Day 1: Melbourne, here we come!
After months of counting down and planning, the big day had finally arrived. 39 super excited students and 4 almost-as-excited teachers met at Townsville airport to begin our adventure to Melbourne!
After saying goodbye to mums and dads, and a quick stop via the gift stop to purchase the all-important plane snacks, we embarked on our first of two flights to Brisbane. Sadly, with a change in departure time, our ability to keep Krispy Kreme flourishing was compromised and we were straight onto our flight to Melbourne.
Upon arriving we were thrown into touring - by meeting our trusty bus driver for the next five days, Ray, and heading directly to Old Melbourne Gaol. Here the students were given personal tours of the prison cells and heard lots of historical stories of Melbourne in the 1800 to early 1900s, where the favourites were the ghost stories and tales of great escape. Somewhat morbidly, we visited the place of the infamous Ned Kelly’s execution and learned more about this important and renowned figure in Australian history.
 
With chocolatey packages safely put away, we were off to dinner at Touche Hombre Mexican restaurant. Our tables were filled with an array of delicious food - guacamole and salsa with corn chips and cheesy cauliflower, and a variety of tacos filled with pork belly, Mexican spiced chicken, slow cooked beef and roasted vegetables. I didn’t think I would ever see the day that I saw teenagers refuse more food - but we certainly go to that stage at dinner tonight!
With the need to walk off our full bellies, we embarked on a walking tour of Melbourne CBD. We moved through the bustling shopping district, Chinatown, some of the laneways crowded with cafes and restaurants, down to the river and through Federation Square and the iconic Flinders Station.
The students were in awe of the beautiful reflection of the sky-rises on the Yarra River, and we all took a moment to appreciate what an incredible city we were so lucky to be able to visit together.
  Despite the sugar hit, after such a long day our weary bodies were ready for bed. An integral part of the Melbourne experience is of course a tram ride and our very kind tram driver got us all on board safely and welcomed new passengers at each stop to the “Townsville Express”, much to the delight of our travelling group.
At long last, we were home for showers and then bed, where I have no doubt all students immediately fell asleep to recharge their batteries for our big day ahead tomorrow.
A fantastic start to our Tour! Stay tuned for more ... 
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