INTERNATIONAL REPORT  

 SOVEREIGN HILL EXCURSION 

On the 15th of June 2017, Mount Eliza Secondary College International Program organised a Sovereign Hill Excursion. Thirty four students from different countries and 2 Chinese teachers all enjoyed this excursion, and got on well with each other. They shared their experiences and different cultures throughout the day.

It took three hours to drive from Mount Eliza to Sovereign Hill. It was many students first time to experience Australian culture and history outside the classroom. Upon arrival, the teachers gave each student a map of Sovereign Hill  and  a short introduction to provide general information on what they could visit. After some time wandering around, all students met at the Red Hill Gold Mine and separated into two groups for an underground tour. We walked down the dark aisle and tried to experience the life of the miners. This was a first time experience for most students to go underground and listen to the real story of the miners.  Everyone found it very exciting.

Then we moved to the place called “$79000 Gold Pour”. It is a show about how to processing the gold. The vivid performance and fascinating explanation encouraged students to learn more about metallurgy. One of our lucky students even got to hold the gold at the end.

After a dinner break in the Ballarat village, we continued our culture exploration and tried authentic Italian cuisine, the group went back to Sovereign Hill to join a spectacular sound and light show called “The Blood On The Southern Cross”. We started the night in the cinema watching the story of the Ballarat miners back in the 19th century. We then moved onto a train riding through the town exploring the town under the night sky. We learned about the bloody battle that took place on the Ballarat mine field in 1858 and were amazed by the braveness of the miners and their courage for freedom! Our tour concluded with a bright blue southern-cross flag flying in the starry night. It was a great excursion, stepping back in time and seeing the rich Australian history and culture unfolded in front of our own eyes.

Eunice Wang

ZOO EXCURSION 

A group of year 10 EAL students visited the Melbourne Zoo in Royal Park on Wednesday 14th June.  

They were introduced to all different kinds of Australian native animals and learned about our environmental protection plan that protects species on the red soil. It was some students’ first time seeing a wild Meerkat in person, how exciting!

All students enjoyed the day out.