Year 9 Northern Territory trip
Our Year 9 Central Australia Immersion journey
On 24 September, 42 students and five staff assembled at Hobart airport. The group prepared to commence the annual Year 9 trip and began their journey from the small island of Tasmania to the outback landscapes of the Northern Territory.
Over the course of 12 days we were blessed with experiencing many once in a life-time opportunities such as: swimming in waterholes, holding reptiles like snakes and baby crocodiles, viewing the spectacular sunset at Ubirr rock, walking around the base of Uluru and riding camels- just to name a few.
We began our outback adventure in Darwin and made our way down to the heart of the Northern Territory, Uluru. The bus rides were always full of laughter whilst we played games and were entertained by Miss Brownrigg’s freestyle karaoke.
One of the many highlights of the trip was when we travelled to Cooinda and cruised on the Yellow Waters Lagoon at sunrise.
We saw hundreds of saltwater crocodiles, water buffalo, different species of birds and trees. Our tour guide Rueben educated us on the flora and fauna and his family’s connections to the land.
Visiting Uluru and getting close to the gigantic monolith was a breath-taking and spiritual experience. Jen, our tour guide, told us lots of chukapa (dreamtime stories) and helped to give us an understanding about the significance of the land to the indigenous people.
We were given the opportunity to see the sacred site up close and walk around its base, later on we were lucky enough to witness the beauty of Uluru under the setting sun.
Most of the walks that we went on were relatively easy, until we got to Kings Canyon. Conquering the first part of the walk (deemed “Heart Attack Hill”) was the toughest part. The walk was tiring but undeniably worth it.
The 2018 Northern Territory trip was certainly one to remember, we immersed ourselves amongst the stunning scenery, the Aboriginal culture and the wildlife. We grew together as one big “Northern Territory family” as we saw many remarkable things together, said Salesian goodnights together and ate together.
For the friendships made and the magical places we visited throughout this unbelievable journey is an opportunity we are all incredibly grateful. The entire trip was a spectacular experience, one that we will treasure forever.
You can see more photos on our gallery: Northern Territory 2018.
Ursula Harris - Year 9 student
A Catholic School in the Salesian Tradition
