Music Tour - Final Day

At the airport waiting for our flight home!

We had our last concert for thr tour today at the magnificent St Paul's Cathedral in the city, opposite Federation Square.

We started off with a rehearsal which gave the visitors to the church some entertainment; several visitors stopped wandering and sat to listen to the singing in the incredible acoustic of the cathedral.

Our performance was a credit to the work the students and staff have put into preparing the tour choir.

It was particularly nice to perform to the familiar Grammar faces of Nadine, Dean, and Abbey Crowley.

Thanks and congratulations must go to Mr Fairley for allowing us to undertake this tour, and tour leader Mr Blanch, who organised and planned the tour in conjuction with Rob Latimer from ACFEA Tour Consultants. The staff and students should be commended for their hard work and co-operation in the lead up to the tour.

See you soon, Townsville!

Music Tour - Days 10 & 11

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.

Music Tour - Days 8 & 9

On Saturday morning we headed to nearby Paynesville via St Mary's Church. St Mary's is known over Australia for the murals painted inside by Francesco Floreani in the 1930s.

Once we got to Paynesville we took the ferry (for an incredibly short ride!) to Raymond Island to complete the Koala walk. This picturesque walking track circles the island and features many trees where koalas can be found sleeping. We counted 11 koalas, including one which woke up and waved at us!

We then headed back to Paynesville for a leisurely fish 'n' chip lunch.







The afternoon was taken up by a rehearsal at St John's Anglican Church, after which the students enjoyed a delicious, home-cooked dinner provided by the ladies at St John's. They gave an energetic and entertaining performance which was attended by a responsive audience.

Today we had a relaxed start before our concert at Maddock Gardens Aged Care Centre. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance and was very appreciative, even saying, "the future of Australia is in bright hands".

We then headed to Melbourne in thoroughly miserable weather. Students used this time to catch up on sleep, reading, and gaming. Once we arrived in Melbourme we checked out the accomodation, had a sociable time at dinner, and enjoyed some leisure time before our big day tomorrow.

Music Tour - Days 6 & 7

Yesterday we had time for a drive around the Embassy district in Canberra and it was interesting seeing the varying designs for each country's buildings. A trip up Mt Ainslie gave us a photo opportunity (a quick one due to the wind). Retail therapy took the rest of the morning, whether it was buying clothes, games, or having a relaxed cup of coffee.  Students spent the next bus trip comparing purchases and how much money they have left.

 At the Art Gallery we split into two groups and had highly interesting tours, focusing on a few works in detail, including Aboriginal rituals represented by art, a 6th century Chinese clay statue, and of course, Jackson Pollock's 'Blue Poles' and Monet's 'Water Lilies'.

We then drove through the suburbs to an Aged Care facility, where the students presented an entertaining concert and joined the residents for afternoon tea.

A quick trip to the National Museum allowed the students to explore the variety of displays and activities.

We had a delicious dinner for Bianca Parison, who celebrated her 17th birthday yesterday. The (surprise) birthday cake for dessert had no leftovers!

Today we travelled to Bairnsdale (6+ hours in the coach) with a couple of stops on the way. We saw the amazing Christmas Barn which stocks an extensive range of Christmas decorations. The students enjoyed looking at the merchandise and gave an impromptu performance for the owners and other customers.

There were a couple more stops and photo opportunities before we arrived in Bairnsdale.

We had a buffet dinner at Lake of China Restaurant; it was amazing to see how much food some students could fit on their plates! The other patrons enjoyed another impromtu performance in the middle of their dinner.

Music Tour - Days 4 & 5

Early on Tuesday we loaded the bus for our transfer to Canberra. What a day Canberra chose to welcome us - 4 degree weather, strong winds, and rain; the extreme cold was a shock to all! Luckily our accomodation is comfortable and toasty warm.

The students had a concert at Yarralumla Uniting Church and, despite the cold, a surprisingly large audience turned up to see them.

Rehearsal at Yarralumla

We had a later start today, with a delicious buffet breakfast (the bacon and pancakes caused the most excitement). Then we were off on our big sightseeing day: Canberra Exhibition Centre, Australian Parliament House, and the Australian War Memorial. We had guided tours and gave two impromtu performances.

Overlooking Lake Burley-Griffin

View from the roof of Parliament House

Impromptu performance #1

Our tour of Canberra Exhibition Centre, situated on the beautiful Lake Burley-Griffin, gave us the story of how Canberra was chosen to be the nation's capital, and the history of the architectural design of the city. Students were given a chance to design an additional building (with Lego) for Canberra. Such was the enjoyment of the Lego, most students passed up the opportunity of hot chocolate to finish their designs.

Outside Parliament House

After our tour of Parliament House we met with Ewen Jones MP, the federal member for Herbert. He showed us around some extra areas of Parliament House, where the general public is not usually allowed!

We explored the War Memorial and participated in the daily wreath laying and Last Post ceremony. Some of our students laid a wreath on behalf of TGS, while other students laid poppies and looked for their relatives who died in service.

Back to the hotel for dinner and a leisurely evening, despite the amount of washing we all have to do!

Music Tour - Day 3

Lots of photos followed by a tour of the Sydney Opera House filled the morning. Our guide was highly knowledgeable and, despite not being a teacher, had a very impressive teacher-voice (we almost didn't need the headsets!).



Finding the Guylian Chocolate Cafe to drink the delectable hot chocolate was the girls' goal for the rest of the morning.

We headed Mrs Macquarie's Chair for lunch, but didn't last long in the freezing wind!

Our first concert today was in the Starlight Room at the Sydney Children's Hospital. A private channel broadcasts the activities of the Starlight Room so children in the wards can experience what goes on in the room. The students performed a variey of upbeat songs which were well received by Captain Coco and rest of the live audience.

After a quick rehearsal in the beautiful St Luke's in Mosman, we headed back to our accomodation for dinner. Our evening concert at St Luke's was attended by some Grammar VIPs: the daughters of T.B. Whight and the great-granddaughter of Mary Agnes Donald!

Off to Canberra tomorrow - a lot of us were surprised by the cold in Sydney so Canberra will be interesting!

Music Tour - Day 2

We woke to views of the beautiful coast (too cold to swim, though!).

After a scenic drive through the city we were welcomed to the magnificent Christ Church St Laurence to experience, some for the first time, a Solemn High Mass.

The church choir inspired the students, who sang briefly at the end of the service to give the congregation a taste for their concert in the afternoon.

Sunshine in the park for lunch, it was great to see students from different age groups socialising with each other, while avoiding the birds intent on getting some lunch!

Our students bravely took their jumpers off (and didn't show the cold!) for their concert in the church. The very appreciative audience members commented on the students' beautiful voices and their excellent presentation and manners.

A couple of hours of shopping at Darling Harbour finished off our afternoon before we headed back to the Collaroy Centre for dinner, outdoor games (for some), a rehearsal, and some free time before a hopefully-not-too-late night.