It started out as a two day excursion, but quickly became an experience to be remembered by the Years 3 and 4 students.

Last week Years 3 and 4 were involved in "Roar and Snore" at the Dubbo Zoo. This meant that the children slept in tents under the stars and rose to the rumbles, squeaks, growls and roars of the animals greeting the day.

We arrived at the zoo at 5.30pm. By that time it was closed to the public but for the staff, parents and students of St Joseph’s our night was about to start.

The children unloaded the bus and headed to the Education Centre and eagerly waited for our tour guide to greet us.

While waiting at the entrance of the Education Centre we could see two rows of dome tents and wondered which one would be ours.

After the meet and greet a tasty BBQ dinner was served before we started the night program which consisted of a two-hour guided night zoo safari.

This was our chance to sneak a nocturnal peek at the animals while they relaxed after their daylight duties.

The experience of walking the empty paths and having the opportunity to see the animals on a very bright full moon night and with the extra help from a large torch with a red filter across the lens so the light didn't hurt the animals' eyes was memorable.

The children were delighted and interested in every animal’s "bedroom" and they listened intently to the stories and the information from the zoo rangers.

The next morning was an early start. We had been told that the quicker we packed up and had breakfast the more time we would have for our morning behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo.

After breakfast we set off on our tour before the zoo was open to the public. When that tour finished we had our own leisurely stroll around the zoo until it was time to pack the bus and travel back to Blayney. PS: Beware of snakes.