BRAINERD — Two teams of Brainerd Public College college students and relations traveled to Australia this June to be taught extra about Australian tradition and get first hand expertise of Australian life.
“This can be a journey that was three years within the making,” mentioned Dalen Hodge, Forestview instructor, who led one of many two teams, in a information launch. “We initially deliberate this journey to happen in 2020 however needed to delay the journey due to Australia’s COVID journey restrictions.”
The opposite chief was Lori Hodge, additionally a Brainerd Public Colleges educator.
The teams departed from Forestview a couple of days aside in order to maintain the teams small and versatile. Hodge’s group departed on June 10, flying from Minneaplis to Los Angeles after which onto Sydney, Australia.
Whereas in Sydney, the group took in lots of the landmark sights together with the Sydney Opera Home, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Hyde Park Barracks, and walked the seashores across the harbor.
“One of many main highlights of the journey was seeing the Sydney Opera Home and studying extra about it,” mentioned Derek A. Grady Jr., 16, one of many college students on the journey. “Seeing that it’s small tiles which are a number of colours that make up the construction and studying how a lot engineering went into constructing the Opera Home was spectacular.”
The group flew from Sydney to Brisbane to proceed their travels. Because the group members continued to maneuver north up the East Coast, they visited historic locations together with Frazer Island, Whitsunday Islands and Maryborough. The group members spent the day on Frazer Island, the world’s largest sand island. They have been in a position to go snorkeling whereas touring Whitsunday Islands and see the big number of fish species and be taught in regards to the pure silica sand that makes up the seashores of Whitsunday.
One of many locations the group stayed at was an Eco Park, which gave the group the chance to see kangaroos within the wild and listen to the songs of all kinds of birds.
The group continued to maneuver north and completed the journey in Cairns, Australia. Whereas in Cairns, the group traveled on the skyrail touring over the world’s oldest rainforest and discovered extra in regards to the Aboriginal individuals of Australia through the go to to Kuranda. They took in a dance present, discovered about looking with boomerangs and spears and the music of the individuals performed on didgeridoo and clapsticks. They discovered in regards to the oral historical past handed down by the individuals and the way the varied tribes of Australia stay within the totally different components of the nation.
The group spent their final full day in Australia on the Nice Barrier Reef. Touring by boat from Cairns to the outer fringe of the reef to a platform the place that they had the possibility to snorkel and see the great thing about the coral reef and the quite a few marine life that make their properties within the reef.
Lots of the group members had the possibility to see up shut a inexperienced sea turtle, which was swimming within the space.
“When the ocean turtle got here proper as much as me whereas snorkeling was probably the most memorable second of the journey for me,” mentioned Chloe Patrick, 14.
“Finest journey of my life!” mentioned Sawyer Riffle. “It took a very long time to get there however was 100% value it due to every thing we obtained to see and do.”
“Journey is particular approach for college kids and actually anybody to be taught,” mentioned Hodge. “There’s something distinctive about experiencing a tradition first hand in that nation. I’ve lead quite a few teams to all kinds of nations. So many college students write to me later of their lives about how these journeys have been life altering for them and the way it sparked their love of journey. I really feel very lucky to have the ability to deliver these younger individuals on these adventures.”
