Sovereign Hill Camp

The Year 5/6 students had a fantastic time at the Sovereign Hill Camp in the last week of Term 2. 

Read the writing pieces below to find out what students liked most about the camp.

Sovereign Hill Camp was extremely fun! It took quite a while to get there but we had a lot of fun on the bus. As soon as we got there, we were amazed by how amazing the camp looked and couldn’t wait until we were inside. Costume school was my favourite part of the camp. We dressed up and pretended to be kids from the time Australia first found gold. We learnt how to walk properly, write in cursive and also our greetings. We also went to the shops on Main Street, saw candle-making, panned for gold and saw the light show. Our time at Sovereign Hill was amazing! By Sarah

Sovereign Hill was super super fun and I had a great time! When we first arrived we went to do some fun activities which were gold panning, going to the shops, bowling, saw some candle dipping and just went around Sovereign Hill. For costume school there were different types of classes depending on your roll group, we also got to dress up like the 1850’s and in the classroom we would learn to write in cursive and about the olden days. If you were the lower or middle class girls were taught to do sewing or stitching so they could make clothing or fix something and that would get them a job. 2 things that were really interesting was we got to see someone smelt and turn gold into a gold bar and we also got to see the Ballarat gold mine. On the first night we got to see some beautiful light show and the second night was a music disco. Overall Sovereign Hill was an amazing experience and I enjoyed it very much! By Jenivieve 

Sovereign Hill camp was about life in the 1850’s. We got to dress up like someone from that time. We went gold panning at the little river, where you can find gold and put them in little jars to keep. We go to see a blacksmith forge some iron tools. We saw a red coat guard fire his riffle, it was very loud! There was a goldsmith that melted a gold bar. The candy shop had many treats that we were able to buy. The welcome nugget was there and it is the 2nd biggest in Australia. There were different levels of school systems including; low, middle and rich class. I was lucky enough to be in St Alpius Diggings School.  

By Jackie

When we arrived at Sovereign Hill, we ate our lunch and then left off exploring. We went to many shops like the confectionery store and the bakery. Most people bought candy and toys; I also bought some candy as well. After that we went gold panning which I thought was the best part about camp. Our dinner and breakfast were both delicious and fantastic. On one of the days, we went to the Red Hill Mine tour that was underground. It was kind of spooky at first, but overall, it was fun and amazing. I enjoyed this very much and hope to experience something as fun as this at my next camp.  By Belliya

At Sovereign Hill Camp we had such a good time! We got to experience costume school in which we acted as if we were at school during the 1850’s, we got to dress into costumes from the olden days. We walked around Sovereign Hill and panned for gold, did candle making and watched a demonstration of candy making. At Sovereign Hill there were also lots of shops that you could buy from, such as the candy shop, the bakery, and the post office, which sells pens, pencils, and souvenirs. Overall, Sovereign Hill is an amazing place and I definitely recommend going! By Stacey 

Camp Sovereign Hill was so fun! I really enjoyed gold panning at the lake. We also went on the Red Hill Mine tour. There was a speaker on the mine tour to guide us through. It was dark and a little bit scary. We got to buy stuff with our money. I bought candy! Although it was freezing in Sovereign Hill, I still enjoyed camp. The shops were on the main street. There were banks, jewellery shops, candle and soap shops, grocery stores and hotels. During our stay, we went to costume school and got to dress up in 1850's costumes. I was in the lower class which was called ‘Ballarat Benevolent Asylum School’. We got to experience school life in the 1850’s. School was very different back then. By Naomi