Sydney Study Tour 2012 - Blog
The study tour group comprises eight Y12 students from Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford: Rebecca Daniel, Nicole Dixon, Jack Forman, Lauren Gest, Lizzie Goolden, Will Houltby, Declan Stephenson, Ben Ward. Each day a different student leads the day and will write the blog for the day:
Day 8
Declan Stephenson - Sunday 12 February 11:00pm Australian Time
Today has been an exciting day which, in brief, we initially bought gifts and mementos at Rocks market. After purchasing our goods we travelled to central station where we caught a train to Katoomba, the most popular town around the Blue Mountains. From here the group proceeded to traverse the paved landscape and photograph the beautiful scenery whilst still managing to be efficient despite the amazing natural splendour of the area.
As with every day so far, the purpose of the study tour, today was to about honing and developing our leadership skills. In the morning, at 9:30 am we went down to The Rocks market to purchase any gifts for an hour and meet at the train station at a strict time. The purpose of this (other than purchasing souvenirs) was to ensure that the group was organised enough to keep to required deadline. From here we had to travel to Central station to purchase train tickets to Katoomba and then board the correct train without being late or lost. This tested organisation skills as we needed to be in the right place at the right time.
After a lengthy ride to Katoomba the task of locating Echo Point awaited which meant that good navigation was the key to succeeding. Upon arrival there were several walks that we could undertake and each offered amazing views of a stunning sea of trees and sheer rock faces that were each equally impressive in their own way. Unfortunately we became partially lost due to the quality of the map, not because of the guidance that was received from the readers of which there seemed to be many due to our unfortunate circumstances.
When the way was finally discovered we trekked through the many walkways of the Blue Mountains and at this point leading was becoming more difficult as some of the group did not appreciate steps as much as several of us. At times such as this it was important to keep up morale and keep the group together and well motivated. In the end this paid off as we all managed to enjoy the walks of the Blue Mountains and stay as a collective group.
Day 7
William Houltby - Saturday 11 February 11:45pm Australian Time
Wow! What to say, quite a lot in one breath. We have had a brilliant day today visiting the gorgeous opera and some fantastic museums.
First of all, bright and early in the morning we went across the city to the wonderful Australian Museum. The exhibition we went to see was the World Wildlife Photography exhibition and it was certainly a celebration of the world’s most beautiful and inspiring moments captured by the most dedicated professionals. With one of the pictures it said that the photographer took two months to gain the trust of a vixen to gain the image that he did. The pictures were truly beautiful and some haunting. The different ways in which the photographers, old and young, used their cameras was done so well to create the breathtaking images. As we walked round we chose our favourites and told each other why we had chosen them this allowed us to really appreciate the pictures we were looking at and what they offered.
After the Australian museum we visited the Hyde Park Barracks which is a building that was once the home of all the criminals and miscreants that the British sent over to colonise Sydney and Australia. Two of us were using this visit as research for our projects. The building is now a museum dedicated to telling that story of the lives of the convicts who came to Sydney in its beginning and how they built the city from the ground. The barracks were on three levels and they first told of how the convicts, men and women, went about their lives and how they reintegrated slowly into society. On the second level it showed their accommodation and living space, I bet you thought sharing a bedroom with your brother or sister was bad! There were 60 of these dirty smelly men in one room! We had a search for any family relatives that may have been naughty enough to have been sent over but we could not find any.
Tonight was the night of the Opera. Firstly we had the added complication of dinner. The restaurant that we went to was so full we felt like sardines and it took all of our patience to rustle up a set of tables and chairs for the two schools. However we did succeed and had a lovely meal by the quay. The opera, ‘The Magic Flute’ was simply stunning, with puppets and colourful birds flying round the stage straight from the moment the curtains were pulled back. I do believe that we stood out as the best dressed of everyone in the opera, we were certainly looking good. No one could have enjoyed the opera anymore than we did and it was certainly an experience we shall never forget. Upon leaving the opera, just as we walked outside, fireworks began to go off on the other side of the harbour next to a beautiful orange moon almost as if it was planned. This scene completed an extraordinary night and was a pleasure to behold. It was a wonderful day and we all gained a lot from it, whether it was an insight into the life of the creators of Sydney, the opening of our eyes to the beauty and strength of nature or just an experience that will stay with us all forever.
