Monday morning saw us in the Arts Precinct of Melbourne CBD. We wandered around the buildings in the area admiring the architecture, before heading to the Eureka Tower for some serious city viewing (89 floors up)!
This tower gives 360° views of the city with important landmarks pointed out. Some students even braved the 'Edge', a lift with glass walls and floor which goes outside the building.
We then had some time to explore Southbank and fit in some shopping and lunch. After lunch we drove to Phillip Island to see the Fairy Penguins who come in every night to nest. We waited quietly in the very cold wind and on-off rain to see them and the general consensus is that the penguins are very cute!
Tuesday was a sightseeing day where we visited some highly significant places in Melbourne's history. We started off at St Patrick's Cathedral, before also going to: Parliament House, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Flinders Street Station, the Shrine of Rememberance, and the Botanical Gardens. Our students enjoyed exploring these notable landmarks. Other visitors to the Shrine and St Patrick's were entertained by the two impromptu performances given by our students.
We then had a chance to browse the Queen Victoria Markets and catch up with past Grammarian Joyce Zhuo, who was excitedly greeted by all the students.
In the afternoon we headed to the Royal Children's Hospital for a concert in the Starlight Room. Captain Chameleon and his crew were most welcoming and appreciative of the entertainment. Our students performed with lots of energy given the busy tour they have had.
The highlight of our hospital visit was seeing the meerkat enclosure.
Last night we got all dressed up to go to the theatre to see the stage show 'Les Miserables'. The students were suitably impressed by the strong performances from the actors and the incredible staging of the show. Whether we had seen Les Mis already or not, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
