On Tuesday the 2nd of August, Mrs. Bryan and Mrs. Taylor’s year 4/5s went to the Maritime Museum to learn about people migrating to South Australia. 

They got to go into old cabins that people used to stay in when they were traveling across the ocean.

The first cabin they looked at was an 1800s cabin, the people that stayed in there had to sleep on hay bags and often shared the beds with complete strangers. It was crawling with rats and bugs, they got served mouldy potatoes and smoked fish everyday for 4 months. Because they had to eat such horrible food they often got sick, it then spread to other passengers so lots of them ended up dying before they arrived. 

In the 1900s cabin there were a few secrets, they had to sleep on dreadful mattresses and had to poop in a chamber pot in the same room that they slept in with other people! There was a hidden sink in the cupboard right above the chamber pot so when using the sink it wasn’t very pleasant.

The 1950s cabin looked a lot more modern with the mirrors on the cupboards and no chamber pot was needed as they had public toilets on the boats now. The beds were a lot comfier but it was still only 3rd class, so to many people it was considered disgusting.

The 4/5s got to go inside a replica of a ship, they got to explore the Captain’s cabin and learn about the different parts of the ship. They got to see how a real ship would work and how it would look.

On the top floor the students got to learn about The Norma. On the 21st of April 1907 the Ardencraig crashed into The Norma, sending the head of a large statue (figurehead) on the front of the ship, flying. 

The students and the teachers enjoyed visiting so much and learnt a lot about South Australian Migration, they all hope to visit again soon.