Camping At Mt Perry

• Rachel Walker, Grade 6
• Poetry
• 2007

The road rolls on under the bus
The trees keep on flying past us,
Bumping, lumping, the bus knocks around
We laugh with each other and make lots of sound.
We pass through the cool, green bushes outside
We walk the tunnel, dark and wide
We go to a spot to pick up some rocks
We meet old Charlie and then we head off.
We see the museum, full of old stuff
Say thanks to guide Charlie then back on the bus
Off to the Perry community Complex
We unload the bus, is what happens next.
We arrive at the slag heap where we will hike
And fossick for rocks that we like
Inside an old adit we think
We stare down the hole, we are amazed.
Walking on, we see a wild kangaroo
Out in the bush, not in the zoo
Now at the top we look out at the town
The big piles of rocks, the old slag mound.
We sit round the bonfire and sing lots of songs.
My Fray plays guitar and we sing along
We eat marshmallows that we toast on the fire
Then pack up our stuff and go to the school that we hired.
Its nine o’clock and time for bed
We walk down the street with dreams in our heads
We get to the school and set up our camp beds
We lay down to sleep more dreams in our heads.
The morning comes, we visit the new mine
And meet with some miners, they are all kind
Leaving the new mine we head to the school
We donate them a plant which is rare, like a jewel.
Now to Trulson’s farm to do some whip cracking.
I had a few goes but my leg I kept whacking.
We got really good and had lots of fun
It was a real happy time under the sun.
Back on the bus and time to go home,
My bag filled with rocks and shinny little stones
Arriving at school and we thank Rick, our bus driver
We tell our parents lots. We are all survivors!