Day 5

We woke up around 7am and gathered at the lobby at 7:45am. After having the same breakfast we ate yesterday, we went back to the hotel, took our luggage and boarded the bus. We stopped at the Swan Lake and took photos with the Bell Tower. We then went to the Kings Park & Botanical Garden and broke into 2 groups. All of us walked around the garden and saw many species of flora and fauna. For example, the Australian Raven which made a lot of noise. I feel that this visit was very meaningful as we learn more about the ecology and geography of the park.

Next, we went to the Jimmy Deans Diner restaurant for our lunch. The non-Muslims get to choose between beef burger, fish and chip, pasta and bacon chicken. The restaurant played many old rock and pop songs which make us and other customer felt as we were back in the 80s and 90s.

Followed by, we proceed to the KSP Writers’ center. There were 3 young writers whom based on different types of writing techniques, drama acting, poetry and indigenous writing. We split into 3 groups and participated in various activities. The first activity was about drama acting, followed by the indigenous writing and lastly, the poetry.

After it ended, we visited the Mondo Nougat factory and bought the nougats for our families and friends. There were many kinds of flavors to try out. We were only given 10 minutes due to time constraints. It was a funny experience for us to rush and buy the food within ten minutes.

Next, we went to the factory which produced chocolates. It was closed but the manager was kind enough to let us in. We were thankful and grateful. There were samples and many variety of chocolate to choose from. We were also given a few minutes to purchase our things.

After that, we went to the swan valley, to take a break from the long bus ride we had. Many of us took photos of the scenery and birds, especially the black swan. All of us went to a Satay shop for dinner where we had mutton curry, onion eggs, fried chicken, and mixed vegetable with rice.

We went shopping again! Some of the shops did not close early on Thursday. We visited the Bentley Centre. Most of them went to the departmental stores where it sells clothes, accessories, food and others. We were given 1 hour to shop. After which, we board the bus and headed to the airport. Free time was given in the airport for us to pack our chocolate and nougat into our luggage. Some of us called back to Singapore by using the public telephone in the airport. It was not crowded and we checked in smoothly. After checking in, we were given some time to shop in the duty free shops.

When it was time, everyone lined up and get ready for boarding. The menu for the breakfast was fish with mustard sauce or black pepper chicken with rice. We were served around 3am where everyone was fast asleep.

Overall, this trip to Perth was a very enriching and new to us. We would like to thanks the teachers for planning the entire program!

Day 4

Day 4, we had our breakfast at 7.45am, all geared up and prepared for the long, hot dry day. We had a hearty breakfast with toasts, eggs, sausages and bacon. Right after the scrumptious breakfast, we headed for the Quaker Oats Processing Plant. Most of us were awed by the enormous silos that greeted us in the processing plant. We then went inside and Chris, the staff there gave us a presentation on the processes that were involved from the grain harvesting to packaging and exporting of the oat grains.

After that, we had the chance to actually see how these oats are processed as we toured around the factory, from the cleaning, to the hulling, kilning, rolling and finally the packaging. But before that, we had to take out all accessories, wear a hair net, and put on a neon-yellow safety vest. Safety was top priority here and the staff here meant business when it came to safety!

We were amazed when we saw all the complicated machinery and equipment that were used to process the oat grain as we went on the tour. There were many steps taken to ensure that the quality of the grains produced were of good quality and high standards. Quality and safety checks were rigorous to ensure that there were no accidents in the factory, as well as to ensure hygiene was of the highest standards. I believe this is the first time many of are actually able to go inside a factory. Many of us also got to know the health benefits of eating oats.

Soon, it was time for lunch. We had Indonesian cuisine today, and I believe that tour agency knew that by Day 4, we would be home sick, and craving for our local food. Everybody was exhilarated and welcomed having rice on our plates. There were also other dishes that were served such as curry chicken, vegetables, eggs and last but not least, fried squid. Yummy!

Herdsman River was our next destination. Herdsman River was the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Conservation. There, we met Roger, the park ranger, who was our in-house guide. He shared with us the history of the aboriginal people who were the first settlers in Australia. After that, he proceeded on to teach us to catch some river specimens to study, to know whether the area of the river is suitable for sustaining aquatic life and to know the different types of animals creatures living in such a habitat. It was an enriching experience because some of us managed to catch some river creatures that we hardly see back in Singapore. The ranger introduced us to the different species of the trees. We also had the chance to explore deeper into the ‘bush’ and enjoy the ‘sound of nature’. At one point of the journey at the bridge, Roger asked us to be silent and to listen to the sounds of nature and to breathe in deeply to take in the fresh air. He wanted us to experience nature first hand, and to fall in love with nature, for he believed that only when people fall in love with nature, would they be truly understand the importance of environmental conservation, and would desire to preserve this beautiful planet for generations to come.

