Evening class last night was a class called Metaphors. We learnt about metaphors and similes which I found really interesting. I have always found it hard to explain what they are but this class made it slightly clearer. A simile is comparing one thing to another, for example ‘She’s as pretty as a flower’. A metaphor is a figure of speech that is similar to a simile, it compares to completely different things without using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.  In this class we also wrote our own metaphors. Like my POL (Presentation of Learning), I chose to do the roller coaster of emotions because I am familiar with it and find it quite clever.

Today had been the day that I have been waiting for since the minute I arrived at the Snowy River Campus. We got to go caving! I had heard great feedback from other students who went previously and they said they said it was really good and they had a heap of fun. We went to a place called Buchan caves which I visited with my family on visiting weekend. It was about a 40min drive up the road and once we got to Buchan we were all very excited. We got split into groups that mixed up 1A and 1B which was good because we don’t get to do many activities with 1A. First, my group went on a tour in The Royal Cave which was amazing and before I even entered the cave I knew it was going to be great due to previous experiences. The tour went for around 45 minutes and it was very interesting. Our friendly tour guide talked us through many things like what stalagmites and stalactites were and how old some of them are. An interesting fact is that they only grow about 1cm every 100 years and when you see the size of some of them you would think they would have to be a couple hundred thousand years old. Stalagmites and stalactites are similar in size and shape but they form in different areas. Stalactites grow by the water leaking through the roof and they grow hanging downwards from the rock ceiling. Stalagmites form on the ground and grow upwards and the way they grow is from the stalactites slowly dripping water from there tip. We all leant much more and doing it a second time was definitely worth it.

After lunch our group headed down to a cave called the ‘Wild’ cave. We heard some feedback from the group that went before us and apparently you go real ‘wild’ in there. The cave is quite hard to explain but basically you enter by a small and narrow hole in the ground. Its rocky, cold, muddy and you need to be constantly watching your head because I hit my head at least 20 times. You need to have on overalls, helmets and you have to have a head torch because there is no light down there. Most of the cave is squishy and tight which triggered a few people to get very uncomfortable. One part of the cave really stood out to me and it was what the tour guide called a ‘Wombat hole’. What is was is a little hole big enough for a wombat to fit through- and guess what? We all fitted through it. It wasn’t compulsory to give it a go but most of us did. To get through it you need to get on your stomach and wiggle your way through. I was very surprised that I fitted through it. The ‘Wild Cave’ would have had to of been one of the best outdoor experiences I have had in the time that I have been at Snowy. It was fun and scary at the same time and that’s what made it great. By the end of the day I was so tired so I spent the whole ride home sleeping. 

By Holly- Elisabeth Murdoch