On Sunday 28 April, the Year 8 cohort departed Melbourne for Central Australia.

Alice Springs

First stop, Alice Springs. With great excitement, the Year 8 cohort and St Catherine’s staff arrived at the camp ground to discover that our tents were already set up. This was the attention to detail and highly considered planning and expertise that we came to expect from Hollands Tours over the following six days. The girls were highly appreciative of our tour leaders/drivers and cooks, who worked tirelessly to provide the best experience possible, with their impeccable knowledge of the local landscape, Aboriginal culture, European settlement and nutritious food.

In Alice Springs, we visited the Royal Flying Doctor Service and School of the Air, where we gained an understanding of the significance of education and medical services in remote outback Australia. Rex’s reptile show at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre was a highlight for many. An entertaining character, Rex had the girls spellbound with his stories of reptile handling and keeping safe in the bush. He brought context to the Dreamtime Story of the Rainbow Serpent by giving the girls the opportunity to handle a massive Olive Python, with its rainbow pattern glistening under the lights.

Kings Canyon

Kings Creek Station (an actual working station) provided the girls with a true outback experience, with its remote setting under a web of night time stars. Nikki Sitch (School Captain ’15), who assisted the group, had the girls captivated during allocated journal and reflection time as she explained how she drafted meaningful journal entries. Nikki explained that when she noticed something unique during the day, she would capture the moment by taking time to experience every sense; sight, sound, touch, smell, and sometimes taste, linking these senses to the emotions that they evoked. This formed the basis of her reflection and interesting reading in years to come.

We received a cultural tour led by a number of members of the local Indigenous community where the girls learned about the array of hunting and food gathering/preparation tools, bush tucker, art, music and jewellery. Some girls even tasted a witchetty grub.

The Kings Canyon walk was another highlight of our trip. The three-hour walk left our girls with a sense of achievement, amazement of the rock formation, and in absolute awe of the beauty and sacredness of the area.

Uluru

The final stop was Uluru. We cycled the 10km base circuit, experiencing every aspect of the rock, and the ever-changing colours. The Mala walk was incredible in explaining the cultural significance of the area, and our girls were able to see the importance of spirituality to the Mala people and their ancestors today. Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) was a very impressive sight with many of the girls taking time to sit and admire the rock formations.

Our program culminated with a sunset viewing of Uluru, done in style with food platters and sparkling apple juice.

The Year 8 Girls were expertly led by St Catherine’s staff and Hollands Tours; however, their positivity, social inclusion and thirst for knowledge was the catalyst for a highly rewarding program.

Below are just a few student reflections from the trip:

A most rewarding aspect of the Central Australia Program was getting to know the girls in my Form Group better and developing closer friendships. – Maggie Zhu.

A most rewarding aspect of the Central Australia Program was developing greater independence. We needed to organise our own things every day and it was not an easy thing to do. – Eva Liang.

I really enjoyed the bus trips because everyone throughout the bus connected really well, whether it was through card games, singing, or laughing to Michael’s (tour leader/bus driver) silly comments and jokes. – Charlotte Rowe.

My highlight was the bike ride around Uluru because it was fun and easy to enjoy. It was amazing to be able to ride around Uluru and look at the beautiful landmark in its entirety. – Katherine Graham.

My favourite part of the trip was the Kings Canyon walk because the views were breathtaking. It was also a really fun way to get to know and spend time with my friends and make some new ones. – Ava Colosimo.

I will keep the memory of seeing Uluru forever. It is such a sacred, famous and astonishing site.-Zoe Hall.

The most rewarding aspect was definitely learning more about Aboriginal culture and the way they once lived. – Miranda Ware.