Today was an opportunity for us to explore the some of the various educational facilities that Canberra has to offer. 
The day started pretty similar to the others. We were up and about by 6:30am and ready for yet another plentiful feed made up of all our breakfast favourites (including some delicious hash browns).
We set off towards the outskirts of Canberra with our sights aimed towards Mount Ainslie - What better way to start our day than with a spectacular view of our Nation's Capital.
After a few happy snaps at the Mountain's Lookout, we continued on towards the National Art Museum. Upon arrival we divided into our day groups and were assigned some very knowledgable tour guides. Our tours were indeed a very insightful experience; we were taken on a visual journey of artistic enrichment that had us exploring various genres and historical eras of artistic expression - from ancient Aboriginal pieces to modern pop art and abstracts. Unfortunately there is a no photo policy in the gallery which means that this experience had to be mentally documented (nevertheless we're sure that the students won't forget some of these amazing artworks).
The next stop was the Australian National Museum which allowed the students to really become engaged in a learning process that comprehensively depicts every aspect of our great country and its defining history. The kids were absolutely fixated on a range of historical items - from displays of Australian animals to collections of colonial artefacts. The amount of amazing items within the museum was endless and the students had an absolute blast exploring every aspect of this facility. One of the highlights was the 'k-Space' exhibition which allowed the students to take a digital photo of themselves and integrate it within a 3D movie presentation.
Having completed our self-guided exploration of the National Museum, we went and had lunch at a park opposite the National Library of Australia. We then soon ventured across the road to the library where the kids were divided into two groups and were invited to investigate the behind scenes workings of the largest library in the Southern Hemisphere. 
We headed downstairs into the document archives where a collective 5 kilometres of stored newspapers, books and records are stored per year. In addition to this epic collection of texts, the library also has their own personal robotic tram (nicknamed: Charlie) which is used to transport loads of books around the library. 
The students also had the opportunity to examine some of Australia's rarest documents - including the manuscripts of Captain James Cook (a piece of writing which single-handedly dictated the naming of many iconic Australian landmarks; such as Botany Bay).
To end our days series of events, we travelled to the CSIRO research building. The CSIRO provides students with a educational learning facility that enables students to learn about and experiment with a range of scientific research areas such as: sustainable energy sources, bio-genetics, environment management and much much more. The centre is also home to a range of animals and insects - a point which sparked a lot of interest with the students as they had the chance to handle some rather large species of stick insects and some very tame long-neck turtles. Another stand out feature of the CSIRO is their hands-on science activity facility that allows student to throw on a white coat and conduct a range of very fascinating scientific procedures and experiments.
Today proved to be yet another eye-opening experience. It allowed us to be active learners and prompted us to appreciate some of the finer aspects of this island land that we call home - I wonder what tomorrow will bring us...