Tag: writer

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Have child, will travel!

The year was 2005 and I had just boarded a National Express bus in Glastonbury, England. I was well into my ‘round the world’ trip and would soon be jetting off to Canada to live and work in the Rocky Mountains. My attention was drawn to a mother and child walking past the bus. I began to speculate on the perils of parenthood, and in the process, began to draw comparisons to this complete stranger’s life and that of my own. Here I was, free to travel the world, not rooted to the routines and responsibilities of motherhood.

Then a curious thing happened. They boarded my bus, smiled politely and took their seats. The child, a girl of around 5 years old, carried a backpack that was covered in a chaotic collection of geographical patches. They were a German, mother-and-daughter-duo just doing a ‘short trip’ around the UK ‘this time’.

That was really a defining moment for me. I was so inspired by the experience that I vowed to never stop travelling because, as I’d just seen, having kids doesn’t mean you can’t travel – it just changes the way you go about it. Staying true to my promise has meant that I’ve had to find creative ways, or work-arounds, to keep exploring this beautiful continent and beyond.

State of Play

Get the lay of your land by exploring your own ’hood’. You don’t need to travel vast distances to have an amazing holiday. We travel around Victoria all the time. This year, we’ve indulged in some Murray River magic at both Moama and Mildura; we’ve camped at Capel Sound on the Mornington Peninsula; we’ve wandered through rainforests around Healesville and waded through the Yarra River in Warburton. For the recent Melbourne Cup break we camped at Wye River, then had a weekend in Bright. We’ve just returned from Christmas with the family at Rye (we parked our caravan in the driveway!) and finally in a few days time, we will be heading to Phillip Island for a few weeks.

Become a membership maverick

Check out the membership discounts you’re already eligible for from your roadside assistance club to union membership perks. If your kids are over 2 years old and don’t qualify for a free flight, sign them up to a frequent flyer program and pool your points people! My son is a member of Qantas’ Joey Club, so all frequent flyer points he earns will conveniently end up in my account. Invest in a holiday parks membership, we joined BIG4 before we left for our 2-month Australian road trip last year and we saved a lot of money, plus we’re still members.

Develop superhuman organisational skills

This one is important. You need to hustle! Get that annual calendar out and block out possible travel dates. Monitor your work leave balances. Take note of your children’s school curriculum days, list all term breaks and highlight those very welcome public holidays. Book things well in advance – it really does help to either get those good camping spots or membership perks like get 3 nights for the price of 2.

Our recent trip to Wye River was only possible because of a school curriculum day smack bang in the middle of a weekend and Melbourne Cup Day. And, that Bright trip I mentioned earlier, well it was a short 2-night trip (in a cabin, so lux!) so we could squeeze that sucker into a weekend – with the small caveat being that all of us are missed 2 hours of school and work, but I don’t really sweat the small stuff.

 

As you can see, our wanderlust does not have to be abandoned or shelved like a dusty old encyclopaedia. Sure, we may not be hitting ‘the road’ Jack Kerouac-style, but we can still have glorious adventures travelling with kids in tow and as willing participants. So, where are you off to next?

Note: This article was commissioned by BIG4 Holiday Parks, November 2018.

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A beginner’s guide to sailing the Whitsundays…with kids

You’ve all seen the advertisements right? Calm, azure waters, sun drenched sails billowing in the breeze. Ah, the allure of sailing the Whitsundays. Wouldn’t it be relaxing. Stop. Right. There.

Airlie Beach
Whitehaven Beach

Welcome to Whitehaven Beach, where the wind is a fierce 25 knots, the waves are smashing against the catamaran, the kids are taking it in turns to vomit over the side and the toilet macerator has broken down. Yep this stuff can happen. There can be a mixed bag of weather conditions, including strong south easterly winds in winter, so be prepared to be unprepared!

To give some background to this tidal tale, we thought it would be a fabulous idea to hire a catamaran and barefoot sail around the Whitsundays. No biggy! We have a boat – no sails though – and Cam sailed when he was a teenager – does windsurfing count?

Sailing in the Whitsundays on a catamaran

It wasn’t until we were at Abell Point Marina, boarding Ruby Sunday that I realised that I really had no idea what I was doing and neither did our intrepid crew which consisted of 3 adults and 2 kids. Our dear friend Amanda, who was supposed to be sailing with us, was suffering from a serious case of 8 month pregnancy-itis and had to stay in port, for most of the time, at Airlie Beach.

After spending our first night on the boat in the marina, we had half a day of training. There was a lot to learn but, amazingly, Mike (our instructor) was happy to leave Ruby Sunday in our (somewhat sweaty) hands. Cam, Ant and I all looked nervously at each other as we powered out across the Whitsunday Passage.

