The word 'Canberra' is believed to derive from the word 'Kambera', meaning "meeting place" in the local Indigenous tribe language.
With this in mind, the city of Canberra truly does live up to its name - especially when it comes to education. 
Each year thousands of students travel here to meet up with various experts and visit the numerous learning facilities/national landmarks that this rather diverse Capital city has to offer.

The Greenhills Cabins were alive with movement and excitement this morning as the students got themselves packed up and ready for their final day in Canberra. Before we left the students were treated to an awesome breakfast meal of Pancakes and maple syrup (plus all the usual extras: cereal, bacon, eggs toast etc).

Our first stop on today's itinerary was the Australian Institute of Sport - a venue that many students were very excited to visit. Upon our arrival we were taken up stairs to a sport activity room which allowed the students to complete a range of hands-on sporting games and activities; from shooting basketball hoops to learning how to virtually luge - the room had it all and the students had an absolute blast!
After our set time in the activity room, the guides took us around the institute where we got to see a range of sporting facilities and areas such as: the gymnastics arena, the volleyball courts, the strength and conditioning gym and the $ 17million swimming pool.

Next up we on our way to the Australian War Memorial. Just seeing the outside of this amazing structure is enough to strike a a strong sense of pride and respect for all of Australia's war-based sacrifices. 
Inside the memorial is huge museum that is solely dedicated to preserving the national spirit of everyone involved in both old and modern wartime affairs. It was a truly insightful experience for our students, especially after watching some of the memorial video presentations that left the school group silent in respect and admiration.
In addition to visiting the museum facilities, we also headed outside to see the walls of honour which displays the names of all the known casualties of historic war events. 
We also entered the dome chamber of the unknown soldier, where we all sat for a minute of silence in tribute to all those that gave their lives and are to this day left unnamed.

Following our visit to the War Memorial, we went and had lunch in the park adjacent from the Questacon building.
Having finished our lunch we then headed into Questacon where the students were marvelled by the multiple levels of non-stop scientific fun.
The building is home to five different learning environments that all focus on their own specific scientific area - such as marine science, geographical science, mathematical science etc.
All the levels of the building are packed with fun and engaging learning activities that keep the students interested and focused as they learn about a range of subjects in a fun and interactive way.
One of the most popular attractions was the simulated earthquake house that allows students to experience what a 5.5 magnitude tremor feels like. Another really popular activity was the gravity free fall where the students had to grip onto a 7metre high bar and release themselves onto steep slippery slide ( it was an exhilaratingly gut wrenching experience!).

The time came for us to leave Questacon and for us to also say goodbye to Canberra. 
We have had an absolutely fantastic time here in the Capital of Australia and I'm sure that neither the students or the staff will ever forget last few days. The trip has solidified the friendships of all our year 6 students and has reinforced the ongoing levels of personal maturity that they have endeavoured to develop over their journey through primary school. 

Congratulations on a successful trip Year 6, you've done St Mary's proud.