Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 11 a.m. Geelong time (on the road to Mt. Waverly)
By Teressa Jackson
Wednesday was a whirlwind of activities in the Toolangi and
Healesville areas. We began our day at Toolangi Primary School, which educates
around 35 children from Prep (our Kindergrten) to grade 6. The children are
split out into two classes – one for the upper and one for the lower grades.
They were obviously a tight-knit group and the school had a warm, family feel.
The lower grades’ teacher even brought her dog Eric to school with her each
day.
As we toured, we learned about the influence the bush fires
had on the area five years ago. Many of the residents were affected and it was
incredibly traumatic, with nearly 200 deaths from the disaster. Although the
children were young, they also felt the impact. The school has placed a
great emphasis on providing therapeutic activities for the children. As the
principal said, two activities that are good for the soul are gardening and
music, and we toured a beautiful kitchen garden they have created on site, and the
students serenaded us with a sweet song that they wrote. Afterward, while the
children played outside, we joined the staff for coffee and fresh-baked scones
and blackberry jam made by the kids.
We then made our way through the
beautiful mountains to take a stroll through the rainforest on the Toolangi Boardwalk. We were told to watch ourselves for leeches (eek!), but thankfully,
we left the forest unscathed. There were tree ferns galore, towering gum trees,
babbling creeks, and piles of fluffy moss. Other than the threat of leeches, it
was quite peaceful and we enjoyed taking in its beauty. Having worked up a bit of an appetite, we were ready for our
picnic lunch at Maoondah Dam. The dam is located in an a park with large
beautiful trees, and there is a waterfall where the dam releases some of its
contents.
Our next stop was Healesville Sanctuary, where we watched a
native bird show and then visited exhibits with a variety of native animals.
Unfortunately, many of Australia’s special critters are nocturnal, and
therefore napping. The wombat was especially endearing, completely unconscious
on his back with his teeth hanging out. We were all taken with the way that the
wallaby and kangaroo exhibits were structured, as we were able to enter a
secure area and view the animals up close, with only a rope separating us. It
was amazing how calm they were, taking food from the hands of sanctuary personnel. Their
hopping is so surreal and fun to watch.
After a quick shower and freshening up, the team ascended
Mount Dandenong for our third group presentation. The view from the Sky High Restaurant was spectacular.
View more photos from the day and stay up-to-date with all our latest at our Facebook page:www.facebook.com/gse2014.
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