Final Blog for 2012

We are back on board the Spirit of Tasmania and about to head back to the mainland!

It has been another great day and we managed to fit in a few more sights, sounds and tastes of Tassie.

Today started smoothly with us rolling out of the campsite right on time.  Mr Bacon was excited because today was the day we were going to Ross - home of the 'best wood shop in Tassie'.  Unfortunately, much to his distress, it was closed for renovations... Poor Mr Bacon.  Ross was stunning!  It was like stepping into an old English village and has such a peaceful, relaxed feel to it.

We then headed to Cataract Gorge and enjoyed a walk, followed by lunch in the park.  Ellie Ballard, a former student, joined us and it was great to see her. Daniel Harris set a new College record consuming 3 and a 1/2 feet of Subway.  We are hoping that it doesn't reappear sometime in the near future.  Before getting on board we went to the Honey Farm and got to sample some of the local produce which included honey based ice cream.  Very tasty!

The past week has been amazing and the students have exceeded all expectations.  They have displayed so many admirable qualities and have behaved with great maturity.   They have toured together, shared meals and prayed together.  They have formed memories that will last a lifetime. Their openness with each other and the staff on this trip as we talked about being willing to take risks in sharing our faith has been incredible and it has been a privilege to be here with them.  Parents, you can be very proud of your kids.

Thanks for reading our blog and for all the comments that you contributed.

See you tomorrow afternoon!

Love from all of us.

PS ... Poll question answer:  Mr Bacon's favourite food is sushi.
PSS...  If you would like to see the lyrics of Mr Bacon and Mr Gilmour's song, you will need to see them next week!  They may be willing to share them... for a small a fee ;-)

Today we woke up and set off for a full day of action packed adventure!

Mr Bacon, Mr Gilmour, Mrs Meyer and I headed out for an eco boat cruise around Tasman Island. The weather was beautiful, but when you are speeding across the water it got rather chilly!! We had a blast despite being followed by 32 kids!! :-)

Port Arthur was an eye opening experience as we saw some of the early history of Australia.  The kids screamed their way out of solitary confinement and were amazed by the stories of people their own age experiencing such hardship.

Tonight was talent night and all I can say is 'wow!!' The acts were amazing - art work, piano performances, singing, drama and dance.  Even Mr Bacon and Mr Gilmour got in on the act!

Air Band

Daniel's friends

Emily and Rebekah singing

Rebecca, Erin and Tash on the piano

The very talented Mr Gilmour and Mr Bacon

We can't believe that tomorrow is our last day in Tassie! Where has the time gone?

When we get up everything will be repacked and we head back to Devonport to board the 'Goodship Lollipop' (as Bus Driver Eric calls it). We have a few places to check out on the way and Mr Bacon can't wait to look in the wood shop at Ross!

All going well there will be one final blog tomorrow or Friday morning.

We are looking forward to seeing you all and sharing our adventures with you face to face!

Lots of love from all of us in Tassie.

Good night.

One word... Chocolate!! Today was the day we had all been waiting for! Leaving our before we really wanted to we headed to town early for our Cadbury visit.  You will be pleased to know that the bottom of the bus is now 'choc-a-block' with treats to bring home!

We then headed to Richmond to see the oldest continually functioning church, the famous Richmond Bridge and a scale model of Old Hobart Town.  We topped this off with a visit to the Bakery for lunch. You will never guess what else was there??  Yep, another Lolly Shop!

The afternoon was spent in Hobart city and we visited the Old Hobart Penitentiary and Chapel.

When we returned we managed to fit in a bit of free time.  Some students played basketball or on the trampoline, some went for a nanna nap and others went to the beach.  It was nice to spend some time hanging out together.

The weather has been fantastic but it has started to rain tonight and we have heard that a change is coming through.

Tonight at devotions we talked about how God can, and will, equip us to share our faith.

We have a few tired bodies but so far everyone is holding up fairly well.

Tomorrow we head to Port Arthur and do an eco cruise. The adventure continues.

Tom doing some cleaning

Trinity College kids

Our kids singing with Trinity College

Sorry for the delay in this post... we had a few technical difficulties yesterday.

So what happened yesterday?  In the morning we packed up and went to a meeting with the Poatina community.  Parents, you would have been so impressed with the comments made about the maturity and friendliness of your kids.  The hard work that they had put in the previous day was greatly appreciated and they were so surprised by what the kids had managed to achieve.

Before we left we met with the students of Trinity College (Poatina's K-12 school).  They taught us a song which we hope to share when we get back sometime.

Taz

Kangaroo wearing Kye's hat

Tyne the Kangaroo whisperer

In the afternoon we visited Bonorong Wildlife Park where we got to interact with many of Australia's unique animals.  The noises made by the Tassie Devil definitely got our attention!

Hopefully we will blog again tonight if we can get the system to cooperate.

We miss you all!!

How good is sleep!!  We had a slightly later start this morning, which meant we could have a well earned sleep in.  Church was at 10 so we took a stroll around Poatina and enjoyed the mountain scenery.

Church was great and we got to hear a little about Kevin's plans for the new Poatina Arts Centre and the way that God challenged the direction he thought he was supposed to be heading.  The kids enjoyed meeting some of the members of the community - particularly the little kids.  Madleen was a hit with Luca, who thought she was wonderful.

Steph and the kids

Madleen and Luca

After another fantastic meal we headed to the Poatina Arts Centre where we spent a couple of hours in service. Everyone worked hard and so much was cleared in preparation for work to occur tomorrow. They were "amazingly amazing". Check out the before and after shoots as well as the muscles on the workers!!

Before

After 1

After 2

Go Mr Bacon!

Anything you can do we can do better!!

The rubbish we moved

Evidence of hard work

Some students even had the energy to take on a bush walk others took advantage of some relaxation time.  Some of the bush walkers, Louis and Aaron, discovered they had a few hitchhikers in the form of Tasmanian leaches. They were quickly removed and dispatched!

We are just about to start devotions for the evening.

Thanks for all the comments and love.  We miss you all!!

What a magic day!!  After a scenic drive through the Tasmanian country side we arrived at snow covered Cradle Mountain. Rapid fire arm actions meant that the snow didn't remain on the ground for very long and people quickly started ducking for cover.

Targets were chosen and hunted down, along with so called allies.  Snow angels and snowmen where made and we really didn't want to leave.

We then made our way to Sheffield - home of the murals and... went to the Lolly Shop!  Can you see a pattern developing?

Tonight we are at Poatina and have been well fed and watered.  Devotions was a time of great sharing as we looked at how to know God personally.  What an amazing group of students! They freely shared and encouraged each other which was such a privilege and a blessing to witness.

Bed is calling. We will report in tomorrow.

Love to all.