Metro Quarry Group (MQG) hosted its fifth kindergarten quarry tour at its site in Nyora, Victoria earlier this month.
Children from Loch and District and Lang Lang kindergartens were given the opportunity to explore and interact with various static machines. They were also given a tour of the site in order to see the full quarrying process, from extraction to processing.
Operations manager Andrew McManus said these kinds of events were not only fun for all involved but also beneficial to the community.
{{image3-a:r-w:300}}“[These events] build a more positive image of the quarrying industry and help quarry companies become part of the community,” McManus said. “[They also help to] raise awareness of the industry and some of the things we do.”
Deb O’Halloran, one of the teachers at the event, agreed, adding the children “loved” the experience.
“This is our second year visiting MQG as part of our kindergarten program – the children love it and share their experiences with their families endlessly,” O’Halloran said. “The children then call all their experiences with trucks and vehicles ‘metro quarry’ and any natural materials of rocks, gravel and sand are now deemed to come from the quarry.”
Laurel Hermon from Lang Lang kindergarten noted the event presented an “amazing” opportunity for children to engage with a working quarry.
“The program supports and enhances connections within our community to expand children’s experiences, knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live,” Hermon added.
In addition to taking in the machines and the quarry, the children also participated in a tree planting initiative at the end of the tour.
MQG’s Nyora Quarry is located on the South Gippsland Highway, 100km from the Melbourne CBD. It was established in the 1990s and has an annual production capacity of one million tonnes.
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