Day 6
Rebecca Daniel - Friday 10 February 11:30pm Australian Time
Waking up to rain and the promise of a thunder storm, things did not look optimistic in the morning. Shanice and I managed to managed to pay the right amount for breakfast, the hardest part of the day! We all caught the ferry to Taronga Zoo, then took the cable car up to the top entrance. This gave us a lovely view of Sydney and the enclosures below.
On arriving we headed into the ‘Australian Walkabout’ where we saw tree kangaroos dozing, kangaroos, wallabies and emus. There was an Australian nightlife hut which allowed us to glimpse some nocturnal animals which we would not usually have a chance to see. After that we listened to a talk on Tasmanian devils, which are in danger of becoming extinct due to a cancer of the mouth which is spreading through their population. We saw 4 joeys, which are part of the zoo’s conservation program.
The map was hard to follow so we took a slight detour to our planned route… we walked around in circles for a while until we found our way! It was a treasure hunt to find the animals we wanted to see.
Having aimed to see Sakti, Kartika and Kembali, the three Sumatran tiger cubs, we were gutted when they were no where to be seen and later the exhibit was closed off. After this we decided to split up for lunch and arranged to meet back up for a talk on Koalas at 3.30pm.
Some of the group watched the Seal show. There were four different seals, which each did different tricks. They responded to their trainers by nodding or shaking their heads and flapping their flippers. One even faked dead when it was demonstrating the effects of getting plastic wrapped round its neck. They managed to drench a little girl with a tidal wave as they jumped from a ledge and touched a ball hanging from the ceiling. One seal with amazingly long whiskers balanced a ball on its nose from the water to the edge of the pool.
After being scared by a seagull at Manly beach yesterday Nicole was adamant that she would spend as little time as possible in any areas of the zoo which contained birds. I have to admit that I avoided the spider talk and moved out into the open after Nicole pointed out a huge (it was huge) spider in the trees above where we were sitting.
We managed to see the Koalas more active than usual, as they sleep for the majority of the day, during a talk and feeding given by a zookeeper. The Koalas look like teddy bears and look hilarious when jumping from tree to tree! There was a little bit of scratching and biting as they fought over the eucalyptus leaves.
Everyone was tired from walking around the zoo all day and so we opted to take a tram to the Basketball match in Sydney entertainment centre in Darling harbour. Being the first time any of us had taken a tram it was a bit of a guessing game when we arrived on at the station, as we didn’t know which side to go on, but we managed to catch the right tram and luckily met a fellow Sydney Kings fan, who we followed to the stadium.
The game itself was fast pace, confusing but exciting. The American-style commentary and cheerleaders made the match more interesting and fun to watch. Although our seats were fairly far back we could still see the players, they must have all been well over 6 foot! It was strange to hear everyone booing when Gold Coast Blaze went to shoot, but ‘it’s working, keep it up!’ The constant chanting of ‘Defence’ and ‘Let’s go Sydney, let’s go!’ allowed us to join in, even if we didn’t have a clue what we were talking about. Unfortunately Sydney Kings lost 72-84 but it was still an amazing experience.
Looking forward to getting dressed up for the Opera tomorrow!
Day 5
Nicole Dixon - Thursday 09 February 11:30pm Australian Time
I couldn’t have been happier when I woke up and looked outside my window to see blue skies! After the few days of drizzle we’d had I was beginning to fear the worst. Starting at 8.30, we headed over to Naggy’s for breakfast. It doesn’t have to be too amazing to please me, as it sells food, but this café has to be the best place ever. Working my way through the menu, today I opted for the Coffee Frappe and toast with Vegemite. I was dying to try it as the girls at Meriden had insisted that we did and I luckily found that I was very similar to Marmite (love it).
After rushing the group on through breakfast in fear of missing the bus we headed to Circular Quay to catch the Manly Ferry. The public transport was definitely on our side today as we in fact caught the earlier ferry! The ferry only lasted about 30 minutes but still managed to rock a fair bit half way across. This was something I quite enjoyed although the faces of some of my nearly seasick classmates didn’t show the same emotions. The views from the boat as we left the Quay were fantastic as the Opera House and Harbour Bridge were both fully in view, shining in the sun.When we arrived at Manly the weather continued to get better and we took a leisurely walk along the high street down to the beach. As the bright blue sky met the bright blue sea, I could barely contain my excitement!
