Year 11 Sydney Excursion

After an early 6am start 32 students made their way to Sydney. Upon arriving the excited Year 11 ’s embarked on a Walking Rocks Tour.  After The Rocks tour the girls started frantically stampeding around the bathroom, desperately attempting to find a mirror to look their best for the Belvoir Theatre. ‘Gethsemane’ was a new and enjoyable experience for most. It is a play about British Politics and the deterioration of New Labour and its idealistic foundations. The script is filled with enjoyable comedic relief which Year 11 as a whole enjoyed.

The next morning it was off to Sydney Cricket Ground where is was the Year 11 boys time to shine enjoying the tour of the vast grounds of both the SCG and also the Sydney Football Stadium. The sheer enormity of the stadium combined with the ‘backstage’ tour of the change rooms gave students an insight into the lives of a sporting hero. For some it gave them a chance to walk in their hero’s footsteps and sit where famous Australian sporting legends such as Don Bradman and Jarred Hayne once sat.

The Imax Theatre certainly lived up to its enormous reputation and high expectations were met. “Antarctica”, a short 45min film explored the mysterious continent through the perspectives of water, land and air. The utilisation of great camera work left the audience gob smacked and in awe, so much so that Mr Graham (worn out from our previous sporting expedition) fell asleep.

The Jewish Museum was a powerful contrast to our day of lively fun as harsh truth sunk into the minds of Year 11, many of which are studying the topic in their Modern History course. Tears were shed by those who found the experience so enlightening and moving that time flew fast and two Year 11 girls were left stranded in the children’s memorial without anybody’s knowledge of their whereabouts or emotional condition. Luckily the girls were discovered before yet another “Night at the Museum” sequel took place.

On Thursday Year 11 visited the Nicholson Museum at the Sydney University, featuring artefacts from Egypt and Pompeii. Afterwards, the students visited Circular Quay in order to take a ride around Sydney Harbour on a Jet boat. Most students enjoyed the experience especially going past the nude beach.

Then a visit to the ice skating rink was in order and for some a subsequent trip (see what I did there) to the medical facility. However, the remainder of the group had a great time and skated for hours.

That night we travelled to the old Quarantine Ghost Station for a spooky tour, also involving Pizza. Strangely enough, the screaming began not in the depths of the Quarantine Station but on the shuttle bus that took us there. Most of the scares came not from the eerie old buildings of the frightening stories but the students doing their best to scare each other out of their wits (successfully too). The ghost tour was simultaneously the scariest, most hilarious and most memorable experience of the excursion (it was also the noisiest).

When Friday came around it was time for a tour of the University of New South Wales. We were taken around the huge campus by two students, exploring all of its vast and fancy facilities, learning about everything the university has to offer.

All in all everyone enjoyed their final excursion as a year group and left us all wondering, “Where’s Denniz?”

We would like to thank both Mrs Macintosh and Mr Graham for organising and accompanying us on a great week it was much appreciated.

By Amelia Adam, Rhiannon Bowden, Lachlan Macintosh and Jessica Staniforth.