Grade 5 Sovereign Hill Excursion

This Wednesday the Year 5 children went to Sovereign Hill to learn about the Gold Rush. Our media leaders met with Kylan and Ruby today to find out about their most memorable moments.

“At one point we went down, deep into the mine on a special tram. Everything got really dark for at least two minutes. Then we could see some lanterns on the side of the tunnel which helped us to see again. I thought I would feel scared when we went down, but I felt safe because I was with my friends and my teacher.” - Kylan Deakin.

“There was this tall, tall tower on top of the mine that they used to use to get the miners and the gold out of the mine. As we reached the top, the whole thing felt like it was swaying side to side but it was just the clouds moving overhead. It made me want to hold onto the rails tight. When we got to the top I saw that there was a ramp in front of me and it made me want to take a group photo - so I did! I will always remember this moment forever.”- Ruby Penza

Five Fun Facts

Miners used to use bells to call for a lift.
There was a ladder in the mine that was as tall as the Eiffel Tower.
Not everyone came to Ballarat for the gold, some came for a new life.
2 out of 10 miners got rich, 4 out of 10 miners got mildly rich, and 4 out of 10 miners made no money at all.
Most miners only lived to the age of 40 because they didn’t take any safety precautions.

By Kaitlyn Aquilina, Macy Bullen & Chloe Williams...........

On Wednesday August 3rd all Holy Cross Year 5 students went to Sovereign Hill. We started our day with sweets and watched a demonstration of the making of raspberry drops, which was amazing and we even got to try them, delicious!!!

We did lots of exploring on Main Street. There was an old fashioned bowling alley with wooden balls and pins, a little wonky but still lots of fun. We watched a candle making demonstration, which was so good, then off to the undertakers, where they made coffins - fun fact they put a bell in every coffin just in case…! We went into the school, there was actually students in old time clothes being taught by the school mistress; she was very strict. The Troopers were patrolling Main Street, there were also the Red Coat Soldiers that marched up Main Street.

It was like living in the Gold Rush. We went down the shaft to the underground gold mine and learnt all about mining gold and the dangers that went with it. We attended a gold pour where the gold was melting and poured into a mould and dropped in water. Eoin from 5B and Cara from 5A were chosen to hold a bar of gold worth $250,000. The lady made sure she got her hand ready to catch their hands in case the gold was too heavy for them to hold.

There was even time for panning for gold, after a demonstration most of us found gold.

It was so fun and eventful. Thank you to Mr Wenczel and Sian for organising this excursion. And also thanks to all the parent helpers for coming along. We could not have done it without you!

Plenty of Plovers!

You may have noticed all the plover birds in the sheep’s paddock lately. You may have also noticed that they sometimes swoop. Some of us have been wondering why this happens, so our Grade 2 experts (Josh, Mia, Sienna and Skye) are here to explain it to us:

Plover birds are very protective of their babies and eggs. Plovers reproduce in winter and spring. When people and animals come near their nests and chicks, the plovers will try to swoop in order to protect them. Plovers are found in Australia. They have a yellow beak and brown feathers on their wings. If you see plovers in the distance, please do not disturb them.

Lila and Liam - Holy Cross Media Leaders.

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