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From PTMS to the World
Study Tour to Sydney

Last summer, some of our students had the chance to visit Sydney's world-renowned attractions, including the Sydney Opera
House, Sydney Tower Eye, Sea Life Aquarium, Darling Harbour, Bondi Beach, The Rocks and Harbour Bridge, as well as a tour
to Sydney University and bush walks through the Blue Mountains.
The social interaction with the local students and homestay families definitely made it a rewarding experience, giving them
a chance to expand their horizons. Let’s invite the students to share what they have explored!

Cherry & Chincco
During the study tour, we were the most impressed
with Sydney's public transport system which features
a comprehensive network of train, bus and ferry
services. For over 160 years, the Sydney Trains
network has played an important role in the provision
of transport services for Sydney. We found the trains
a convenient and reliable way to get around. The
Sydney train network is operated by electric double-
deck trains with on-board toilet facilities for longer
trips.
A water taxi is one of the best ways to get around
Sydney Harbour. Water taxis are very popular with
visitors who want to explore and discover the
numerous attractions and wonderful views along the
foreshore of the Harbour. Opal cards are smartcard Katy
tickets that you keep, top up and reuse to pay for
travel on public transport. Add value before you We spent two weeks in a foreign country exploring its culture,
travel and tap on and off to pay your fare. Whether people and learning environment. This study tour enabled us
you’re travelling with an Opal card or an Opal single to broaden our world-wide horizons beyond the four walls
ticket, always tap on and tap off. If you don’t, you’re of a classroom. On the whole, we benefited from the tour by
not travelling with a valid ticket and you could be gaining new perspectives on the world. By coming into direct
fined. An Opal card is the cheapest and easiest way to contact with a different environment and a new culture or
get around Sydney and surrounding regions by public language, we can better understand the place and boost our
transport. During the study tour, I used an Opal card confidence to try new things outside our comfort zones. We
every day. It was very convenient. should always open our eyes, our ears, our hands, our minds,
and our hearts to face the challenges that lie ahead of us.
The study tour also provided us with a good chance to stretch
our problem-solving skills. For instance, we had to attend our
morning class at a language centre by taking public transport
on our own, so during the first few days, some of us had
Selina got on the wrong type of transport or gone in the wrong
We could notice that the people in Sydney stand direction. As a result, we solved the problems by studying the
to the left and walk on the right on escalators. But bus routes and train maps at the stations more carefully with
the help of Google Maps. At last, we managed to find our way
in Hong Kong, when using an escalator, we do the back to the language centre, though we were already an hour
opposite - ‘walk left, stand right’. However, in some late. We were still proud of ourselves as we succeeded in
countries, walking on escalators is discouraged. overcoming the obstacles in front of us.

Chloe & Eleana
Kangaroos can’t move backwards, symbolizing
national progress. All kangaroos have short hair,
powerful hind legs, small forelimbs, big feet and
a long tail. They have excellent hearing and keen
eyesight. Their muscular tail is used for balance when
hopping. They can hop more than 8m each time.
We were able to feed the kangaroos in Featherdale
Wildlife Park and Taronga Zoo, the two most visited
zoos in Australia. Feeding these adorable creatures
was definitely a fun experience!

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