Sydney/Canberra Trip 2019

Throughout Week 9 of Term 4 2019, 40 Year 10/11 students travelled to Canberra and Sydney. After an overnight bus trip, we arrived in Canberra. The first place we visited was the National Arboretum Canberra. The Bonsai and Penjing Collection was astonishing, particularly learning about the age of some of the bonsai and what goes into maintaining their pristine condition. At the National Capital Exhibition, we learnt about how Canberra was designed. It was very surprising to learn that a world-wide competition took place in the early 1900’s to design our nation’s capital and the winner was American couple Walter and Marion Burley Griffin. The Australian War Memorial was a major highlight. The history and stories that are represented throughout the War Memorial were extremely moving and eye-opening, and it was incredible to learn about the sacrifices made to make our country the place we live in today. At the last post ceremony two Murray Bridge High Students, Chloe Pahl and Darcy Elliott, laid two wreaths which made a very emotional tribute to the fallen soldiers. At Parliament House we got an insight to both the House of Representatives and the Senate learning about what happens within those walls and the complex processes of the Australian Government. The High Court of Australia was another highlight especially the interesting information we learnt about the judicial processes of the High Court. Most of the students would agree that go-karting, the tour of the AIS and the hands-on experiences of Questacon surpassed most of the other activities.  

A fter spending three days in Canberra we travelled to Sydney, t he first stop in Sydney’s CBD at the Pitt Street and Westfield  Malls. A tour of the Sydney Opera House was so insightful  especially about the complex construction of the building. The  amazing architecture that is featured throughout the Sydney  Opera House was completely awe-inspiring and breath-taking. A  cruise through Sydney Harbour via a Captain Cook Cruise gave  us close views of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and an idea of the  sheer size of Sydney Harbour. After a self-guided tour through t he Sydney Sea Life Aquarium we walked to the Sydney Eye T ower, the tallest structure in Sydney, which gave us 360-degree v iews of Sydney’s beautiful skyline. After a lengthy bus ride  home from Sydney overnight, we arrived back at Murray Bridge H igh School with knowledge of our Nation’s capital and some  unforgettable experiences.