Slapping on the factor 50, we picked out our rash vests or wetsuits and headed over to the instructor. The first part of the lesson was quite daunting as jumping up onto the boards was barely easy on land, so we feared the worst when we were in the sea! Finally we headed into the sea, hauling our huge surf boards with us. Surfing was great fun and although extremely hard to master (and would take much more practice) we all had a good time. Surfing was something that didn’t come naturally to me and after getting hit in the head with a board, grazed by sand and caught in a rip tide, I didn’t get the feeling that surfing was my thing. Luckily instructors were on hand to make sure you caught at least one wave and were able to stand on the board…before falling off.
Physically drained from all the fun in the water, we headed for some lunch in Manly. I can’t say that I’m a bird lover exactly and especially not that of the seagull variety. So when one dive-bombed me for my lunch, you can imagine it was quite an experience. Luckily, everyone was on hand afterwards to scare them away so that I didn’t get attacked again!
After lunch we took a walk along the beautiful bay to some more coves and found a pool enclosed in all the rocks. The view was lovely and as we didn’t want to have to change again, we sat and dipped our feet in. Jack decided to paddle however, which resulted in the water coming way over his shorts as he just couldn’t roll them up enough!
Later, we returned to the ferry and then eventually back to the hotel, sporting quite a few rosy red faces, with me just about being the only one that escaped it!
Tonight we ate at a restaurant called the Waterside by the harbour. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was great and some of the group had puddings for the first time. This was a good idea at the time however it didn’t feel good running for the bus as a huge thunderstorm hit and we got drenched! It was very good fun though and luckily the rain wasn’t quite as horrible and cold as it is in England, it was even warm on our feet in the puddles. I’ve had a brilliant day and I really look forward to Taronga Zoo!
Day 4
Lizzie Goolden - Wednesday 08 February 11:00pm Australian Time
G’day!
Today has been such a rollercoaster of emotions! We started off the day with a tense bus and train journey to Meriden Girls’ School in Strathfield while everyone was nervously running through their speeches for the last time. As soon as we arrived at the school we were warmly greeted by the Principal of Meriden who then took us into the hall to perform our speeches to their Year 10 students (equivalent to our Year 11). Once we eventually got up onto the stage and performed our speeches (without the use of notes) it was no way near as terrifying as we thought and everyone did really well. This was a huge relief and we enjoyed answering the questions afterwards from the students.
After the speeches it was the school’s chapel service and Will and I were asked to be interviewed by the Chaplin. This was very humorous especially when Will was pointing out on the map where we live and showed them “the sea” and then when the Chaplin showed us pictures and told us to say what we called them in England such as flip flops which they call ‘thongs’.
When the service had finished we all took part in some of the school lessons. I went to Year 13 Economics, Year 10 DT and lastly Year 10 Commerce. All the girls we met at the school were so friendly and welcoming and since Meriden is an all girls’ school the boys in particular were given a lot of attention! I think Jack and Ben will not forget their encounter with what seemed like hundreds of girls in the common room for a while!
Most of our time with the girls consisted of them asking us to repeat sentences and them giggling at our responses, saying how much they love our accent.
In the afternoon we spent a frantic hour and a half doing research for our projects; handing out questionnaires to the public, dashing from the library to the museum to find where other museums were and Will approaching a random “business looking” man to ask him about the economic state of Australia, which resulted in a very long and informative answer.
Overall today at Meriden was lovely and we were all made to feel like celebrities throughout the lessons. We can now relax in the evenings knowing we do not have to practise our speeches any more!
Day 3
Jack Forman - Tuesday 07 February 11:00pm Australian Time
What a day! An early start to the day was required and the negotiation of a complicated rail timetable in order to reach the Olympic Park. Due to the short amount of time we could spend in the park, after visiting the ANZ Stadium and the totem poles will all the competitors’ names from the 2000 Olympics, we explored the remainder of the site.by foot and bike. After hiring four tandem bikes we set off around the park to enjoy the amazing features of the park and the new diverse options that have been adapted. As the Olympic Park was built on waste and swamp land much of this still remains as natural habitats for many of the wide range of species of animals and birds. Most of the time we spent on the tandems was around these areas so we make sure that we weren’t going any way but forward. After a few wobbly starts the team was soon enjoy the scenes and features of the park while trying to be faster than other pairs! Leading four pairs of amateur tandem-riders is not the easiest job when some can’t use to the brakes but we made it round safely but slightly soggy after biking through water jets.
