Canberra Camp
Year 6 Canberra Camp 2025
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....
Tired, yet excited, the Year 6 students arrived at school early to begin their Canberra camp journey.
Stops along the way included Holbrook, where the students climbed a WWII submarine. Then onto Gundagai to check out the famous ‘Dog on the Tuckerbox’.
Arrival at Alivio Tourist Park was met with cheers as the students found out their cabin groups. That night, the dining room was filled with noise and the teachers were not impressed!
Our first visit was to the Old Parliament House where we had to wear white gloves to protect historical artifacts. Using interactive screens, we navigated Australia’s democratic history as part of a digital treasure hunt. We sat in the chamber and learned that the mace was used to start parliamentary sessions. The crown on the mace needed to face the Government.
John, our bus driver, then 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. They even had names - Robbie, Titan and Penny.
We learned how coin design needed to include three elements - not too busy, take up the whole surface of the coin and be recognisable. The coins are made of silver and copper, and we couldn’t believe that eleven coins are produced per second!
The coins are sorted into different denominations and stored in huge containers. We found out that the one and two dollar notes were changed to coins in 1984 and 1988 respectively.
Next stop, the Australian Electoral Commission. An informative video about the election process was shown and we used touch screens to navigate electorates, explore the preferential voting system and we learnt about being eligible to vote.
We engaged in a mock voting experience using ballot papers and then discovered how votes are counted to decide who wins the most number of Electoral Seats.
The National Museum had digital activities to explore and a range of animals that were stuffed or preserved in jars. Models of Orcas were hanging from the ceiling and there were giant termite mounds!
Driving up to Mt Ainslie at night, we saw the Parliamentary Triangle lit up which gave us a great perspective of Canberra’s layout and how strategic the planning must have been. It was freezing, but Mr Woolfe distracted us on the bus back to camp by chanting ‘Everywhere we go, people want to know…”. Of course, that led to many songs ‘doing the rounds’!
John then drove us around to show us the Embassies and the High Commissions where we learnt that High Commissions are all part of the Commonwealth. Each of them reflected their country in their design.
The Earthquake House at Questacon was shaking! There were lightning strikes to view and ‘flying fabric’ caused by the forces of air. Some students challenged themselves to try the Gravity Slide and they were glad they did, so much fun! A guide who was dressed up as Einstein showed us magic tricks to perform, which were really optical illusions, and puzzles to solve. We stood in front of mirrors that distorted our bodies which was really funny. Mrs Cramer looked like an Oompa Loompa!
We had been learning about Australia’s war history so we were looking forward to expanding our understanding with a visit to the Australian War Memorial.
The sounds created deep emotion, sometimes confronting. 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.
Other symbols of remembrance were the Reflection Pool, the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the unknown Soldier. “He’s all of them, he’s one of us” was inscribed on the tombstone. We felt ‘heavy’ yet grateful for their sacrifice.
A tour guide showed us around the displays and told stories of mateship, loyalty and ingenuity. We saw real medals, purple poppies and scaled models of the Lone Pine and Gallipoli battles. There were real WWI tanks, longboats, a Spitfire plane and statues of the Lighthorse regiment. Our visit was engaging, informative and moving.
The Australian Institute of Sport was a favourite. Wire sculptures of sports people greeted us on arrival, as did our tour guide who was a member of the National volleyball team. He showed us the main complex and where a layer of ice was being prepared for an up-coming ice-hockey tournament. The men’s volleyball team were training - spiking, setting, digging and serving. They struck the ball with such power and we couldn't believe how tall they were!
All the facilities were first class! The athletes had their own medical and recovery centre. In the weight room we saw a disabled athlete on the treadmill and we noticed all the cameras in each venue. These allowed the coaches and athletes to review training techniques and determine coaching tips, even the pool had underwater cameras! We were inspired to become one of the next elite athletes for Australia.
Sportex was an interactive zone where we could test out our skills. We tried chin-ups, vertical jumps, reaction tests, soccer goals, basketball shots, cycling races, simulated skiing courses and a rock-climbing wall.
There was a lot of sports memorabilia to see, including one of Don Bradman’s cricket bats and 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.
Parliament House stands proudly atop Capital Hill, overlooking Lake Burley Griffin and keeping watch over the nation’s capital.
The internal fittings and architecture were beautiful. A gallery of portrait paintings of Australia’s Prime Ministers was amazing. We learned that all Prime Ministers choose their own artist to portray them, so each one had a particular style.
Roleplaying a Bill proposal in the House of Representatives was really fun. Some of us played key roles such as the Sergeant at Arms, the Speaker, the Government, the Opposition and the Backbenchers. The proposed Bill was ‘Students to stay at school until 5pm’. Both sides presented their arguments. There were cries of “here here”, “nay” or “aye” before voting took place.
We saw the Senate Chamber, The Speakers Chair, where the Clerk sits and all the documents containing our Constitutional laws. Both chambers had the Coat of Arms prominently displayed, a special clock that tells the Members of Parliament they have four minutes to return to the chamber and a gallery for visitors and the media. We felt quite privileged to have been in these spaces where democracy is at work.
Friday came around quickly! We headed for home watching videos to pass the time and before we knew it, John pulled into Plaza Crescent. The bus erupted with cheers and we spotted our parents waiting.
It was a fantastic week, but we all couldn’t wait to get back into our own beds!
