RECOUNTS FROM OUR STUDENTS:
Clancy: On camp we did lots of things, but one thing that stood out was the gold panning and the amount of little shiny flecks we found. How exciting and joyous it was to see it in our own little jar. There were lots of kids Gold Panning and lots of kids found Gold! There were lots of different ways to pan it too! I also loved walking around Sovereign Hill with nobody around when everyone had gone home. It was really eerie. The labyrinth was amazing to be a part of because I thought we would get lost in the mines. We went down so many different tracks I thought we were going to get stuck down there.
Hilton: My favourite part of camp was going on the mine tour, it was so dark and we got to see all the places that the miners mined. We also saw some little bits of gold, it was so cool. The most favourite thing at the mine tour was when we were on the trams and was driving around on the carts. It was so cool. It was amazing when we did the candle dipping demo. It was cool making all the colours, it was cool seeing all the other kids' candles. They were so colourful. My other favourite thing to do was to walk around and see all the shops. I bought a little horse shoe and I also bought some little humbugs, they're so good! There are some great activities, Sovereign Hill is a great place to go. If you have spare time you should go to Sovereign Hill. It was so much fun.
Raine: My favourite part of our combined schools ⅚ camp was doing the candle dipping demo. You got a plain, white candle and there was hot, coloured wax and you would dip the plain candle in the colours and it would mix so it would be like a rainbow. Then you could take the candle home and buy more. I also liked doing the Aura Sound and Light Show where we started with 3D glasses and we moved to other cinemas. One was outdoors and things were projected. We did some shopping where we could walk on our own and buy whatever we wanted within our budget. I loved going to camp for the first time and meeting a lot of new people such as the kids we shared rooms with and the kids who we worked with.
Madi: At camp we did lots of different activities but the one that stood out the most was the Sound and Light Show. It started with watching a movie with 3D glasses about how scientists think the world started. Then we went on a tram to a lake. Then there were projectors on the lake which showed how Indigenous people believe the world started. Then you went back on the tram to a theatre and watched a play about the gold rush. We also got to go shopping with our friends. It was really fun just hanging out with your friends and buying stuff. We also were in different rooms and you got to meet new people. It was really fun at camp and I really enjoyed it!
Sam: My favourite part of the ⅚ combined camp was meeting all the new kids. Also the labyrinth was really cool because when you went onto the tram, it all went pitch black and you couldn't see anything. This is where we explored all the mines. My favourite activity was candle dipping. It was really cool when you dipped the candle in the wax and made different colours. I accidentally made a brown colour on my candle. At night there was the Light and Sound show. My favourite bit about it was when we sat down and watched an outside projector show, it told us a lot about the history of all the miners.
Chuck: The thing I love about the Sovereign Hill is all the old fashioned facilities. It is a great place for a camp.
I loved going on the mine tours and candle dipping. I met lots of new friends and I'm hoping to soon one day see some of them again.
I also loved to do gold panning. I didn't find any gold but I bought some flakes.
I liked to have room mates from other schools. I met two new friends there. I want to do this type of camp again and make more friends.
My most favourite thing at sovereign hill was the light show. I liked wearing the 3D Glasses. The tram was fun to ride. I like the cinema and the Sound and Light show. When the screen opened I felt like I was hallucinating. The show took a long time to finish but by the end of it I was very tired.
I loved all the food: breakfast, lunch, morning tea, afternoon tea and dinner.
I liked when we got to wander around and look at all the artefacts. I saw a butcher, a Chinese shop, lots of wells and shops.
Elliott: I really enjoyed the gold pouring demonstration on the Sovereign Hill 5/6 camp because the man doing it added lots of humour to it by surprising us and even freaking us out.
It was really cool seeing the molten gold being poured and he told us some amazing facts about the way gold reacts. I couldn't believe when he tipped the gold out onto the bench and it had become solid in so little time.
Then the man picked the gold with some tongs and placed it in the water, and a lot of steam came out.
I thought that was the end of the demonstration and that we would go away while it cooled in the water, but then the man reached into the water (which I thought would be boiling hot), took out the gold and screamed! Everyone in the room jumped, and I suspected he had hurt himself, but then we realised he was just joking.
That was possibly the most relieving moment of my life.
