On Monday, the Year 5 classes all went for a big trip to Gympie Gold Mine. Here are some of the things that we learned about during our day:

“Did you know that a long time ago, before the gold rush started, a convict found a chunk of gold and in return he got lashes across the back? It was pretty harsh!”  Portia.

“There was an old blacksmith with a big fire pump (bellows) that keeps the fire alive. Then I found out what the anvil looked like. It had one big fat bit and a skinny bit for the turning and everything.” Robert.

“The first thing I did in my group was walk on a bridge that was 21.95 metres off the ground. Did you know that 21.95 metres is the tallest flood they have had at Gympie? That was in 1893.”  Chloe.

“The classrooms in the 1800s were very different to ours now. The classrooms had no computers or ipads or air conditioners and no lights!” Isabella F.

“Our Groups first activity was gold panning. You have to be very patient when you go gold panning because it can take a very long time. Sadly only some people could find gold.” Riley.

“Then we walked over a huge bridge and it was so high and was kind of scary because there were cracks in between the wood and was so rickety. When we got to the other side we were shown this elevator that held four men and a whole cart of quartz.” Isabella M.

“(In the classroom) The children saw an old typewriter and what people used to write on their books. The kids found out that if one of the children in the olden day classes had messy handwriting, they would get a reward of a whack from the cane.” William.

“The man that gave us a tour around the place said back in the olden days they found a golden nugget and it weighed 30 kilograms. I was amazed when he said that!” Ruby.

GCC families can see all the photos on Pixevety.