NEWS ARCHIVE
NORTH WEST REGION TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
25 JAN 2009
We had spent months planning and preparing for this trip and the excitement grew as we met early on 27th December at Lime Street station to embark on our epic journey!
When we arrived at Heathrow we met up with the other contingents and set off for Beijing. We arrived in Australia on 29th December, wondering where the time had gone…
Our first stop was Sydney. The Harbour Bridge and the Opera House were even more magnificent in real life and we all enjoyed exploring the city. A highlight was sitting by the Opera House to watch the New Year fireworks over the Harbour Bridge. The girls received a lot of attention from other revellers because we were all in contingent uniform. It was indeed a night to remember.
At the end of the first week we went off to camp at Geelong. It was a 12 hour train journey to get there but we managed to entertain ourselves on the way. There were 2000+ girls at camp in ten subcamps. The site was about a mile from one end to the other. It took a couple of days for the girls to adjust to camp life but they got into the swing of it.
The activities on offer ranged from flying in a small plane, to fishing, rock climbing, the Neighbours tour, Melbourne Zoo to craft activities about the campsite. On the Tuesday we had a trip to Phillip Island to see the ‘Penguin Parade’ – the Little Penguins were so cute (but we did see some of them fighting..). Midweek there was family and International day where we did ‘British’ activities for the visitors. The week was rounded off with the ‘ACE Race’ – a competition around Geelong for the Guides in their patrols.
All too soon it was the closing ceremony and we were off to Melbourne for the rest of our stay. Melbourne too is a fantastic city and there was plenty for us to see and do. We visited the Eureka Skydeck, the Immigration Museum, the market and a particular favourite was Melbourne Gaol where Ned Kelly had been held and executed.
The three weeks flew by and the girls made lots of new friends on the trip both in the UK contingent and with other nationalities. They were sad for it all to end but are keeping in contact via Facebook!
We would like to thank North West Region for supporting our trip to Australia and to everyone else who has helped us. It was certainly an unforgettable trip and the highlight of our Centenary year.