Navigation charts
Whitsundays sailing

All crews need a grounding force, a capable commodore that will take the lead, Captain Cam was our saviour. His only worry was berthing the cat at the Hamilton Island marina while dodging multi-million dollar vessels, but of course he sailed through the challenge (pun intended). It was happy days for him there on in.

Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays Queensland

Now, it is true that I’ve been known to add a touch of drama to my tales, but that could be because I’m a worrier. Just like my mum and her mum before her. It goes down the line. I think we could safely say we’ve mastered the craft of anxiety riddled thoughts. So imagine, my precarious predicament during our second night at sea when we were moored in Tongue Bay. I woke up to pelting rain, howling winds and what felt like the spin cycle of a washing machine. Yep, we were spinning. Round she goes.

I had always thought I could live on a boat and master the art of sailing the seas, but a salty dog I am not! That storm, which apparently was considered minor, and that everyone else slept through, nearly broke me but the good news is, I got over it and ended up absolutely loving the adventure.

Nara Inlet

This adventure was like an organisational team building exercise on steroids. There was a lot to do and it took a team to do it. We had morning and afternoon radio calls with Mike to track our position, get weather updates and plan our itinerary. There were navigational charts to decipher, tidal times to monitor, sails to tame and everything else that it takes to sail a catamaran.

Our intrepid crewThe beautiful thing about the adventure is the fact that the kids were so cruisey. Their biggest concern was finding the best coral to snorkel around, so they clearly had an inflated sense of confidence in our abilities. They would laugh and scream while lying down on the trampoline mats while the water splashed onto them, dress up as pirates and defend our boat from invisible foes and stare in wonder at the amazing marine life we were sharing the water with.

No pirates here

Here is my list of ‘must do’ things while sailing the Whitsundays:

  • Go to Nara Inlet and visit the Ngaro Cultural site.
  • Hire a stinger suit for piece of mind AND go snorkelling.
  • Keep your eyes peeled for whales, turtles, fish and bird life.
  • Berth for a night at the Hamilton Island marina. It was around $120 and is a good mid-point break where you can use all of the resort’s facilities, stock up on supplies, have a hot shower and do your laundry. Also, hire a golf buggy and whip around the place like a character out of Fantasy Island.
  • Watch the sunrises and sunsets.
  • When you actually get those sails up for the first time, play Rod Stewart’s ‘Sailing’ on the stereo.

 

The sails are up and we are actually sailing the catamaran

I guess the obvious question is would I do it again? That is a resounding yes! This is bucket list stuff people and is so transformational in terms of personal growth. So if you do get a chance, go for it!

Note: This article was commissioned by BIG4 Holiday Parks and appeared in Kidspot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sydney salutations

It’s been just over a week since we escaped Melbourne’s winter. Our east coast odyssey began with a stop over in Gundagai. The following afternoon we arrived in sunny Sydney. Luckily we had just missed days of unusually heavy rain.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House during sunset

 

We set up our camper trailer at the Sydney Lakeside Holiday Park for 4 nights. What a beautiful spot. I love the northern beaches and the caravan park is also located on the banks of the Narebeen lakes.

Being in Sydney for the Vivid celebrations was a massive bonus. I can’t begin to describe the creative atmosphere. There were so many installations to immerse yourself in but just not enough time to see it all. We bought opal public transport tickets and caught ferries everywhere. Basically we had to travel from Manly to Circular Quay every day, but it was never a drag. The night ferry home, watching Sydney lit up by Vivid, was so exciting.

 

Taronga zoo during Vivid with Sydney lit up over the harbour

Having an 8 year old with us often dictated the activities we experienced. Taj loved the Sealife Aquarium and the Taronga Zoo. Cam (the big kid) had his heart set on the National Maritime museum, which I actually really enjoyed. If you get there, make sure you walk up the lighthouse. The view is breathtaking.

Giraffe at Sydney's Taronga zoo with the city skyscrapers in the distance

 

On the first day out we really pounded the pavement. We visited the Opera House and walked from Circular Quay through the Rocks and over to Darling Harbour. We finished off a delicious seafood meal at Cockle Bay just as the lights of Vivid commenced. Taj and I watched it all come alive, above the water, in the Ferris wheel.

 

The carousel lit up during Vivid Sydney

On day 2, we meandered through Sydney’s busy streets as office workers dodged and weaved. For once that wasn’t me rushing around on my lunch break in Melbourne! We drank in the view from The Eye tower and stayed until the lights twinkled all around.

Our final day was spent at Taronga zoo where we stayed for the Lights for the Wild attraction which was so mesmerising.

Our time in Sydney was certainly jam packed, was full of new experiences, belly laughs and family adventures. With everything packed up (finally) it was time for our next stop – Yamba, well Wooloweyah to be exact.

Huge shark at Vivid Sydney at Taronga Zoo