Languages

2025 Indonesian Tour

Over the recent school break, 29 of our Bahasa Indonesia students from Years 9–12 had the incredible opportunity to participate in a study tour to Yogyakarta, on the beautiful island of Java. It was a truly special experience—one that not only immersed our students in the rich traditions and daily life of Javanese culture, but also gave them countless chances to practise and proudly showcase their Indonesian language skills in real-life settings.

We are incredibly proud of the way our students represented Eltham High School. Their maturity, curiosity, and kindness shone throughout the trip. From navigating local markets to engaging with artists, guides, and community members, they showed respect, confidence, and a genuine eagerness to learn. Their behaviour and spirit were nothing short of outstanding, and it was a joy to see how deeply they connected with both the language and the culture.

A massive thank you goes to Lucinda Blackburne and Erin Knight, whose support, care, and good humour helped make this trip such a success. Tika and I are so grateful to have shared this experience with such a wonderful team.

Among the many highlights were batik making, a silversmith workshop, planting rice in a local village, visits to the Sultan’s Palace, and exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Sights of Borobudur and Prambanan temples. On the Jalan Malioboro, students tested their bargaining skills and brought home souvenirs—and stories—that we know their families have enjoyed hearing about.

More than just a school trip, this tour gave our students memories that will stay with them for life. It opened their eyes to the richness of Indonesian life and reminded them of the power of language and culture to connect us across borders. We hope it has sparked a lifelong curiosity and appreciation for the world beyond our own, especially with our close neighbour, Indonesia.

Matthew Atherton, Languages KLA

Over the July holidays, we had the opportunity to visit Yogyakarta, Indonesia as part our Indonesian studies. We did so many amazing activities such as making Batik, playing Gamelan and planting rice. We also saw some of the most beautiful places such as Borobudur and Prambanan temple and got to try some really good traditional foods but also some very questionable puddings. Throughout the trip, we all absolutely fell in love with our tour guide Pak Tiyo who was so helpful and cute.

Not only was this trip the most fun I've ever had, but it also taught us so much about the culture and the language that we could never learn in the classroom alone. We're all so grateful for the teachers Ibu Tika, Pak Ath, Mrs Blackburn and Mrs knight for making the trip so memorable.

Sunny Porter 11T

MATTHEW ATHERTONon, Languages Coordinator