Tasmania - MY BELOVED TASMANIA

As most of you should know by now, Most of the Year 8's have just returned from the annual Tasmania Tour. While some of you may ask, "Why Would You Go On A $600 Trip to Tasmania?", most of us LOVED IT.


Day 1-


We started off at The Traralgon College Bus Bay at 4:30 in the morning where we boarded our chosen method of transport (school bus) and worked our way to Melbourne International Airport. We unloaded all our bags and went inside to check in with the warning that we were not allowed to say the following words ~ Terrorist, Bomb, Al Quida or Ashlee Munckton. Once we checked in, we found McDonald's where I enjoyed a McBlueBerry McMuffin. We traveled down the escalators to the "Quarantine" centre. We placed our belongings onto the little plastic trays and passed through the Metal Detectors. We had a half hour wait at our departure lounge when we finally heard "Flight VJ 177 Is Now Boarding From Departure Gate 6". We all rushed to the departure gate and grabbed our earphones and on we went. Whilst we were on our Virgin Blue Plane we got a 1/2 hour complimentary TV so we watched programs from Basketball to Bewitched. Our plane landed in Hobart and we all "got off" the plane. We walked down the tarmac to the Luggage checkpoint where we collected our bags and to our surprise they had the sniffer dog out. As you may have guessed, the sniffer dog stopped at one of our fellow classmates bags and detected an Apple. Once that dilemma was resolved, we boarded our bus and met our Lovely Driver, Davo. We travelled for about 1/2 an hour to the historic township of Richmond where we walked over the Oldest Bridge in Australia and Sat in the Oldest Church in Australia. We walked to the wonderful Lolly Shop, Sweets and Treats where I bought a Bag of Humbugs and a Lime Milkshake. Then we went to the town Bakery and enjoyed a delectable lunch. After lunch we jumped on the bus and travelled to DooTown where we visited DooLicious-the food stand and The Blowhole. We hopped back onto our bus and set our sights for Port Arthur. We where staying at the Port Arthur Caravan Park. After we assigned our sleeping quarters and had tea, we headed to the Port Arthur Historic Site, Where we undertook the Famous GHOST TOUR. WE heard tales of spooks and felt lots of eerie feelings like chills down our spines. Our Tour Guide, Neil, Was a friendly fellow, he told us tales of our fellow inmates and other, more mysterious people. We finished the night by making our way to the Information Centre and receiving our bravery certificates.


Day 2-

Today, we woke and enjoyed a delightful breakfast of Cereal, Toast, Fruit and Yogurt. We boarded our respected buses and travelled back to The Port Arthur Historic Site where we engaged in a more in depth tour of the Penitentiary. During the tour we boarded the Marana Boat and sailed around the bay, taking in the site of Point Puer the Boys Prison and The Isle Of The Dead. After lunch we travelled to the Devils Kitchen and all the sites along the way to Hobart. Once we where in Hobart, Davo showed us all the sites like Salamanca Place, Battery Point and the local Market. Then, we headed to the Hobart Towers Motel, our accommodation of choice where we unpacked all our belongings and settled in for the night. That night, we where given the option of staying at the Motel and playing Car park Cricket or taking a trip to the CBD and having some time to shop. Personally, I stayed at the Motel and enjoyed cup after cup of Milo. When the shopping group returned, we hopped into bed and enjoyed a great night sleep for the day ahead.


Day 3-

Today, we were headed to the Tahune Forest but firstly we stopped at the Nice little town of Geeveston. We bought drinks, lollies and presents for family and friends. We then travelled for what seemed hours up the road to the Tahune Forest Air Walk. We jumped of the bus and headed into the visitor centre and got told about the history of Huon Pine and the Air Walk. The Air Walk was 37 metres above the ground. We did the Air Walk and then we took the "Swing Bridge" trail back to the Visitor Centre. We crossed two swing bridges, in the rain I might add and when we got back to the visitor centre we had some time to visit the shop. We ate our lunch at the Park benches which were incidentally made from Huon Pine. After Lunch, we travelled back into Hobart where we had an afternoon of shopping. WE had an early night that night because we had a Great day ahead of us.


Day 4-


This morning we packed our bags and boarded the bus and made our way to the CADBURY CHOCOLATE FACTORY. We departed the bus with wallets in hands and set off on our factory tour with Shirley E. Unfortunately, we did not meet any Oompa Loompas nor did we swim in the chocolate lake. We watched them make Freddo Frogs, Furry Friends, Turkish Delights, Cherry Ripes and Milk Trays. We learnt the process of picking, sorting, roasting and crushing the Cocoa Beans. After we had recieved our complimentary box of Favourites, we shopped to our hearts content in the Chocolate Shop. Most of us bought small amounts of chocolate but that leaves the students AND teachers that spent over $55 . After the chocolate factory, we boarded the buses, this time with bag fulls of choccies and travelled to Launcecton. We went to the Worlds Largest Single Span Chairlift, some of us used it, some decided to climb the rocks IN THEIR SOCKS and others just dipped their feet in the lake. After Launcecton, we went to Devonport where we had tea at the Edgewater Bistro. After that the excitement seemed to mount as we boarded the Spirit Of Tasmania. WE slept on the boat overnight and luckily the waves were not big.


Day 5- The Final Countdown


Today we gathered our luggage and boarded our connecting bus to Traralgon. We stopped at Albert Park and ate our breakfast. Then we had a nice trip back to Traralgon where our parents were waiting to pick us up from the School.



All in All, we had a fun trip to Tasmania, Indulging in Chocolate and Seeing the Sights.





Bye For Now, Not Forever.


Jarryd xoxo

ASHLEE : Geek, and Wonderful Friend

Ashlee is a nerd. She is in The Like Minds Class at Traralgon College. She is our beloved pick-on person. We pick on her 24/7........... literally. She smells, She does an Amazing GingerBread Man Voice and She loves Drama. She was Liz in our recent school play - an environmentalist/journo.

As you may have noticed, she is an all around NERD but we LOVE her, she is a welcome addition to our group anytime she wishes to talk ( or eavesdrop ).

She spends most of her time with Elly, Caitlin, Travis, Jack, Josh and of course ME.

She can be a bit annoying but we put up with her.

By For Now, Not Forever

Jarryd
ciao

A Last Note In Ashlee's Words

"Do You Know The Muffin Man"