Canberra – the trip of a lifetime! By Olivia Lozina Year 6

My body started to awake as my mind was in a blur, when I felt a gentle hand waking me up and reminding me that this was going to be a trip to remember.  All of a sudden, it hit me. I was going on a school camp to Canberra. Without caution, I leaped out of bed and rushed to get ready for the 6.30am depart from Sydney. 

Over 4 hours later, I was tired but there was no room for tiredness on this trip because we were on our way to the Electoral Education Centre. We learnt how to vote, what was required and we learned about the history of voting. With some amazing 21^st century technology, I learnt so much and strangely, it was also amusing. There were 3D lasers, moving white boards, plastic electric figures, really “cool” exhibits like a computer where you could search up names and see information about people’s voting electorates- things I had never seen before.

The Australian War Memorial was our next stop. We saw old planes and presentations, treasures and items of the past. Stories of hardship had become familiar to me only through books and it remindered me that our country was so lucky to have people that have given up their lives for our country. An exhibition that I really admired personally, was a little memorial that was shaped as a cylinder and had the most exquisite walls with glass windows and gold sculptures. The roof was shaped in a semi sphere and was quite grand, opulent and was filled with gold. Not only that, the room echoed and in the center there was a miniscule, marble plaque with elegant red poppies around the perimeter.

Our grade then had a relaxing mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral at Manika. Fr James led this service and we met a deacon called Deacon Luke and he was going to be ordained at the same time when Deacon Epeli was going to be ordained. Surprisingly, I also had the opportunity to read a Prayer of Intersession.

The following morning I was very tired. Having minimal sleep, my mind was on a different planet but I was thrilled to be able to spend another 2 days with my classmates and experience some fantastic sites. Our first stop for the day was New Parliament House. Silently, I crept into the foyer and I felt so privileged to be there. It was so luxurious and special, too special for a school child like me. Trotting around in wonder and awe, we were led to the House of Representatives, which was a green room. From the House of Representatives, we briskly walked to the Senate, which was a red room. As I momentarily gazed into the room, I felt like I was an older lady and part of Parliament. Debating, making laws, running the country- it was great to dream. What made it more realistic was that we also had a debate about longer school hours. My favourite part of this venue was that we got to go to the top of Parliament House, where we had a magnificent view of Canberra.

Eventually, I discovered that our next stop was to Old Parliament House. “Old Parliament House”. The sound of it gave me shivers down my spine. “Old”. Imagine the history in this classic site! What amazing parliament stories did it hide in its walls?   I wondered how they could still preserve such a vital building of history. I jumped out of my seat and looked up to a white building. I followed the tour into the museum and everything in there was so delicate, it was a living museum. We visited the House of Representatives and there were quite a few differences compared to the new one. For example, it had darker shades of green and the speaker’s chair was very intricate and grand, but it was also extremely atypical because the British coat of arms was the centre of attention. This is atypical because we are not a British colony any more. We also had a role play in the House of Representatives, but that reality stopped really quickly because we were then ordered into the Senate, which also was a darker shade of red than the new Senate. At Old Parliament House, there was an exhibit of all of the past Australian Prime Ministers with Interactive screens. I thought that this was very interesting and entertaining.

Our grade experienced half a day of Parliament so when we arrived at the High Court of Australia, I didn’t know what to expect. Other than speechless, I cannot describe the interest that I had about this grand place. We were directed to three courtrooms and as I listened intently, I felt so privileged to be in this position. My mind started to whirl into another daydream, sitting in those professional chairs, debating, arguing for human rights, it felt like reality.

Our stop to Regatta Point was a “blast.” Excited and exhausted, I found out that our next stop was the National Museum of Australia. Hesitating for a moment, a thought came “whizzing” through my mind – ““Museum”. I assumed that it was a place full of old antiques but I was wrong. This museum was really modern and mesmerizing. My favourite part of the Museum was that there was a station where you first had your picture taken and you where then assigned to create a vehicle or house in a 3D stimulator. As “quick as a flash,” everybody had finished their creation and I thought that was the end of the exercise but as usual, I was wrong. You were then ordered into a big black room with a huge pair of glasses. Pausing momentarily, I eased back as there was a sudden light and as I watched, a screen popped up from out of the blue. Immediately, someone blurted out, “That’s my creation!”  From what I could make out, right in front of me was a movie made up of our creations. It was so sophisticated and not only that, the movie was in 3D! This had to be one of my most exciting moments in Canberra.