We then had to make our way to the Sydney Harbour Bridge which was a daunting prospect for me as I don not like heights! As the time passed and we got closer to the bridge the emotions of the group changed, some became more nervous about the prospect of scaling this huge monument whereas others became more excited. After arriving at the Bridge Climb centre we were briefed, analysed, breathalysed and attired in fetching grey climbing suits before we began our ascent up the bridge. As the leader of the group today I put on a brave face and smiled for the many photos when we reached the summit, however most people had actually enjoyed the climb up the bridge and were looking forward to the decline. After a few wobbly legs and some tightly gripped hands we all made it down to the bottom of the bridge. We had all completed it, as a team and we were so proud we had done it however for me it is a good job that it is a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’!
Having made no forward eating arrangements we left the expensive and busy inner part of Sydney to the area near our hotel. After discussions before the climb, after the climb and even on the bus back to Glebe we decided to eat at a Chinese restaurant. We then devoured an array of fine Chinese dishes accompanied by authentic Chinese green tea which wasn’t to everyone’s liking. After a very long, active and fulfilling day we are all ready for a good long sleep and are looking forward to what the rest of the trip has to bring.
Day 2
Lauren Gest - Monday 06 February 10:00pm Australian Time
G’day England!
Today, it seems as though the sun has gone into hiding, the sky was cloudy and it appears as though we have brought bad luck to the weather here. It has been a very busy day, with everyone wanting to go to bed early and have multiple rests throughout the day. We started off, as usual with breakfast at the café across the road, ‘Naggys’, however one of the best parts about the meal was my challenge of sorting out everyone’s money, with some people only spending $5 but paying with a $50 note! After this, a bus was needed to take us to Sydney University which we arrived at by 10:30 where we received a talk about international students and had a guided tour. The talk informed us about courses, campuses, student life and much more, it was extremely interesting and now many of us want to spend a term at Sydney University in a few years time which may be more realistic than completing a full degree after finding out that it would cost around half a million dollars to study a 6/7 year medicine degree! The tour gave us a real insight to how the university works and the students who live in it. It was great to view the university from such as close view as we can compare it to English Universities when we come back home.
From the university, another bus was needed and this took us close to the Art Gallery, which meant I had chance to use my brilliant orientation skills, which eventually got us to the right building. During the time we spent at the gallery, a small group of us decided to stay and look at all the different exhibitions there, whilst the rest went to the Picasso exhibition where they saw the life stages of Picasso drawn through his paintings. With his troubles and joys, they saw each part of his life through his eyes. We were each asked to choose and justify our favourite piece of work, which we all found interesting and informative. After this was the turn of the State Library, where we looked at the Antarctica exhibition, which included vast historical information and countless maps which appreciated by the geographers of the group.
The end of the day has involved using a train and another two buses to get back to our hotel, with a stop-off for dinner. Back at the hotel we practised our speeches, to give to the Meriden girls school whom we are going to visit on Wednesday. Everyone has enjoyed the day although at this particular moment it seems as though our feet disagree!
Day 1
Ben Ward - Sunday 05 February 10:45pm Australian Time
We left Alford at 3.45 am on Friday morning (with the snow beginning to fall), picked up Haven High staff and students (who are joining us this year) in Boston, and arrived at Heathrow in good time, having avoided the snow. Our flights were long but trouble free and we were impressed with the food and service provided by Singapore Airlines. We arrived in Sydney at 8.30 pm and after showers, a meal and some basic unpacking retired to bed at about midnight (local time).
Today began with a breakfast at Naggys café, which was delicious, particularly the smoothies. From there we left to walk down to the centre of Sydney. Although it was hot once we turned the corner and saw the top of Harbour Bridge it was worth it. The first views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House were spectacular. We then wandered along through The Rocks market and checked arrangements for our climb on Tuesday. We then walked past the Opera House along the waterfront to the Botanical Gardens. We visited Mrs Macquiries chair which overlooked the bay, taking many more photos, one of which included a dog that posed for us. We then continued on to the Palm Grove Café, which is at the centre of the gardens. Here we managed to see the flying foxes (large bats) perched up in the top of the trees surrounding the café. After this we left the botanical gardens and collected our travel passes so we could use transport for the rest of the week. Tonight we have eaten at an Italian restaurant, 15 minutes away from our hotel.
