Sunday, July 11, 2010

Rainy day activities in SE Queensland with teens

Well, we've been back now a week... and the other day my friend asked me whatever she should do with her teenager during the school holiday. They had exhausted trips to the mall and were slowly going broke.

It's a problem many of you probably face: how to entertain your older kids without breaking the bank, and while keeping their online time down. (Yes, that's often the hard one!).

So, here are a few of my favourites in Southeast Queensand. Over the next few days I will expand on these and broaden the list to other geographic areas. Hopefully they will give you a few ideas outside of the normal range!

Sunshine Coast:
Peregian Originals is held every second Sunday at Peregian Beach just after the local market packs up shop. Kicking off around 1pm, bands travel from around the region for the priviledge of playing to this crowd. Music if varied, but always original and this is a place where families can take a picnic and spread out on the grass and teens will even be happy to be seen. Best of all it's free! Check out the website.

Gold Coast

Push teens physical boundaries at Thunderbird Park in the Gold Coast hinterland. The high ropes course here is challenging and a great way to bond with older kids. Spend around three hours swinging and pulling yourselves along cables, sliding down flying foxes and balancing on high beams without touching foot on the ground.




Kayak tour
Departing from Southport, Kyle and Mark from Balunjali Interpretive Cultural Tours lead kayak tours which include a wildlife and cultural (indigenous) element. It is not necessary to have kayak experience and this tour is suitable for kids over eight.

Brisbane

Ron Mueck Exhibition
Before it departs on August 1, I highly recommend taking teens to see the Ron Mueck exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art. These life-like sculptures seem to capture a moment which,if seen in real life, we would be embarrased by. They are confronting, very moving and are guarenteed to start a healthy discussion in the car! Cost is around $10 per person.


More to follow!!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Back to Sydney

July 1

We hit a tennis ball around on the court this morning, delaying our exit, but by 9.30am we were on the road heading back to Sydney. First stop was the Snowy Mountain Hydro Scheme information centre in Cooma which was absolutely fascinating. I had no idea how many tunnels were running below the national park carrying water. Generators deep within the hills created sustainable and environmentally friendly electricity and the scheme lets the water go as determined by the government: into the Snowy River or the Murray.

The information centre was free to visit and included so much for kids that we spent over an hour: generating electricity on an exercise bike, pushing buttons to highlight tunnels on the 3D map, learning about seeding snow (which is done by shooting iodine into the atmosphere). We even came away with a pack of information suitable for an entire unit of education, including a DVD on the project. This is a “don’t miss” if you are passing this way.

Another place worth a stop is the Big Marino in Goulburn. Australia is good at creating BIG things and this is one to tick off the list. It is bigger than most and it is possible to walk up inside and learn a bit about the wool industry. Displays are static, however, and not particularly kid-friendly. The surrounding choice of restaurants make this a great lunch stop on the way to and from the snow: choose from major fast food restaurants, kebabs, a lovely award winning bakery and snacks at the fuel station. The shop which accompanies the Big Marino is a lovely one for souvenirs of the region too.

By midafternoon we were back in Sydney, navigating the one-way streets and looking forward to a Thai dinner…

Last day breakthrough

June 30

Boy did I sleep well. The annoying aches I had expected didn’t eventuate and I had the handle on the electric blanket. Amber didn’t even stir until after 7am! I boiled the kettle to throw on the frosted windscreen (I am finally getting the hang of this!). We would have been at the snow by 10am but I forgot to get fuel in Adaminaby and we needed to go on a bit further to Cabramurra, the highest village in Australia, to fuel up. We made it for our 11.30am lesson, but the booking had been lost. Turned out in our favour I think because we ended up with Pete as our teacher. Three runs with him and I was snaking around with ease and enjoying it enough that I didn’t want to leave the snow. We even graduated to the big slope and an even bigger chair lift with a scary exit!

By now it was snowing hard and our woolly hats were frosted just like the trees. The viz was down to a few metres and we felt like intrepid explorers. What a wonderful feeling to learn a new skill… I am so glad Amber wanted to snow board! Four times we traversed the big slope and would have done more if our legs weren’t dropping off. So, around 3.30pm we called it a day and took the small lift back to the lodge. We couldn’t resist one more slide down the bunny slope and did so with such ease our heads swelled.