After the education trip to Herdsman, it was the time everybody was waiting for… SHOPPING! We went to Harbour Town where there were many factory outlets which sold apparels and shoes. We had one and a half hours to shop there and everyone came back with hands full of shopping bags! It was very enjoyable and enriching as we learnt how to be more independent in managing our own money.

For dinner, we went to a Nyonya restaurant called D’Nonya to have our dinner, and it was Asian fare once again which was welcomed by all of us! They served us fried fish slices, curry chicken, egg omelet, fried fish, vegetables and soup. After a long day of packed with activities, all of us had a whale of a time talking about our trip and enjoying dinner. There was lots of laughter!

Overall, it was a tiring but fruitful day. It was also our last night in the hotel and I think all of us have undoubtedly begun to miss our time in Perth with our schoolmates and teachers. It is indeed a memorable experience for all of us.

Day 3

We checked out from Orchard Glory Farm Resort at 7.30am after having our breakfast. Most of us were reluctant to leave the resort as we were already used to the serene surroundings and the beautiful sceneries around the farm.

Then, we proceeded to the John Curtin High School which is located near Fremantle town. It took us nearly two hours for us to travel there, but when we reached, they gave us a warm welcome. Mr. Travis, the drama teacher at the arts school, brought along three student councilors -- Mitchell, Liam and Angela -- to join in the activities with us.

Firstly, we got the chance to see the exhibits around the school. The exhibits created by the local students were fantastic and amazing as such high-quality works are hardly found in Singapore. From their artworks, we can see their talents and interest in the Arts. Then we proceeded to the drama theatre and learnt much about the AVA systems backstage. The backstage has facilities such as specific lighting capabilities which our school does not have. We then played some interactive games and participated in creative drama exercises. For lunch, we had finger food specially prepared by the school. During lunch, we got to interact more with the student councillors and got to know more about their education system in Australia.

After lunch, we gave our souvenirs to the students and then left for a play and drama session at the WA Youth Theatre Company Perth. Phil, our teacher for the session who has been in the drama line since he was in his mid 20s, started our session by giving an introduction about drama. For that session, we got to exercise our creativity by playing drama related games. He made us understand that we not only need confidence, but also a strong voice to be effective communicators.

After the visit to the youth theatre, we were engaged with shopping at Hay Street. Although the prices were comparably higher than Singapore, all the students had a memorable experience buying souvenirs, admiring the buildings' architecture and learning about the social lives of the Australians. Something outstanding about the social life in Australia is that the shopping malls close early. In contrast to Singapore's shopping districts which are open until late at night, the malls on Hay Street closed at about five in the evening. This was a new experience for us as this is a way of life that we cannot find and get used to back home.

Once shopping was over, we proceeded to a western restaurant named 'Oliver at James'. We were served pasta and pizza which were utterly delicious. The luxurious furniture and the decorations inside the restaurant would surely be missed. When dinner was over, we then travelled to our next accommodation, 'Comfort Hotel Perth'. On the way to the hotel, there was great excitement among the students as they could not wait to check into the hotel. We arrived at the hotel at around eight. After checking in, we moved in to their designated rooms. Although the rooms were comfortable and cozy, some of us still preferred the laidback life at the farm stay.

Day 2

Today, we woke up at 7am and had breakfast at 7.45am. Afterwards, we headed to the secluded Boshack area to a place called ‘Outback Oasis’, apparently, one of the most water-rich areas in Western Australia.

The journey there took about 2 hours. Over at Outback Oasis, we got to feed the cows, bulls and goats with fresh oranges and hay. After which, we saw how to prepare morning tea with a whoop! Interesting! Not a single drop of tea was wasted when Chrissy, our guide at the Boshack ‘whooped’ the tea!

We also had a chance to learn how to detect and locate water sources and other energy sources such as those emitted by mobile phones by holding 2 metal wires. As we walked towards a water source, the 2 metal wires would start to turn and indicate the direction of the energy source! And if we continued to walk towards source, the two wires will then cross over one another, indicating the more exact location of the energy source and we would thus be able to locate the water source. It was amazing! The guide was telling us about how there is this natural energy in nature which we don’t sense and attune ourselves into, amidst the hustle and bustle of cities, and how being in the embraces of Mother Nature allows us to tune it to ourselves.

After that, we got a chance to play with boomerangs, first identifying the direction in which the wind was blowing, and then throwing the boomerang in the air. We then gathered at an area surrounded by paper trees. There, we tasted honey comb chocolates and macadamia chocolates. Our guides tried to trick the teachers and us by telling us we had to eat some grubs. Our tour guide and Miss Er put a really good show. In the end, the so-called ‘grubs’ turned out to be candies! We also tried blowing into a pipe instrument called a didgeridoo used by the aborigines. After that, we got up a tractor and proceeded to a kangaroo trail which led us to our lunch place where we had scrumptious sausages drenched with ketchup, barbecue sauce and mayonnaise with onions and bread. After lunch, we got to feed an emu and kangaroos with carrots. We then proceeded onto the tractor and went back onto the bus which then got us back to the Orchard Glory Farm.

