2025 Year 6 Canberra Excursion
Last week, Year 6 embarked on an enriching three-day, two-night excursion to Australia’s National Capital to complement their classroom learning in History. The trip aimed to deepen the girls’ understanding of Australian Federation, democracy, and citizenship through a dynamic and engaging itinerary.
On Wednesday, the girls visited Parliament House and were taken on a tour of the House of Representatives and the Senate. During this tour, the girls learnt about the function and purpose of Australia’s democratic system of government by exploring how laws are made through Australian Parliament, the responsibilities of members of parliament, the formation of government and how the government is kept accountable. In the Parliamentary Education Office, the girls had the opportunity to become members of parliament and debate a bill as politicians in the House of Representatives. Following this, we drove to Mt Ainslie Lookout where the girls could take in the picture-perfect views of the bush capital. From this vantage point the geometric plan for the city was instantly recognisable as the girls identified the National Triangle with the apices of the triangle being Parliament House, the Defence Headquarters and City Hill.
On Thursday morning, with the views from Mt Ainslie fresh in our minds, we visited the National Capital Exhibition on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. Here, the girls learnt about the story of Canberra as the capital city of Australia and its vital role as a symbol of Federation. When Canberra was finally chosen as the site of the future capital back in 1908, the government announced there would be an international competition for the design of the city. The girls were inspired to discover that a woman was the creative genius behind the design for Canberra, a lady named Marion Mahony Griffin. While only her husband’s name, Walter Burley Griffin, appeared on the winning entry at the time, Marion’s part in the design of Canberra has only been recognised in recent decades.
Next, the girls visited the National Gallery of Australia. Working in small groups, they were taken on a guided tour to explore and study the artworks of many famous artists. The girls particularly enjoyed viewing Within without, a major Skyspace by American artist James Turrell, installed in the grounds of the gallery.
The next part of the day was focused on learning more about our Australian democracy at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) at Old Parliament House. Through the program People Power and Making Change, the girls explored the stories of significant events in Australia’s history, including the legacy of past Prime Ministers. A highlight of the MoAD was the opportunity to sit in the House of Representatives. By sitting in this historic chamber of Old Parliament House, the girls learnt more about parliamentary roles and procedures. We then headed to the National Electoral Education Centre to understand more about the electoral process, which is timely given the impending federal election later this year. This was an interactive experience in which the girls ran their own election in a dedicated polling venue. The four candidates were Orange, Apple, Peach and Banana! The girls were fully immersed in the election day process including posting a vote, guarding the ballot box, counting votes and preferences, and scrutineering the official counters. We had two polling venues in operation (6GT and 6S) and at both venues the preferred candidate was Peach!
We then visited Government House, the official residence of the Governor-General. This completed our exploration of Australian democracy and citizenship in seeing where Prime Ministers and Ministers are sworn into office, where new bills are signed, and where the achievements of Australia’s most outstanding citizens are officially recognised. Set over 130 acres, it was a beautiful residence to visit, full of traditions and history, including a formal dining table that seats 50 guests for official occasions hosted by the Governor-General. To our surprise and delight, the girls were greeted by the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC. She was very generous with her time to share stories about her work and allowed the girls to ask her questions – of which they had many! Meeting such an inspirational Head of State is sure to be a memory the girls will treasure for years to come.
Thursday ended with a trip to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), home to some of Australia’s best athletes. We were treated to a tour of the AIS facilities including the gymnastics centre, volleyball centre, basketball centre, and weights room. The girls then got right into the spirit of Australian sport to find out what it takes to become a high-performance athlete. In the Sportex exhibit, the girls tested their skills in a range of different challenges including virtual downhill skiing, rock climbing, football penalty shootouts, reaction speed, strength challenges and flexibility tests.
On our final day, we visited the Australian War Memorial. The We Will Remember Them program encouraged the girls to think about the reasons for our continued commemoration of the service and sacrifice of Australian servicemen and women. The girls listened to stories of servicemen and women and learnt about the significance of symbols of commemoration including the poppy. In what was a very special moment, the girls had the opportunity to commemorate soldiers who were killed during World War I and have a connection to our SCEGGS community by placing a poppy next to their name on The Honour Wall. Thank you to Ms Jo Whiteman who shared some of her recent research with us about these soldiers and their connection to SCEGGS.
And the very last stop of our 3-day adventure was Questacon. Despite being tired and weary, the girls made the most of the engaging, hands-on activities that filled every floor, including an entire floor devoted to Lego! The girls immersed themselves in learning all about our robotic future, the human body, the Earth’s forces and humans versus machines. Some brave souls chose to experience the feeling of weightlessness by taking on the Free Fall – a 2-storey tall vertical slide!
The Year 6 girls are to be congratulated on the way they conducted themselves during the excursion. They were engaged learners and made the most of this wonderful experience. I’m excited to see how the girls extend and apply this new learning back in the classroom.
A big thank you to Ms Schwartz, Mrs Gloor, Ms Hill and Ms Yeh for joining me on the excursion and doing a fantastic job caring for our Year 6 girls over the three days.
Mrs Cristi Wilsmore
Deputy Head of Primary (Teaching and Learning)
