Tasmania Trip 2017

A group of eager Year 6s headed south to experience the cold of winter and the beauty of Tasmania. Below is one student’s tale of their trip.

We arrived at the airport, puffy eyed and yawning; it was 5.30am. We were excited and ready for an exhilarating adventure to Tasmania. Many of our parents cried uncontrollably as we said our farewells, but who could blame them? A week without us was heartbreaking.

I don’t think our parents were thinking about our teeth when they packed snacks for the flight. Some of us were chewing gum as we rose into the sky and of course there was a smorgasbord of Mentos and chips. For some it was their first flight, others were seasoned travellers. Either way, we couldn’t hide our excitement as the land beneath us melted away.

We arrived in Launceston and it was cold, but we were prepared. Wrapped in heavy duty snow gear we boarded our heated coach and headed to Cradle Mountain Hotel. The rugged landscape was breathtaking as we made our way up the mountain. In the distance we could see mountains on every side. We had a delicious dinner and then settled into our rooms preparing for the big day ahead.

The coach trip to Dove Lake was only short (thankfully). We stepped off the buses and in front of us was a glistening lake that looked like a mirror to the sky. Once we overcame complete and absolute awe, we began the gruelling six kilometre hike. There were a few stumbles and falls and lots of chatter but nothing distracted us from taking in the incredible scenery. By lunch time we’d all worked up an appetite; the food barely touching our teeth before reaching our stomachs. After lunch we headed to Strahan.

The Ship That Never Was – Anyone for a theatre show? In an amphitheatre? That’s interactive? Well this show had it all! Escaping convicts, ship building, singing, heated arguments and so much more. We laughed, we cried and then we headed back to our hotel for a delicious buffet dinner. More of anything? More of everything of course, especially dessert!

The following day we were lucky enough to spend some time aboard The Harbour Master, which is the best boat in Strahan. The Gordon River cruise was approximately five hours away. Along the way we saw some incredible scenery including Hells Gates, Salmon farms, guided Sarah Island stop-over, Gordon River heritage landing board walk and Huon Pine sawmill. The trip was really educational and gave thrill seekers the opportunity to stand at the front of the boat, braving gale force winds, rough waters and sea spray. It was awesome!

The next stop was Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. We headed straight to the Grand Chancellor Hotel. We were all impressed with our dinner that night at the Tasman restaurant, going to bed with full stomachs.

Before we knew it, we were up and off again to Port Arthur, the huge convict gaol. I think we were all surprised at the poor treatment convicts must have endured. Solitary confinement was a deathly, dark dungeon where only the toughest could survive. It made us secretly grateful for our privileged lives.

After a week in Tassie we headed home. The plane trip back was still exciting but we were all so tired from our big adventure that we were happy to just take it easy and relax (which we were sure the teachers appreciated). As we hugged our parents at the airport we reflected on an amazing trip of a lifetime with our friends that we will never forget.