Our dinner that night was delicious and as I gulped down the last spoonful of my dinner, the teachers announced to meet outside the cabins in 1o minutes in order to hop onto the coach in time. “What coach?” I thought. Already, I had managed to have an amazing, action packed day. I wondered what the teachers had planned next… Riding on the coach, I couldn’t contain my excitement and then the teachers announced that we were going to the Dinosaur Museum. The coast was clear as we walked into the Dinosaur Museum and it was awesome because we were having a twightlight tour. This venue showcased some of the most humungous figures you would ever see. At the front of the venue there were dinosaurs everywhere you looked and in the dark sky it looked very effective. Definitely, I would recommend this venue for all ages but especially children that are interested in dinosaurs!

 The minute I got back to the cabins, I plummeted into bed and fell straight to sleep.

The next morning I felt like willing myself into invisibility as I felt a gentle hand trying waking me up. A thought rushed through my mind that this was the day I was going to face something that I had backed out of before. I had ants in my pants as I leaped out of bed, gobbled down my breakfast and stuffed my possessions into my bag.

Eventually we arrived at the Australian Institute of Sport. Walking casually into the foyer, there were massive words written up on the wall which were “Inspiration, Excellence, Passion, Desire” and “Dream.” When I sighted those words on the wall, I knew that this was the place for me but I didn’t have time to think because we were automatically directed into the Olympic Swimming Pool. Clear water, bright lights, metal blocks, a pool that could be described as “beyond luxurious.” I was bewildered when I was told that this place was built in 2006 and had a camera in the water where you could observe the swimmer’s technique.

Contently, we walked around the grounds and when our tour guide notified us about the next stop, I hardly dared to breathe. We were about to witness the Olympic Gymnastic Team train for the Olympic games. Quickly, I followed the crowd as I stood up straight and crept into the gymnasium. Hesitating for a split second, I was so thrilled to see these girls train because they are Olympians. It was a sight that not many people see since they only visit every 3-6 months and only stay for 1-3 weeks. Staring in amazement, these girls were flipping and jumping, swinging and soaring through the air with ease.

“If you want to achieve your dreams, never give up.” That’s what the girls displayed and I wish them well in the Olympic games. My favourite place of all was a room that was filled with sport exhibits. From what I could make out, it was a room filled with climbing boards and physical activities like basketball and rock climbing. There was 21^st century high tech sports equipment such as, state of the art sport simulators for different sports including skiing, bobsleighing, rowing and much more. Within seconds I was being amazed by this technology.

Sadly, we eventually had to leave the Australian Institute of Sport but luckily my adrenaline wasn’t going to settle because our following stop was Questacon! Enthusiastically, I headed into Questacon and the best words to describe it was “never-ending fun”.

Questacon is known for science, but not just ordinary, boring science. Exhibits are filled with mystery, creativity, interest, uniqueness and madness. My favourite exhibits were the Earthquake room, the Lightening exhibit and the last floor…….

 I was in such a joyful mood completing all of the floors but I started to feel like our trip was ending by the minute. Eventually we got to the to the last floor, the floor of fear. Being aware of my fear, I rushed towards it to take a closer look. Starting to feel nervous and apprehensive, The Free Fall was tremendously steep but I couldn’t leave Questacon without having a go. I had seen this contraption before and I had walked away from it…..I now had to face my fears……Without thinking and without further adieu, I slid on the suit and waited in line. Climbing up the stairs, my tummy was in a knot but my mind was ready to take the challenge. Finally it was my turn and sweat started bubbling on my brow. Cautiously, I look down and nothing could “freak me out” more than a slippery steep slide with no harness. Ignoring the advice my body was telling me, I closed my eyes and let go… For a spilt second I was terrified but then I felt as light as a feather.

Slowly, breathing heavily I realized that I did something crazy. I was really pleased that I attempted the Free Fall machine at Questacon. I often say to myself, “goals can be achieved when you have a little faith”.  A classmate also said, “You only live life once.”

 A new journey had begun and slowly Canberra was turning into a blur and my enthusiastic energy started to fade. Hours later, bright lights started to light up the darkness ahead as we drove into Sydney. As we approached the school, I looked through the window of the bus to see my mother smiling a big cheesy grin. As I looked into her eyes, I was filled with gratitude, to be back home at last. 

Part of me wished that the trip didn’t have to end but I was also happy to be home filled with great memories of Canberra.