Wee Jasper

Day 52

Rest, relaxation and reading was on the agenda for Steve and I today - leaving the kids to fend for themselves!

Luckily, they had a wonderful creek and bush to explore and were more than happy, although I don't know how they could get in the cold water...

They also tried to catch some yabbies (no luck though)...

I even managed a little afternoon sleep until the sound of wind coming through the trees from the mountains woke me up.  It was quite an eerie sound, like there was something bearing down on us.

We had a great spot to enjoy the day.  The creek on one side...

...and the mountains behind us...

Day 53

We woke to a pretty cold morning so got the campfire going early today.  Everyone huddled around and thawed out...

On the activity front, it was more of the same today.  The kids have happily been entertaining themselves and found a new friend, Emily.  In fact, Stewie liked Emily and her family so much he moved his chair over to their campsite...

He made it quite clear that Mum and Dad weren't welcome - quite the little socialite these days. 

Steve decided to try a spot of fishing and pulled out the waders to survive the cold water.  He did well, catching a tree (freshwater of course)...

It was Maggie's turn for injury today.  She gashed her head on the swing, which caused quite a bit of drama...

Nothing a hot shower and a few cuddles can't fix for a tough little girl.

However, the biggest excitement of the day was the discovery of wombat holes.  Until talking to some other people in the park, we didn't realise that we were parked right on top of a whole wombat community.  Once we looked, it was amazing how many holes were around and how big they are...

So once it got dark, we ventured out to try and catch a glimpse of one.  We actually got to see a few which was very exciting (they're not easy to photograph though)...

Day 54  Wee Jasper to Moruya Heads
A travelling day today as we head back to the coast, so lots of scenery to look at.  Time for some beach and salt water fishing again.

Before leaving Wee Jasper we had a quick look at the shcool.  It is typical of many of the small country schools we have seen in our travels.  The kids always enjoy spotting the school as we drive through each town...

The scenery on our drive to Yass was quite beautiful, and typical of most of the countryside around Canberra...

We've also enjoyed seeing lots of autumn colours on the trees.  It's not something we get to see much in Queensland...

The days travel ended at Moruya Heads, just south of Bateman's Bay.  A lovely spot with no-one around.  Our type of place.

Canberra

Day 47

First order of business today was to move to another van park - somewhere a little more 'family friendly'.  While packing up to leave, our stay in this park was capped off by an old guy who drove straight into our car's bullbar trying to 'get around'.  No damage to us, but he had a busted headlight.  Strange place.

Finding another park took a little time as it was school holidays and quite a few parks were full.  We finally found a nice park in Queanbeyan.  Once settled and lunch finished, it was time to see some of Canberra.

There is plenty to see and do here and we decided to head to Questacon first.  This is a science centre designed primarily for kids - big and little.  We spent the whole afternoon there.  It was fantastic with so many things to touch, play and learn from.  A highlight for Mitch was experiencing Free Fall.  Here he is, suited up and ready to drop...

Day 48

The Australian War Memorial was our destination today, and what an incredible place.  We wanted to get as much time here as possible, given the limitations of young children, so we broke the day into two parts.

First up we took a guided tour that gave us a great overview of some of the highlights in the memorial.  Included in the tour was an insight into the Korean War where Stewie's new best friend (Uncle Stan) served.

The kids also learnt about Australia's most recent Victoria Cross recipient - Trooper Donaldson - and Mitch in particular was quite taken by his story of bravery.

There are several sound and vision displays throughout the memorial and we watched several.  Most remarkable was a re-enactment of an aerial 'dog fight' which was quite graphic, particularly for the kids.  However, it did give them (and us) a greater appreciation of what can really go on in a war.  An example of this was when Maggie turned to me after the show and asked, with great concern, whether Mitch would have to go to war.  Obviously the thought filled her with absolute dread.

We took a break after the shows and enjoyed lunch at the front of the memorial with this great view back to parliament house...

Back inside for round two and we visited kids 'Discovery Corner' where we got to sit inside a real submarine shell and try out the control panels...

and look in the periscope...

In the submarine, the highlight for the kids was a drawer you could pull out to get a whiff of what the sailors smelt like on board.  Apparently they only got to shower once a week, except for the cook who had one every day for hygiene purposes.  You can imagine what the smell was like!

After this we had a quick look at exhibits for World War 1 and 2...

Outside we visited the Wall of Honour...

You could easily spend a few days at this place to take it all in, but given our time and children constraints, we will have to come back another time.  Mitch left with a better understanding of the proper place for guns and weapons - he says he still likes them, but they are not glorified objects in his mind any more.  He knows they have a time and place and preferably aren't required.  A bit like war itself.

Day 49

Another day exploring Canberra with the first stop being the Royal Australian Mint...

Although it wasn't operating when we visited, it was very interesting all the same and we got to press our own $1 coin...

We reversed our lunch spot today, eating in front of Parliament House (the new one) with a view back towards the Australian War Memorial.  Here we are at the front...

