The Year 6 Canberra Trip took place in Week 7 of Term 3. This long-awaited trip will be the highlight of the graduating class of 2023, with many fabulous memories made. The Canberra Trip gives students the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. After interruptions due to Covid we were very thankful to be able to attend this year.
We took 77 students and 9 adults to Canberra, flying Virgin, with a stopover in Melbourne. The students managed this fantastically and should be proud of their resilience during the long journey to Canberra. We stayed at new accommodation this year, the Alivio Tourist Park, surrounded by greenery and quiet.
Our trip to Canberra included a visit to many of the well-known civic landmarks of our nation’s capital, such as the High Court, National Gallery, the National Museum and Royal Australian Mint. Unfortunately, due to building works we were not able to visit the Australian War Memorial, but managed to tour past the monuments along ANZAC Parade. Parliament House was by far the most interesting and popular amongst the educational activities. We met our Federal Member, the Honourable Louise Miller-Frost, who came to visit the students while at Parliament House and discuss what she does for our community and while she is in Canberra. This led to us being invited into the Gallery to observe question time. What an eye-opener that was! The students got to witness first-hand the machinations of our parliament and were fascinated by the questions and humoured by some of the behaviours presented by our parliamentarians. The Speaker was likened to a reception teacher and we were praised for our excellent behaviour throughout the visit. Our visit to Government House was our last activity for our trip. We were not lucky enough to meet our new Governor General, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley this year, but enjoyed the tour of the grounds and inside of Government House, learning about the role, both ceremonial and official of the Governor General.
Our evening activities included bowling, which was loads of fun for everyone. We had pizza on the deck of the accommodation which was a highlight for some and finished off with some fun with ‘first line, last line’ which had many of us in stitches. We have some budding actors and the teachers were impressed by some of the creativity and humour students displayed. The final night saw us go to the movies with popcorn and a drink to watch ‘The Haunted Mansion’. Another feature of the recreational activities was Questacon Interactive Science Centre. This was our first time going there at night and was another highlight for many. We enjoyed our visit to the National Arboretum and the POD playground spending a beautiful afternoon outdoors. Rolling down the hill was a highlight! Students were also excited to go to the Australian Institute of Sport, including ‘Sportex’ the interactive arena.
The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. We acknowledge the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate contribution from the Australian Government which is included in our costing and paid directly to the school upon the completion of the trip.
Our students were great ambassadors for Mitcham Primary School, demonstrating an impressive knowledge about our government systems through their Civics and Citizenship learning. Throughout our trip, we had staff of various sites and members of the public congratulate the students on their exceptional behaviour with some saying they are the best they have ever encountered. We also acknowledge the staff who attended this year’s trip and thank them for their time and commitment to enable this opportunity for our students.
Plans are already in place for next year’s trip. There will be information coming out shortly regarding the trip which is due to take place Term 4 next year.