A few obligatory souveniers in the shop and thankful goodbyes and we handed in our media passes and rental gear. The parking lot was white where once it was black and we carefully made our way back to San Michelle, dropping off the rented snow chains on the way. I was sorry we didn’t have another week because I feel we would be really proficient (if not dead!).

For the fourth night in a row we chatted to other guests over dinner and warmed our bones in front of the fire before stumbling back to our room in exhaustion. What a fantastic day… one I wouldn’t want to have missed for the world. Tomorrow we depart and head back to Sydney…

Sore on the snow

June 29

Day two on the snow and I was wondering how my body would fare this morning when I awoke. By 9am we were on the road heading towards the snow fields for a 10am lesson. It took longer to get there than the day before and our instructor, Tanya, was waiting for us as we rushed across the parking lot and to the school waiting area. Today our lesson was together since I had caught up enough to Amber to warrant this. Rather than the “falling leaf” we had learnt the day before, we now progressed on to “S” turns which were far more frightening because you had to go quickly downhill at one stage in the turn. Pivoting your hips in the direction you were going and pointing the way helped and after a few ups and downs (vertical on the lift AND on our bottoms) we got the hang of it. We high-fived Tanya and continued on our own after an hour learning.

Up and down we went, sliding off the ski lift, falling and getting up again. Before too long my legs were as sore as they are after an hour of rowing. The staff was kind enough to let us use their staff room to boil a kettle and cook our noodles and before too long our insides were warm and our legs rested enough to go out and do it again.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Selwyn here we come!

June 28

How exciting… we were heading to the snow today! We struggled through numerous layers (how does anyone live with this on a regular basis?) and headed out to see the fields white with frost. What a beautiful sight as the sun rose above the hill and the woolly cows stared at us crunching across the grass. (The chooks were intelligently holed up in their hutch).

I have discovered a new use for credit cards: they are wonderful for scrapping frost off car windows. Now, had I been a local, I might have warmed up a kettle and done the job in a fraction of the time, but I only found that out the next day.

It took about 40 minutes to drive to Selwyn Snowfields from San Michelle, passing through the town of Adaminaby whose claim to fame is the Big Trout, flapping in the welcoming park. We stopped at town for breakfast and the bakery had been highly recommended by Graham as a great place for pastries and sandwiches to take to the snowfields.

We hired snow chains at the Ampol service station. Most fuel stations near the snow have snow chains for hire for about $10 per day and the closer to the snow you rent them, the less time you need them for. We then drove the additional half hour to Selwyn where we were allocated clothes, boats, snow boards and lessons. Adam helped us suit up and it wasn’t long before I was learning about rails and turns with Englishman Matt and Amber was bonding with her own personal instruction Tanya from Banff. I didn’t see much of Amber for the next hour because she was way ahead of me on the learning curve. I spent quite a lot of time on my bum, digging my knees in the snow or leaning on Matt’s leg to get up. I did improve though, and before the hour was up I was flying solo for seconds at a time!

Snowboarding makes you VERY hungry so we tucked into sandwiches and a hot milo and chocolate before going out again on our own. One great thing about Selwyn is their picnic room where families are welcome to spread out and save money by bringing their own.

We spent another hour or so on the slopes but by about 2pm we were tired and sore so we clipped out, made an appointment for a lesson tomorrow and loaded up the car with all our new found ski gear. Getting all the compact icy snow off the boards was challenging, but we managed not to get too much wet inside the car.

On the way home we passed Kiandra goldfields with remnants of chimneys, a gold stamp, sorting sieve and miscellaneous other equipment. A little further a grave yard grabbed our attention enough to exit our warm vehicle for a short walk amongst the stones. Out of 47people buried here, 19 were between the ages of 0 and 3. Only five made it over 70 and this brought home the harshness of pioneering life to both of us.

Back at San Michelle, after a hot shower, we settled in front of the TV and watched Indiana Jones. Dinner was served at 6.30 again and Amber repeated the spag bol performance she had enjoyed so much. I tucked into a moist and delicious roast beef with seafood chowder for starters. It wasn’t long before we were in bed finishing off the movie with heavy eyelids.

