Yr. 9 Tasmania Camp

The Year 9's have had the privilege of going to Tasmania for the Year 9 camp. We have learnt about the history and amazing escapades of the convicts of Port Arthur, learnt about sustainable gardening practices and how to cook with seasonal foods. Wednesday was adventure day and many of us were pushed out of our comfort zone to face the challenges of the day. Other challenges have included everyday skills such as how to communicate outside of friendship groups and how to be a responsible citizen. Overall the camp has been excellent and the students have been a credit to our College.

▪️ Day 1... After an early start we made it to Port Arthur via the ancient geographical feature of the Tesselated Pavement.  Here our tour guides explained some of the incredible stories of how some desperate criminals risked their lives to escape by land and sea.  We also had time to visit the museum (see kids in leg-irons) and the memorial gardens for the 1996 shootings in Port Arthur. We returned in the evening to check in to our hotel and relax (or swim) before a well earned night's rest.

▪️ Day 2... A superb day in sunny Tasmania! We started the day driving out to New Norfolk for an inspiring visit to the Agrarian Kitchen. From its dubious beginnings as an asylum in the 1800’s it has been transformed into an award-winning restaurant and cooking school. The focus is on sustainability as their website states:  ‘The Agrarian Kitchen is a celebration of provenance through growing, teaching and dining, encompassing an award-winning restaurant, outdoor kiosk and classes, all centred around the kitchen garden.’ 

We had the opportunity to learn about sustainable gardening practices which complement the St Mary’s Ag Studies program. We then turned our hands to producing gnocchi with a sauce of freshly picked spring vegetables. It was great to see so many students trying new experiences and foods at a very highly regarded restaurant.

We then drove to the summit of Mt Wellington (1370m asl) for the glorious views of Hobart and surrounding beaches and hills. It was a spectacular day and we appreciated the immense views. Finally we sang happy birthday to Marcus before a wander into the historic port of Hobart.

▪️ Day 3... What an exciting day for us in the Huon Valley, about 1.5 hours from Hobart. Although the weather was overcast there was no wind and very little rain. This meant we were able to do all of the planned activities. We started with the Airwalk which is an impressive walkway situated 50m above the ground and includes a cantilever over the Huon River. We were then able to 'Hang glide' across the river and swoop back just above the heads of onlookers. The highlight for most people was the amazing and slightly terrifying jetboat ride on the Huon River. The skipper was extremely skilled at dodging snags and rocks as we jetted across the water. At certain moments he would spin the boat to the laughter and screams of those on board.

Yesterday we visited the historic town of Ross on our way to Launceston with the obligatory stop at the Cataract Gorge before heading home to Melbourne and on to Seymour. 

Angela Molinaro

angela.molinaro@smseymour.catholic.edu.au