After lunch we headed into parliament house for a look around.  The grand hall wasn't being used today, but we got a good view of the beautiful tapestry in the hall...

We visited the upper and lower houses (no pollies in sight)...

and went right up the top onto the grass for a great view (the War Memorial is off in the distance)...

Maggie and Stewart sat down and had a little chat and rest...

After leaving parliament house, we felt compelled to go in search of K.Rudd, but alas he wasn't home and the gates were locked...

We could see The Captain Cook Memorial Fountain in Lake Burley Griffin blasting away as we drove away from The Lodge so went for a closer look before heading out of town in search of a winery.  We decided to go straight to Brindabella Hills as it is highly recommended.  We weren't disappointed and restocked (just a little).  Before leaving, the winemaker talked to us about the grapes and some of the intricacies of wine making.  We also got to taste some of the wine grapes - very different to table grapes.  Many of the other places we have visited to date have already harvested their grapes, so this was a bonus and a great finish to the day.

Day 50

Today it was time to catch up with some more family.  Dennis (Steve's cousin, son of Shirley and Stan) and Suzanne Hayes were our wonderful hosts for the day.  Steve hadn't seen his relatives in quite a while and enjoyed catching up with them all...

I had only met most of them briefly before, so it was nice to spend some time getting to know everyone a bit better.  Plus, the kids got to meet more of our extended family which they love doing.  We ended up staying for dinner as well - thanks again Dennis and Sue.

Day 51  Canberra to Wee Jasper

Finally it was time to leave Canberra, but not before we had a turn on the paddle boats at Lake Burley Griffin.  We hired them for half and hour (more than enough) and headed out on the lake.  The girls beat the boys to the bridge and back, plus no-one fell in (bonus!).  Here's the boys trying hard...

...and my beautiful side kick...

After the mornings 'paddle' we stocked up on supplies - which can be a nightmare with a caravan in tow as it is usually very difficult to find a park.  This time was no different and we had to wheel a trolly about 1 km back to the van!

Time to farewell Canberra - it was a lot of fun and we didn't get to see and do everything we wanted to here, but time to move on. 

We headed straight to Wee Jasper from Canberra for some bush scenery.  Wee Jasper is a bush reserve and what a great camping spot.  We drove into the reserve, picked a spot right next to the creek and got the campfire going before sunset.  Heaven.

Southern Highlands

Day 43  Sydney to Moss Vale

After a lengthy packup, we had one last dip in the Narrabeen baths before turning the van south towards Moss Vale.  We had to negotiate the van through Sydney traffic which was a bit hairy at times, but we managed to get through it unscathed.

Once in Moss Vale, our destination was Shirley and Stan's place (Steve's Aunt and Uncle).  As soon as we got out of the car we noticed a definitely cooler temperature. 

Shirley and Stan kindly offered for us to stay a couple of nights and the temptation of a 'normal' bed, shower and toilet was too great to resist.  The kids were also happy to watch 'normal' television for a while too.  Here are our lovely hosts at the front of their beautiful home, (which seemed like a palace after living in a caravan)...

Day 44

A day of exploring the Southern Highlands and beyond.  We firstly headed out to Shellharbour via Robertson to look at the coastline.  From here, we wound our way down along the coast looking at various beaches and headlands along the way.   Here's a taste of what we saw:   Shellharbour beach...

...and Minnamurra Headland...

Kiama was our lunch stop overlooking the 'blow hole'.  Unfortunately there was no blowing going on today so we only got to see the hole...

From Kiama we headed back inland via Berry (a great shopping spot) through Kangaroo Valley.  Sometimes you just never know what you're going to find in the country, but we certainly didn't expect a brown fridge bearing yummy treats in the middle of nowhere...

Of course, we had to buy something and as I only had a $20 note it ended up being quite a few treats.

Our final stop for the day was Fitzroy Falls...

While walking towards the falls we actually got to see a lyrebird (sorry, too slow with the camera).

From the falls it was back to Moss Vale for a roast dinner.  Yum!

Day 45

After homework this morning, we headed into Bowral to visit the Bradman Museum.  Steve has been particularly looking forward to this for a long time...

Although it was smaller than we expected (they are currently extending it), there was lots of great exhibits and information.  A favourite was a replica dressing room, complete with cricketer...

...and the chance to dress up in all the cricketing gear (even if your shoes are on the wrong feet)...

Tonight we had dinner with my Aunty Irene (my Mum's sister) in Mittagong.  It was great to see her and see her house for the first time.  Lots of love Irene...

Day 46   Moss Vale to Canberra

This morning we had to bid farewell to Shirley and Stan, but not before we played a spot of piano...

...cuddled our new best friend...

...and got a group photo...

Time to travel to Canberra.  A lot of the journey this time was along highway roads.  As we got close to Canberra however, the winery signs started to appear and we made a quick stop at Lerida Estate on Lake George (which is actually a dry lake).  Here we saw the biggest pumpkins and cucumbers ever...