Drive to the Snowy Mountains

June 27

The drive to Adaminaby was not the winding mountain roads I had imagined. The majority was traversed on major highways, and perhaps this was for the best because we had a long way to go. We passed through the western wine regions around Geraldon and, since we were researching kids’ holidays, we didn’t stop. Fedra Olive Grover was, however, a different matter. Located a fair distance from the city for a stop, it offered the intrigue of rows of olive trees, promised olive tasting and an attractive restaurant with indoor/outdoor dining and a tasty/organic looking menu. Kids seemed very welcome with numerous ankle-biters running amuck and change tables and high chairs readily available. We tasted four different olives (black and green) and dipped Turkish bread in pure virgin olive oil also crushed on the premises. It was too cold to play on the playground, but we noted they DID have one before jumping in the car, cranking up the heat and continuing along the highway inland.

Next stop was a rest stop about 20km up the road and it was a strange one to say the least. We were skirting a flat bottom valley with hills rising on both sides and Amber exclaimed her excitement as she spotted her first ever wind farm on the far side. She wanted to pull over and take pictures so we planned to do so at the next rest stop. As we neared we were taken back by four zebras poised as if eating in the vast plain of the Serengeti (except for the lack of heat you could have easily have imagined yourself there). This rest stop was popular and I imagine the zebras (which were sculptures) and the accompanying reviver survivor free tea and coffee were equal drawcards. At least, they were to us.

We took pictures of the incongruent animal figures, steamed up my glasses in the hot drink donga and dropped a few coins into the donations box as we exited with tea and milo. What a great service!

It was about 3pm when our GPS lead us astray. Worse still, we let it. We took a right turn off the highway onto a dirt road called Caddiget Road. This was the road our accommodation was on and we knew it was a little out of Adaminaby Town so we followed along. An adventure ensued. Over hill and dale we drove on a dirt road, through breathtaking dormant farming land. Our fillings rattled over cattle grates and we espied a fox and a couple of wallabies on the way. At one stage we headed down a steep incline and held our breath, pride refusing to turn us around. It was a longer journey, yet one we will remember, and we approached our resort through the back way just as we were getting worried.

On first glance, San Michelle looks like an old stable and perhaps it is. Single storey white-washed buildings are organised with a courtyard area between. Now housing a grassy area and swimming pool, it wasn’t a place we intended to make use of in the winter… I am sure it’s a lovely spot in the summer though. The tennis court did pique our interest, however, and we make a mental note for later.

We checked in with Graham the manager in the main lounge area and were shown to our room… number 2. Overall first impressions were of the 70s. Brick walls, brown flowered bedspreads, red and black patterned carpet, wood free-standing wardrobes and patterned tiles in the bathroom. You get the idea. The lounge was similar: the bar boasted saddle bar stools, a few couches crowded the wood stove (which was beckoning) and wooden country-style tables and chairs were neatly arranged in the dinning room. It wasn’t what I was expecting from a snow area, but I soon warmed to the idea because Graham and Murray who ran the place were extremely welcoming. We placed an order for dinner which is served with a set menu (with two choices). One course cost $20 and two $28. Kids’ menus are even more reasonable with a set price for all three, but most guests appeared to be on an accommodation and meal plan.

We placed our orders, unpacked and made ourselves feel at home, then hit the tennis courts to warm up before dinner. My grilled Barra was lovely and Amber gave her spag bol a 10/10 which is high praise indeed. By 9pm we were tucked up beneath electric blankets and sleeping soundly.

Off to the snow

June 26

On the road again… and boy it feels good!

Amber hadn’t been on a plane for six months and she was very excited! We boarded on time and left a little early (unheard of!). The short journey down to Sydney was spent talking about our upcoming adventure. We would spend tonight in Sydney then drive to Adaminaby in the morning. It would take about six hours to get to our resting place at San Michelle Resort. I was nervous about trying a new sport at the advanced age of 45, but what the heck.

Off the plane and we headed across the road to check in with Europecar and get our speedy little Hyundai Getz. Mohammed helped us through reams of paperwork and sent us on our way with a smile. He warned us we needed snow chains if we went above the snow line, and told us how to navigate the toll roads out of the city. Turns out we should have bought our Go Via tag, so if you are heading this way, don’t forget to throw it in. Luckily NSW has maintained the cash lane (unlike Queensland) so we just needed to remember to keep to the left lane.

We had chosen Europecar because they were recommended by the manager of Selwyn Snowfields (Paul) as one of very few rental companies that allow their cars to visit the snow. Turns out they also partner with Virgin, so we racked up a few Verlocity points along the way too.In our zippy Getz, we hooked up the GPS (we DID remember to bring this) and headed to our friends place for the night.