and culture of its country. We also discovered that the United States Embassy is one of the largest and most secure diplomatic sites in Canberra. 

Next stop was the National Archives, where we learned about the Constitution, Australia’s book of rules and how it can only be changed through a referendum. We tried our best at the dictation test, which was very difficult and learned that if you failed this test in the past, you were deported.   

At the Royal Australian Mint, we learnt that Australia once had 1 and 2 cent coins and coins were gold, silver and bronze before coloured coins came in. We also met Titan the robot, who was retiring after 13 years of service at the Mint. During a scavenger hunt, we searched for the Wiggles coin, the square coin and the giant gold coin. We were impressed to learn that the Mint produced the medals for the 2000 Olympics, which was especially exciting because Nina’s mother competed in swimming events at those Games. 

We ate our not-so-delicious egg, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwiches at the National Arboretum, home to one of the world's largest collections of rare and endangered trees, before racing off to the POD Playground. The giant rope swing was a highlight, soaring high through the air and providing plenty of excitement. We also loved the huge slide, which could only be reached by climbing through three giant acorns. 

We were buzzing with excitement as we arrived at Questacon and many students were eager to try the gravity slide! There were level upon level of engaging interactive activities that stretched our thinking in science and maths. The highlights were feeling the shaking in the Earthquake House, watching the lightning strikes and seeing what happens when you mix bicarb soda and vinegar. It was like a volcano erupting! We all loved the gift shop, with many people purchasing squishies, Newton’s Cradles and freeze-dried candy. 

That night, we drove up to the Mount Ainslie Lookout. It was freezing, but it was amazing to see the design of Canberra, which we were going to learn about the next day, come to life with the lights of the Parliamentary Triangle glowing below us. On the way back to Alivio Tourist Park Canberra, Brad turned off the lights, switched on the red party lights and pumped the music. It felt like a dance party on the bus!

At the Australian Institute of Sport, we saw gymnast Jesse Moore practising his routine and performing tricks on the bars. Sportex was a huge hit, with many of us trying the pull-up bar to see how long we could hold ourselves up, snowboarding, track cycling and goal shooting in soccer. The AIS shop was also very popular, with people buying mini basketball hoops and balls, as well as opal letter and initial necklaces. 

At the Australian War Memorial, there was the 'Roll of Honour', which listed the names of servicemen and women who had passed away in war. A wall of red poppies was displayed to commemorate their service. Other symbols of remembrance included the Reflection Pool, the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The words, “He’s all of them, and he’s one of us,” were inscribed on the tomb. We felt grateful for the sacrifices they made for our country. 

A tour guide showed us around the displays and told stories of mateship, loyalty and ingenuity. We saw real medals and models of the Lone Pine and Gallipoli battles. There were real WW1 tanks, longboats and a Spitfire plane. 

At the National Capital Exhibition, we worked collaboratively to make a model city and we were told the story of Canberra and how it was named and designed by Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion Mahony Griffin. We also viewed a model of Canberra and identified the different national institutions throughout the city. 

Before we knew it, we were once again enjoying our final big breakfast of hash browns, sausages, eggs, bacon and toast before making our way back to Melbourne. We were all singing California Girls and Party in the U.S.A. on the bus ride home. On arrival, we were greeted by our families, who were eager to hear about everything we had learnt about our nation’s capital and the many memories we had created with our friends and teachers. 

Canberra Camp 2026 Written by 6R

Tired, heavy eyed year 6 students and teachers gathered at school while our bags were loaded on Jason’s bus, ready for the 8 hour journey ahead. 

Filled with excitement and nervous energy, the students couldn’t wait to begin our adventure. The bus filled with the sound of students cheering ‘Yay’ as we approached our first destination, Yea. Our legs felt like jelly after sitting down for hours! Other stops along the way included Holbrook where the students climbed a WW2 submarine. Then onto Gundagai to check out the famous ‘Dog on the Tuckerbox’. 

Smiles stretched across our faces as we found out who was in our cabins at Alivio Tourist Park. That night, the rooms were filled with more chatting and secret lollies than any actual sleep.

After our bellies were full with hashbrowns, we said ‘good morning’ to J-Dog and made our way to the National Archives of Australia. We learned about the Constitution, Australia’s book of rules and how it can only be changed through a referendum. We all attempted a dictation test which felt so impossible to pass and discovered that anyone who failed to write the passage down could be deported!

