Year 6 Bathurst Camp

Last Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday our second camp was held with 98 Year 6 students travelling to Bathurst. The students could not wait to explore Scenic World and pan for gold. Our itinerary started off in Katoomba with rides on the Scenic Cableway, Skyway and Railway as well as exploring the Scenic Walkway which took us through a temperate rainforest. At Hartley we explored the court house with a role play, holding cells & church. Finally arriving at the Bathurst Goldfields and our accommodation, students went to their rooms and spent time with their friends before dinner. 

Day Two was busy with breakfast and students being involved in the Life in Colonial Australia program. They made damper, panned for gold, played old school games and saw many artefacts from the gold mining period. We enjoyed a delicious sausage sizzle and then travelled to Heritage Park to The Planetarium. Next was some shopping in the gift shop, time in our rooms and then dinner. We finished our night around the camp fire with Jason who entertained the students and teachers with his guitar, singing, dancing  and bad sheep jokes. 

We started our last day with breakfast, packed our bags and left our rooms tidy. Next was Mt York in the Blue Mountains where we met our tour guides - Paul, Jarrod and Sue. They showed us Cox Road which was built in 1814 by convicts to travel to Bathurst. It was completed in six months and the convicts were then given their freedom. Lunch at Sutton Park, Blackheath and then back to school. Students were so happy to see their families and sleep in their own beds. Thank you Year 6 for a fun camp with respectful behaviour. We know you will each cherish your memories of your last primary school camp forever.  

Year 6 students' favourite things about camp  

"The highlight of camp for me was when we went to Scenic World. I loved the rides and the way the tour guide explained the history. My favourite ride was the railway, my group went backwards which I found more scary. My friend put the seat on cliff hanger, that made it feel like we were hanging on for dear life. Cabins were one of my favourite things too where I got to spend time with friends. Gold panning was also fun where we had a chance to find gold. It took a while but eventually I found three gold flakes. You must have good eyes to find a lot! The way we found it was very unique. We used a pan to scoop up water and we shifted it around until the gold was finally there." Eva 6M  

"Mt York was my favourite experience because I could easily picture the history, while our tour guide Sue was talking. It was interesting viewing the wildlife as I saw many species of plants." Ryan 6C 

"My favourite part of camp was The Planetarium Show at Heritage Park. What I liked about it was learning about planets, meteors and asteroids which was so interesting. Another thing I found fun about the planetarium was looking at the images about meteor showers and also learning some fun facts. I believe that The Planetarium Show was the best as we got to listen to Professor David McKinnon." Ken 6B

"Camp was quite enjoyable. I especially liked having free time in our rooms to hang out with friends. The activities were also fun, and it was interesting learning about Bathurst in the past. Although the cabins were slightly cramped, I liked how they replicated the feel to live back in time. One of my favourite things about camp was going on the Scenic Railway which is the world's steepest railway. I also enjoyed the Scenic Cableway because I enjoyed the thrill of being at a high altitude." Spencer 5/6S

"I loved the bus rides from place to place. Martin, our bus driver, made every commute so entertaining and lively. He let us eat on the bus and people were begging for snacks like starving pigeons! Some rides were short, some were really long, yet every ride managed to be enjoyable. Looking out of the window mesmerised me and I lost my trail of thought gazing at the beautiful scenery, old buildings and monuments."  Jennifer 6C

"My favourite activity from the Year 6 camp was gold panning. I liked this because it was a fun activity and it gave me freedom to be adventurous and find gold. I also liked this because it gave me a challenge to look for specs of gold. This activity helped me find gold which was worth 10 cents, although it wasn’t worth much it was difficult yet it was so fun. Therefore, I liked finding gold the most as it was enjoyable yet it was a challenge." 

Natalie 6B

"The best experience at Bathurst Camp was the camp fire. We had an amazing storyteller names Jason who told us a Dreamtime story about how Mount Panorama was formed. He also taught us how to sing songs and dance. It confused my partner, Amber and I but we soon got the hang of it after a few more times. Everyone had lots of fun even though Jason made too many horrible sheep jokes!" Sarah 6C 

"My highlight at camp was time in our cabins. In total we had about six hours. Three hours on the first day, two hours on Tuesday (one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening) and on Wednesday morning we had one hour. During this last hour we had to pack our luggage before travelling to Mt York where we saw a damaged monument of Blaxland, Wentworth & Lawson. While on the Goldfields, we did some gold panning before lunch but unfortunately I didn't find any." Boston 6M

"Dancing at night with the fire was a sensational experience and was the main highlight of camp for me. The mesmerizing nature of fire hypnotized and allured me, gazing at the blazing flames flickering. The flame added an element of thrill and excitement to the performance. The dances itself were also a remarkable experience, enjoying the unique dance under the moonlight. It was an unforgettable experience that has given me memories that will last forever."  Issabel 5/6S

"My most favourite part of camp was going to Scenic World. We had a guide who took us on the different rides and shared their knowledge about the mines with some other places as well. The ride I loved the most was the Scenic Railway which holds the Guinness World Record for being the steepest railway in the world. On it, I screamed loudly as it went a bit fast down the steep tracks. The other good thing about Scenic World was the information given, from which I learnt different interesting things I never knew. I learnt that people back then worked harder but were also shorter." Benjamin 6B