CC BY-NC 2.0/thewebprincess
Welcome to Launceston, Australia!

You Found Us!
It is a pleasure to meet you at last. We are the Mystery Class at Scotch Oakburn College, from Ms. Black's 2015 Year 5 Class. As you can see in the photo below, we all wear school uniforms here, and we proudly display the Round Square flag.

Photo: Scotch Oakburn College

Scotch Oakburn College
Founded in 1886, Scotch Oakburn College is an independent school offering exceptional learning opportunities for boys and girls from Early Learning (3 years) to Year 12. A Uniting Church School, Scotch Oakburn has established a reputation for excellence. With about 1,200 students, Scotch Oakburn is an active member of the international Round Square schools network, with 160 schools in 40 countries which share a holistic approach to learning around six IDEALS.

School Crest
The official crest of Scotch Oakburn College depicts Scotch (thistle), Oakburn (acorn and oak leaf), and the Uniting Church crest (at the top), along with our motto which translates to "I'll find a way to higher things."

Image: Scotch Oakburn College

Year 5 -- The Junior School
Here in the Southern Hemisphere, our school year runs from February to December. So in fall 2015 when we first became a Mystery Class, we were in our last months as Year 5 students. As part of the Junior School (for ages 3-11), we attended the Elphin Campus, and this photo shows the main building there.

Some Favourite Activities
In our Year 5 with Ms. Black, we had the opportunity to engage in a broad range of activities. Here are a few photos of us participating in some favourite activities including music (drumming), outdoor camping, and science experiments.

Photo:Scotch Oakburn College

Photo:Scotch Oakburn College

Photo:Scotch Oakburn College

Our Favourite Books
During Year 5, we also did a lot of reading. We especially enjoyed these favourite books from the Harry Potter series, the Deltora Quest series, the Song for a Scarlett Runner book, or the Percy Jackson series. Have you read these books?

Images-Top Row:Bloomsbury(Harry Potter); Scholastic (Deltora Quest); Allen & Unwin (Song for a Scarlet Runner);
Bottom Row-Hyperion Books (Percy Jackson Series)

Year 6, Middle School, and A New Campus
When school started in February 2016, we advanced to Year 6, so we now attend the Penquite Campus, which you can see in this photo with a few students playing soccer in front of the main building. This Campus houses the Middle School (Years 6-8) and Senior School (Years 9-12), as well as the Health and Physical Education Centre, Performing Arts Centre and the Scotch Oakburn Park Sporting Complex.

Photo: Scotch Oakburn College

Photo: Scotch Oakburn College

Our City
Our city of Launceston is on the island state of Tasmania, in the north central part of the state. North of us, you can see Bass Strait, the section of ocean between Tasmania and the Australian mainland.

Google Maps

More About Launceston
Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after Hobart. With a population around 67,000, Launceston is said to be the ninth largest non-capital city in Australia. It is located at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they meet and become the Tamar River.

GoogleMaps/Cheuk

Gorgeous Scenery
One of the most popular attractions in Launceston is the Cataract Gorge and the Alexandra suspension bridge, very close to downtown. Visitors can see the flowing waters from the bridge, or even take a chairlift to get a bird's eye view.

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Peripitus

The Queen's Museum
Another popular spot in Launceston is the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, established in 1891. Now the largest museum located outside a capital city in Australia, it is located at two sites across the city: the original building at Royal Park and another at the Inveresk Cultural Precinct. The museum houses countless collections of art, history and culture, yet one of the most recognizable icons of the Museum is this spring/drill sculpture on the outside grounds.

CC BY 2.0 / Michael Coghlan

Tasmania's Iconic "Devil" and New Discoveries
In Tasmania, there are many iconic animal species that people may know of. For example, most people know of the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a carniverous marsupial about the size of a small dog, with a stocky stance, and black fur. Because of its loud screech and reputed bad temper the early European settlers called it "devil".

In 2008, the species was declared endangered, largely due to the spread of a fatal disease known as Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). Efforts are underway to conserve and protect the species from this disease.

CC BY-SA 3.0 / KeresH

Tasmania's Extinct Tiger
As you might remember from the clues, Tasmania once had a larger carniverous marsupial, the Thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), which resembled a large dog or wolf with tiger-like stripes. Although sadly extinct now, the species lives on in many of our state's official symbols like this modern logo of the State.

Logo: Government of Tasmania

Coat of Arms for Tasmania
The Tasmanian tiger also lives on in the state's official coat of arms, with two thylacines supporting the shield. Images of the state's primary industries are shown (wheat, hops, sheep and apples), along with the red lion atop the shield, and the Latin motto Ubertas et Fidelitas ("Fertility and Faithfulness" or "bounty and fidelity").

CC BY-SA 4.0 / Squiresy92

Photo: Jurgen Otto/ Video: ABC iview
(trouble viewing video?)

Flag and Farewell
As we bid farewell, we show the flag of our country, the Commonwealth of Australia, with its Union Jack in the upper left, the Commonwealth Star in the lower left, and the Southern Cross constellation of five stars in the right.

It's been a pleasure for our class and our school to serve as a secret Mystery Class this season, and we hope you have enjoyed learning about our school, our city, our state and our country. As we begin our winter term of the school year, we wish you in the Northern Hemisphere a wonderful summer vacation. If you'd like to contact us, you can write to our Head of Junior School.

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