The Australian Institute of Sport was a highly anticipated destination and it did not disappoint. Our tour guides, who were a netball, a cross-country skier and a volleyballer, showed us around the complex where we saw some Olympic gymnasts training for the Brisbane Olympics, we saw a paralympic volleyball player and the ice-hockey rink. 

All the facilities were first class! In the swimming pool, the coaches and athletes could review their techniques and with underwater cameras and a viewing area which was like an aquarium! We were inspired to become one of the next elite athletes for Australia.

Sportex was an interactive area where we could test out our own athletic abilities. We tried chin-ups, vertical jumps, reaction tests, soccer goals, basketball shots, cycling races, simulated skiing courses and even the skeleton! 

There was a lot of sports memorabilia to see, including Cathy Freeman’s running suit that she wore when winning a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. We finished with a visit to the gift shop.

With a view of Lake Burley Griffin, we arrived at Parliament House, sitting proudly on Capital Hill. The marble staircase with gold trimming made us feel like royalty and we were all amazed by the architecture. To get us ready for all the learning, we were given some delicious frozen yoghurt and given the chance to look through the incredible lego Parliament House made by Brick Man, with the challenge of finding Batman! 

A gallery of Prime Minister portrait paintings lined the walkway as we made our way to the House of Representatives and the Senate, where we saw all the documents containing our Constitutional laws. We learned about where the Prime Minister sits and how laws and bills come about. Both chambers had the Coat of Arms displayed, a special clock that tells the Members of Parliament they have four minutes to return to the chamber and a viewing area for visitors and the media. We felt quite privileged to have been in these spaces where democracy is at work.

Putting our knowledge to the test, we role played a Bill proposal in the House of Representatives, arguing about whether school should end at 5pm. Some of us played key roles such as the Sergeant at Arms, the Speaker, the Government, the Opposition and the Cross Bench. The final decision (much to the teachers joy), was that the school day should stay as it is.

Waking up in the fog, Jason drove us to the National Arboretum to look at the incredible landscape that Canberra was designed to feature and to play on the Pod Playground. The students managed to convince Miss Rogers to go on the giant swing (she screamed after flipping 180 degrees).

Next stop, the Australian Electoral Commission. A cool 3D video about the election process was shown and we used touch screens to navigate electorates, explore the preferential voting system and we found out how to be eligible to vote. We engaged in a mock voting experience using ballot papers and then found out how votes are counted to decide who wins the most number of Electoral Seats. 

The bus was filled with excitement as we finally arrived at Questacon. The Earthquake house was shaking, the lightning strikes were shocking and there was even a bicarb soda and vinegar explosion! We stood in front of mirrors that distorted our bodies which was really funny. 

Some students and teachers dared themselves to try the Gravity Slide and tried to dry their sweaty hands. 

Driving up to Mt Ainslie at night with the LED lights and music to add to the Bus B vibes, we were able to see the Parliamentary Triangle lit up. It was beautiful to see all the city lights and to think about how deliberate the design of Canberra was. Mr Woolfe made everyone laugh on the way back to camp by chanting ‘Everywhere we go, people want to know…” with his angelic voice…

On Thursday, our first visit was to the Old Parliament House where we looked at historical artifacts, using interactive screens to navigate Australia’s democratic history as part of a digital treasure hunt. We got to sit in the real chairs of the old Senate and learned that the mace was used to start parliamentary sessions. The crown on the mace needed to face the Government.

J-Dog drove us to the Royal Australian Mint where we saw how coins were produced. It was cool how robots were used at different stages of the minting process. We learned how the designs on a coin needed to take up the whole surface of the coin. It was the 60th anniversary of the decimal currency system, after moving away from pounds, shillings and pence, so we were even able to mint our own coins with these special designs!

With the incredible commentary from Jason, we drove around the Embassies and the High Commissions ( which are all part of the Commonwealth). Each of the buildings represented the typical architecture of their country.

We were looking forward to expanding our understanding with a visit to the Australian War Memorial. 

The Roll of Honour listed all the names of servicemen and women who died in war. A wall of red poppies was displayed to commemorate their services. 

The Reflection Pool, the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the unknown Soldier were also moving symbols of remembrance. A tour guide showed us around and told stories of loyalty and sacrifice. 

Our final morning came around very quickly and we had our final hashbrowns before retracing our steps back to Kingswood! Mr Woolfe and Miss Rogers tried to sleep through 3 Minion movies but before we knew it, J-Dog pulled into Plaza Crescent. 

It was an incredibly memorable week that we will all cherish, but we were excited to finally get a good night sleep in our own beds.