Last Wednesday, 29 slightly excited but mostly tired students and 4 brave adults took to the road for the beginning of the Year 5/6 biannual Canberra excursion.  After a shaky start with the bus we arrived safely at our first destination, Parliament House.  Students were given a tour and were particularly captivated by the impressive lego model of the grounds.  The tour was topped off with a parliamentary role-play with Prime Minister, Sonny, and leader of the opposition, Emily, leading their respective parties over the proposal of a new law.

Next the group made their way to Questacon, where students were able to experience many weird and interesting scientific activities and challenges with a highlight definitely being the free fall.  After checking into their cabins and setting a world record for fast eating, the tour had one final destination that evening.  We arrived at Black Mountain Tower to see the amazing view of Canberra and watch as the sun set over the horizon.

Day two began with a delicious cooked breakfast and a visit to Cockington Green Gardens where students enjoyed a train ride around the sites before exploring the gardens up close.  After a quick break for morning tea students were once again on the bus, this time headed to the Australian War Memorial Museum.  This part of the tour was certainly a highlight for many, especially experiencing the light and sound shows and visiting the Hall of Memory where the Unknown Australian Soldier is interred.  Students were also entertained by the Discovery Zone, where they could dress up and explore many of the military resources used in war times.

The next stop was the Australian Institute of Sport. The group was given a guided tour by a paralympian beginning with a session in the sport zone where students (and Mr Nielsen) could throw, shoot, row, ride, climb, kick and sled to their hearts content. Students were then taken around the facilities and were lucky enough to see some gymnasts practicing their floor routines and were astounded at the height of the Australian volleyball team.  After once again devouring dinner in record time, students had some leisure time where they could enjoy the facilities of the Alivio Tourist Park before their final trip for the day, the National Dinosaur Museum.  The museum was filled with amazing artefacts from millions of years ago as well as eerily lifelike displays.

Day three began with another delicious breakfast before packing up rooms and heading to St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manuka.  The group was lucky enough to have Paddy McGrath, the head of Religious Education in our Archdiocese, to give the tour.  The beauty of the Cathedral was a sight to see and hearing about the history of the Archdiocese was also awe-inspiring.  The group then headed across the path to the new CE office buildings.  The tour began with a blessing from Archbishop Prowse (from his 3^rd floor office balcony) and continued into the CEO offices.  Phil Pettit, our Archdiocesan data guru took over as tour guide and showed the group the numerous places where our teachers go for further training and learning.

The final stop of the excursion was Old Parliament House and a one and a half hour session from the Australian Electoral Commission.  The hologram video display was a sight to see and our students may have even learnt a few things from the experience.  The tour finished with a voting process that replicates our parliamentary voting elections.  After three days of action packed activities it was time for the group to board the bus and head home.

The excursion was a huge success with all the students being extremely well behaved and respectful at each tour location.  A huge thank you to Russell Edwards who came along as our parent representative and helped Mr Nielsen on the boys side of the accommodation and tour groups.