As part of the conclusion to Stage One’s 2nd Unit of Inquiry, ‘Transportation systems are directly related to the needs of the community’, we visited the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour.

The excursion was split into three main parts, a guided tour of the museum itself, a look around the naval destroyer the HMAS Vampire, and finally a cruise around Sydney Harbour on board a harbour ferry.

The boys had a fantastic time and were incredibly inquisitive throughout. Whilst in the museum the boys got to study how boats have evolved through the ages and how important they are to Australian history and identity, both from indigenous perspectives to the First Fleet, from the feats of the ‘Oarsome Foursome’ in past Olympic Games to the one time world’s fastest boat ‘The Spirit of Australia’. Whilst on board the HMAS Vampire, the boys enjoyed themselves posing on the ship’s bridge but also learnt all about the conditions in which sailors live whilst at sea. Finally the boys spent some time on a harbour cruise, learning both about the history of the harbour itself and also all about the vital transport links that serve Sydney, including the train, road and water networks.

The excursion was a fantastic end to our unit on transportation systems, which helped to enhance the boys’ understanding of the central idea through really great hands-on experience.

Sam Watson – Year 1 Teacher

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