...and some wind turbines off in the distance...

...plus stocked up more wine.

When we finally arrived in Canberra, lunch was way overdue.  We thought that we'd just stop at the first shops we saw, but in Canberra, the shops seem to all be hidden away.  They don't line the roads like they do in other capital cities we've visited and the few we saw, didn't have enough room to pull up with a caravan on the back.

After driving in circles, getting very frustrated and almost starving to death, we finally found a chicken shop - it was now around 3 pm!

Once fed, we found our caravan park (we had trouble finding one with a vacancy because of school holidays) which we didn't like from the minute we drove in.  Something to do with the onsite tavern and steakhouse with lots of 'workers' out the front, plus a few 'odd' characters wandering around the park.

In all, it wasn't a great introduction to Canberra, but I'm sure it will get better from here.

More of Sydney

Day 38

As can be expected, when you buy fish, you will catch one.  And that's what happened this morning.  Steve and Mitch went fishing early this morning and caught a nice flathead.  After that effort, we went for a swim in the Narrabeen Baths.  We love these saltwater pools that are all over Sydney, but I must say, it was quite fresh and took a little while to get used to.

For the first time we took our car for a drive today and ventured further north along the Northern Beaches.  They are all beautiful and it is easy to see why people love Sydney.

At dusk we all went for a fish and it was my turn to get a piece of the action.  I pulled in a nice whiting so we ended up with a complete meal for the day.

Day 39

This morning was wet and drizzly so we took the opportunity to check out a few shops and pick up a few things.  By the afternoon it was fining up so the kids went for a play down by the lake.  They were having a great time until Mitch climbed up the bank and sliced his foot open on a piece of timber...

The cut was deep enough to warrant a medical visit so Steve took him to the Mona Vale hospital which is right near the van park (the staff at the park first sent him to a medical centre that has been closed for a year!).  Luckily, it didn't need stitches but being on his foot, it's an awkward place to keep clean and dry when you're at the beach.

Day 40

Originally when we planned the trip we were going to go to the Easter Show in Sydney.  However, after looking closely at logistics (parking is non existent and it would have been 2 hours travel each way) and cost, we decided to have a family vote - Easter Show or Luna Park.  The latter was chosen unanimously as we all felt it was something unique to Sydney that we couldn't do at home.

So off to Luna Park we went.  Another round of bus, ferry and then ferry from Circular Quay to Milsons Point (home of Luna Park).  Of course this meant we got to go under the bridge again, this time in the water, another bonus.

Right from the start Luna Park was a big hit.  The beauty of it is you can go on the rides as many times as you like - it's unlimited.  I decided to abstain for the day and do the photography etc, plus I no longer find the nausea and dizziness associated with the rides enjoyable.  Must be an age thing.  I was quite happy to take in the sights and watch everyone else have a great time.  The attractions included the carousel...

ferris wheel - with a great view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge...

Skywheel...

...funny mirrors...

...Luna Bob and Luna Belle...

and fire engines...

It was a really fun day that we'll remember for a long time.

Day 41

There were more relatives to catch up with today.  This time it was Steve's cousin Sandra and her husband Frank who we met at Botany Bay National Park, Kurnell for a picnic lunch.  It was our first trek across Sydney's city - or rather under it via the tunnel - and the car satellite navigation system (Tom Tom) came into its own today guiding us safely to our 'destination'.

Our arrival was timely as we drove into the park at the same time as Sandra and Frank.  After lunch and a catch up, we went for a walk around the visitors centre then the Captain Cook Monument.  There were more history lessons for the kids as they learnt about Australia's settlement.  Here we all are...

After saying goodbye to Sandra and Frank, we headed to Bondi Beach for a look, it was busy as always...

and then we drove around the eastern suburbs for a bit of a look at some of the little bays and gorgeous houses.

To finish the day off, we decided to actually drive over the Harbour Bridge.  Given that is was peak hour on a Friday afternoon, we were soon wondering how wise that decision was.  We were guided right through the middle of the city by Tom Tom and although it was mayhem, the kids had a ball looking up at all the tall buildings and seeing the heart of the city.

Once through the city, we were guided under the bridge, not over it, so had to make a few extra twists and turns to end up going in the right direction.  Eventually we got onto the bridge and as it was right on dusk Luna Park was lit up for the night as were all the lights of the bridge and city.  Magic.

Day 42

Today was our last full day in Sydney and we decided to have a closer look at Manly.  We'd only been to the ferry terminal and wanted to see a bit more, including the beach.

We had a lovely swim on the main beach before getting some fish and chips for lunch (we miss our crumbed fish and chips - it's all batter here).  It certainly is a lovely spot and extremely popular.

Late in the afternoon we headed down to Narrabeen beach for our last family fish.  It was a very successful outing - 1 flathead (Steve) and 2 whiting (Mitch and I).  Maggie had a bit of a fish before heading off to play with Stewie, who had been playing trains in the sand...

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