When we arrived, we were then given time to freshen ourselves up before our next set of activities. At 3.45pm, we left for the farm where we feed some farm animals, witnessed sheep shearing and the wine processing progress. The sheep shearing process was led by a sheep shearer. When he was shearing the sheep, we felt that way he handled the sheep was very rough and he nicked the sheep. The sheep kept bleating to its mate beside it and it sounded so pitiful. We got to see how the shepherd dogs gather the sheep into their cage. We heard the dog sing and played fetch with them. Later on, we proceeded to a winery to learn about the wine-making process, we learnt how the owner, Mr David Cheah, prepared his wine from crushing the grapes, to fermenting it, and finally to bottling it. We then got to experience for ourselves how to bottle wine; it was a rare and interesting experience for all of us. However, we did not get to try the wine as we were underage. Our teachers, though, got to do some wine-tasting and they tasted the 2008 Shiraz and 2009 Shiraz. After that, we had some time to enjoy the scenery and took photos together. Then just prior to dinner, we strolled back to our dorms and had some free time to ourselves.

After an hour of free time, we headed back to the dining room for dinner. We had barbeque food such as sausages and lamb chops, in addition to chicken wings and baked potatos with butter and cheese. The food was most yummy to say the least, but we are starting to miss rice.

Day 1

We arrived at Perth International Airport at 6.25 am. We took about half an hour to clear customs and met our guide, Eugene. We were so amazed as the air felt chilly even though the sun was shining brightly. This was a new experience for us. The temperature was around 17 degrees.

We proceeded to McDonald’s for our breakfast. The outlet was rather far from the airport that the journey took about 40 minutes. The group in charge of the day had to take orders for 41 people. The staff there looked a little bewildered and overwhelmed. The tour guide mentioned that they weren’t really used to taking orders to such a sudden large influx of crowd. Nonetheless, the staff at the counter served us most patiently and politely. The menu was slightly different from the usual at Singapore, and we eagerly ate our breakfast.

Our first destination was a local supermarket where we did some stock up of water as well as snacks we would like to munch on when we get to our chalets. We bought mineral water bottles so that we could constantly keep ourselves hydrated as the weather dry.

Our next destination was the Monument Hill Memorial Reserve at the historical town of Fremantle. The monument is Fremantle’s Heritage and National Trust listed war memorial. We took a lot of photos and we had a talk with retired Navy soldiers who happened to be there. One of them shared with us their experience during war and he mentioned that he was on the H.M.S Arc Royal which went to Changi during WW2.

Our next stop was the Fremantle Market, one of the best-known landmarks in Fremantle. We could buy locallymade souvenirs in there and we were lucky as the market only opens on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We bought a lot of stuff such as souvenirs, food and clothing.



For our lunch, we went to the famous Kalis Restaurant where, word has it, that they served the best fish and chips in Australia. The fish was fresh, with its meat soft, white and flaky, and its skin fried to a nice, thin, golden brown. Kalis was also very generous with their servings and most of us had trouble finishing our food.

We visited the Gravity Discovery Centre next and met our guide, Grant, a man most charming, and who obviously was passionate about his work. The centre is an environment museum. Firstly, he showed as a video about how gravity affects the formation of the universe. Then, he brought us to the Leaning Tower of Gingin to learn about acceleration due to gravity. We filled balloons with water and climbed up 220 steps which was about 13-storey high. It was tiring and it got very windy along the way up. Those of us who had some fear of height pressed on and got to the pinnacle. We started dropping balloons from the top of the tower, and did an experiment to see that the mass of any object, whether heavy or light, did not affect its velocity when falling down. Grant showed us around the centre. There were many exhibits such as the enormous pendulum tower, gigantic murals showing the history of the universe, and an Innovation Gallery showcasing WA inventions. We also watched a video about the universe while lying down flat on the floor. For dinner, we had fish and chips again at the centre.

Then, we proceeded to Cosmos Centre, one of the six world’s astrological centre. Our guides were nicknamed Astra (Star), Mr. Universe and Starman. They explained to us about their recent future project which is the Square Kilometer Array (SKA). The purpose of the project was to build telescopes so large that we could listen into the sounds of the past in space, to help get some clues on the creation of the universe. This project, when materialized will be a giant leap for astrology. After that, we went star gazing under the Western Australian night sky. We were astounded by innumerable stars we saw. We caught sight of a moving satellite, and our guide pointed us to Venus, Jupiter, Sirius, Mercury, the 7 sisters etc. etc. It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of us and the experience was a magical one!

1st Post

Rehearsal today. We finalized our performance, and its nearly perfect. Just hope by Performance Day we can get this right. We'll be leaving on the 19th of November, slightly after midnight. We'll be uploading photos of our journey soon.
Cheers!