NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE
Symphonic Band
Mr. Monte Mumford, conductor

Tentative Tour Itinerary
May 18, 2008 - May 31, 2008

Sunday, May 18
We’re off! Flying from Minneapolis to Los Angeles and then on to Sydney on our overnight flight, we begin this new adventure, traveling with our friends, sharing our song with the people of Australia.
    -4:50 p.m.: Flight from Minneapolis to LA
    -10:43 p.m.: Flight from LA to Melbourne

Monday, May 19
    We lose a day crossing the International Date Line.

Tuesday, May 20
    -6:10am: Arrive at Sydney airport
    -8:45am: Flight from Sydney to Hobart in Tasmania
Enroute to the hotel we will enjoy an orientation tour of Mouunt Wellington. We will also travel past heritage locations including Salamanca Place, Battery Point and Hobart's Historic Waterfront.

Wednesday, May 21
    We will spend the day exploring the area around Hobart. Our main excursion will be a tour of Tahune Forest. The Tahune Forest Tour includes an entrance to the Tahune AirWalk from the central point. Tasmania is one of the few places in the world to offer a spectacular treetops walkway. The Tahune AirWalk is one of only a few fixed structure canopy walkways and provides a birds-eye view of the southern forests, the local mountain range and the Tasmanian World Heritage Area. An evening rehearsal at Clarence High School will close the day, followed by an overnight with home stay families.

Thursday, May 22
After saying good-bye to our host families, we will depart for a tour of Cadbury's Chocolate Factory. The factory tour will make us feel like Charlie in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Because it is a working factory, we will need to wear suitable clothing and footwear. Even though cameras, video and mobile phones are not permitted on the Factory Tour, there are also heaps of samples along the way! In the afternoon, a workshop and a concert will be presented at Howrah Primary School. An evening concert with the Hobart City Band under the direction of Simon Reade will take place at the Stanley Burbury Theatre on the campus of the University of Tasmania. Our overnight will be in a home stay.

Friday, May 23
We will leave Hobart and drive to Launceston. We will have a meet and greet at Launceston College and have a BBQ Lunch with the Esk Musicians. The afternoon will include a workshop with the Esk Musicians, followed by dinner and an 8:00 p.m. concert at Launceston College. Once again, we will have the opportunity to stay overnight in home stays.

Saturday, May 24
Our morning has us touring the Mole Creek Karst National Park which contains more than 200 caves, which began to form about 30 million years ago. with a guide you can tour some of the caves and see animals that dwell in the dark, stalagmites that soar to lofty roofs, streams that disappear into the ground, glow-worms that twinkle like stars in this underground wonderland. When you've toured the caves take some time to walk through the beautiful forests in the national park, and reflect on the wonders beneath the ground you're walking on.

We will return to Launceston in the afternoon and arrive at St. John's Church for an evening concert with the University of Tasmania Wind Orchestra under the direction of Stephen King. Our overnight will be with home stays.

Sunday, May 25
We will have the privilege of attending St. John's Anglican Church for their morning services. The afternoon will provide an opportunity for free time and a chance to rest and relax with our host families.

Monday, May 26
We will say good-bye to Tasmania and fly to Melbourne on the Australian mainland. We will participate on an orientation tour of Melbourne. Our overnight will be at the Melbourne Metro Hostel.

Tuesday, May 27
We will have some free time in the morning before participating in a workshop at Blackburn High School in the afternoon. Later in the evening, we will perform a concert with the Box Hill Salvation Army Concert and Big Band.

Wednesday, May 28
We begin our morning driving to Ballarat, where the band will participate in a workshop at Ballarat Grammar. In the aternoon, we will perform a day concert at Ballarat Grammar School. We will drive back to Melbourne and meet up with our host families for the evening.

Thursday, May 29
The Serendip Open Range Sanctuary 45 minutes west of Melbourne. We will tour the Serendip Open Range Sanctuary, where we are immediately amongst wild kangaroos and native birds. After a short walk to meet the kangaroos, we begin our special Safari Drive around the Sanctuary to see emus and huge wild mobs of kangaroos. We stop often to enjoy the antics of the animals, and disembark for short walks to the lake (home to large populations of waterbirds) and through the gum trees. Before dinner we visit a protected population of wallabies and get close to some strange Australian birds. Our picnic dinner is served in an open-air setting at the Sanctuary. We will return to Melbourne for our overnight in the Melbourne Metro Hostel.

Friday, May 30
We will have some free time to sightsee on our own in Melbourne. We will drive to Caulfield Grammar School and perform a 7:30 p.m. concert with the University of Melbourne, under the direction of Tim Kelly. We will get an early night for our big journey home the next day.

Saturday, May 31
We return from Australia to the United States...and we even gain a day!
    -11:15am: Flight from Melbourne to LA
    -Cross International date line; gain back a day
    -3:35pm: Flight from LA to Minneapolis
    -9:12pm: Arrive in Minneapolis

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Several students are participating in a four-day extension trip to the city of Sydney, Australia, beginning on Saturday, May 31 and they will return on Tuesday, June 3.

Sydney Extension Itinerary