Northern Territory Immersion

Uluru to Alice Springs

I don’t think anyone realised quite what it would look like for there to be red sand on the Northern Territory trip. On the plane we looked out the window to see a bright red line stretching across the landscape. I remember thinking ‘What is that?’ ‘Surely that’s not natural’. But it was. The colour of the natural dirt that lined the roads, the scenery and mostly every part of our bodies and clothes by the end of the trip, was very bright and like everything else, so much better than I had imagined.

Uluru is such a staple of Australian culture that I had seen it photographed numerous times. So, I didn’t expect to be amazed by it. But it really was truly amazing. With only one third of the rock above ground it was an awe-inspiring presence that defied my expectations in its texture, unique shape and varying colours.

After that it only continued to get better. We headed to cultural centres to learn about Indigenous culture, we went on strenuous but splendid walks with gorgeous views before visiting Alice Springs for a trip to the desert park. However, the best part of the whole trip was definitely the walk through Kings Canyon. The silent plateau was elevated to the extent that we couldn’t see the horizon. It felt like an alien landscape, with the red rock, pristine blue sky and sparse shrubbery. Although the climb at the start had me gasping for breath it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen!

Hayley Meure
Year 11

Katherine to Darwin

We travelled by bus for four hours to the ‘Devil’s Marbles’, where we stopped to have a look at the landmark, formed by erosion over millions of years, the ‘Devil’s Marbles are made of granite and vary from 50cm to 6m across. Many of the giant stones are precariously balanced on top of one another, appearing to defy gravity. Lucky for us, the weather had started to heat up, so we ditched the thermals and swapped them out for shorts and t-shirts.

We stayed overnight at the Dunmarra Wayside Inn, where we learned how much we take clean showers, decent bathrooms and fresh water for granted. Communal payphones were used and the weather during the night was atrocious, our tents were caving in due to the harsh winds and we all thought they would fall down.

On the way to Katherine we visited the Mataranka Thermal Pools which were nice and warm and was a great chance for us to relax and enjoy some down time together. We arrived at the Nitmiluk Campground and set up for our overnight camp.  After our set up was complete, most of us headed to the pool for a bit more relaxation and to pass some time while the weather was still nice. We were up early the next morning and headed to the Nitmiluk Gorge to participate in the River Cruise, where we were met with  beautiful landscapes and explored the cultural significance of the first two gorges to the traditional landowners – the Jawoyn people. Edith Falls was our next quick stop of that day as we headed onto Kakadu. We saw the cascading waterfalls and the clear water and persevered through the rainy day. We then set up for our overnight camp at the Cooinda Lodge, a beautiful campsite with an amazing pool, restaurant and clean, modern bathrooms! We took most of what we had on offer to us that night and minus the terrifying toad and snake warning, we enjoyed an exciting afternoon in the pool. 

Up very early once again at 5:30am, we headed off to the Sunrise Yellow Water Crocodile Cruise, where crocs swarmed the swamp and our tour guide, Ela, provided us with stories and pictures for proof! We had the privilege of naming a crocodile we spotted and decided that Benson was fitting. We cruised to a place forgotten by time where nature was raw, crocodiles ruled and a prehistoric landscape was enlivened by sightings of jabirus, pigs, water buffalos, sea eagles and whistling kites along the floodplains. A few of us were brave enough to try an insect called the ‘green ant’; it had a bitter lemon taste and no matter how long you chewed you could still feel the legs going down your throat. We then headed off to Darwin for our long awaited CABIN STAY! Met with a real bed and a room inside, we found ourselves somewhat comfortable again and were able to reset before our final day.

A clear highlight of the trip for all was visiting the Mindil Beach Night Markets, where we ate delicious food and created a fat dent in our bank accounts, as we purchased many gifts for ourselves and others. We watched the sunset on the beach and then headed back to our cabins for our final night’s stay. After an early breakfast, we headed on the bus for a three-hour ride towards Litchfield National Park. Although it was disappointing that we weren’t able to swim due to crocodiles lurking in the water, the beautiful hike revealing the stunning waterfall somewhat made up for it. We enjoyed our lunch and then headed back to Darwin for some shopping and free time. After this, we headed to the shopping centre for some dinner before watching ‘Elvis’, which was a great way for everybody to wind down and relax before we headed off to the airport for our early morning flight.

Unfortunately our flight was delayed, so as we lounged around in the airport, irritation was high and sleep was needed! We boarded at 1:10am and headed off to Melbourne. To say the bus ride back to school was quiet was an understatement, but as we reached Kilbreda, we felt a sense of great happiness and we are so grateful we got to participate in a trip that has provided us all with a lifetime full of memories!

Sienna and Sophie
Year 11

Term 2 Seminar Day

Student Reflections

Every term, the Year 11 students have a Religious Education Seminar Day. This term, we had it on 21 June. We were allowed to wear free dress to make the environment a lot more relaxing and comfortable. We arrived at school at normal time and spent an hour discussing the different types of Ideologies and Ethical Philosophies in our RE classes. We then split into groups and made PowerPoints for our debate later in the day about meat consumption, ensuring we related our arguments back to a certain type of Ethical value.

After snack, we watched an improv show performed by ‘The Decent People‘ improv group. The show brought the year level together and had us all hysterically laughing. They started by asking us what things we needed to get through Year 11. We had some serious answers such as “motivation” and “integrity” but also had some sillier answers such as multiple free periods. The troupe then made up a song on the spot based on those answers which we all thought was really cool and very funny. With audience participation they also made up some other fun scenes such as a scene of Dracula doing laundry, a date at Mentone Beach with the help of some participants and a song about Kilbreda’s Ms Gamble that will be in everyone’s heads for a long time. We all got involved and had a fun time and can agree it was one of the best parts of the day.

After lunch, we all went into our RE classes to practise for the debate during fifth period. The debate was judged by our College Principal, Ms Mangelsdorf, Business Manager, Mr Shelly and an official debate judge from the community, Mr Andrew Campbell. After that, we wrapped up the day on a really positive note and overall had a lot of fun. We learnt and laughed a lot.

Erika Hutchison
Year 11

The performance encouraged us to take more risks and look at things in a more light-hearted and inclusive manner. It dove into depth about how to trust others and inspire you to look at the positive ideas and perspectives of issues with your own or other lives. It was a fun and interactive way to show the use of ethics and morals in a creative and inquisitive fashion. Russel, Liam, Amanda and Boris from ‘The Decent People’ demonstrated the principles of ethics we have been learning about all term in a light that showed us a unique application of those principles and expressed to the year level the importance of trusting others and viewing the world from different points of view.

Rebecca Batson
Year 11

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