Last day on Heron

 I woke early with the overwhelming desire to try and pack as much as possible into this last day. While the kids and Mel slept I went for wander down the beach following the turtle tracks from the night before. The early morning light cast shadows on them, making them look like deep 4x4 tyre marks.

Only a few hundred metres down the beach I came across a track which didn’t lead to the ocean and discovered a stranded turtle, left behind when the tide receeded. I sat with her for a while wondering what to do. Then headed off to the research station to alert the troops.

The research station was almost deserted, but I found someone who said this is pretty common… she would make her own way back to the water and was probably just resting. So, I cut back through the bush to our room. The occupants were still asleep, so I headed for the restaurant for a cuppa, returning with mugs of hot chocolate and a strong coffee for Mel.

Once they had sipped their treats, and their eyes opened, everyone wanted to go see the turtle, so we wandered down the beach again and sat watching her as she slowly made her way back to the turquoise ocean. What a special treat this was on our last day. Follow this with a mega breakfast, and a last snorkel near the harbour, and it rounded off our visit very nicely.

Day two: Heron Island

How could we possibly top yesterday? But top it we did.

Amazingly, Amber found Molly, a girl in her class at school, who was also on the island this morning. Sharks cruised the reef at breakfast and it wasn’t long before I was swimming after them again. The girls practiced snorkeling in the pool before braving the harbour where we snorkeled with over 30 rays. Ever since Steve Irwin died, Amber has been very nervous of rays, so she was pumped to get over this fear and discover how placid they really are.

After another mega feast at lunch (I will certainly go home heavier), we walked across the island together with Molly. The kids discovered if they screamed, it set off all the Noddy Terns, so they delighted in starting an environmental riot.

Shark Bay was a postcard. There is no other way to describe it. Unfortunately, it was low tide when we arrived, and the sharks had retreated, so we vowed to return tomorrow morning and instead lounged on the beach, climbed the trees and found last year’s turtle eggs in the sand.

Walking back along the beach was a struggle in the afternoon sun, so we retreated to our rooms for a reprieve. Here the kids decided to create their very own spa and charges $3 for massages… delightful!

Amazingly, we were hungry again at dinner time. No idea how! We were, however, too tired to search for turtles and flopped into bed soon after stuffing ourselves!           

Day one: Heron Island

The day we had long awaited was finally here…

My best friend Mel, her daughter Tea, Amber and I were off to Heron Island. It had long been on my bucket list.  Now, a week later, we are still telling stories of our adventures… so let me share a few!

Let’s start with the journey.

Gladstone is the jumping off point for Heron Island which is a long two hour journey due east on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. This length of time on a boat could be daunting, but we were lucky and hit a completely glassy day. Even Tea (who’s a bit unsure of the rocking) braved the bow and squealed in delight as we rose and fell over the miniscule swell. Regardless, I still recommend giving the kids a Kwell well before the journey because they don’t work once you start feeling ill.

As we approached this tiny atoll, we were joined by dolphins, spotted 13 turtles and numerous rays. The ocean was so clear we could see coral on the bottom as we slowed through the man-made channel through the reef.

First impressions of this island were extraordinary. Turquoise ocean fused into white coral sand; the incessant sound of Noddy Terns nesting on every limb of every tree; the tremendously bad smell of their poo as you walked up to the resort; jumping up from lunch to watch sharks and rays cruise the reef. It was serious sensory overload!

After unpacking we donned our snorkel gear and headed for the reef. Amber and Tea were, understandably, reticent after seeing sharks moments before, but they gave it a go. When they couldn’t handle their fear any more, Mel and I continued on our own and weren’t disappointed… Mel spotted her first shark and didn’t completely freak! I, on the other hand, am a little mad, and chose to chase it with my video camera… the shark trying really hard to get away…

This was Mel’s birthday and the evening meal was the weekly seafood buffet. I think she downed a dozen oysters before I even finished my first bug…  Top it off with the birthday cake we ordered ahead, and Happy Birthday from the resident singing duo, and she was on cloud nine!

THEN we wandered down the beach to find turtles laying eggs… and wondered if day two could ever get better than this???  Tune in tomorrow to find out!

When kids turn into ducks...

In some places you can access a coral reef from a beach (for instance Heron Island). This can be daunting for kids, though, so I suggest giving them a pool noodle as floatation. They put this under their armpits and across their chest. Try to stay flat on the surface, hold hands if you need to, and slowly kick until you reach the reef.  

Make sure you tell the kids not to touch the reef since coral is sharp and, believe it or not, some of it stings.

For your first time, keep in deep enough water that you are unlikely to kick the reef, even when coming up to chat and if kids get water in their mask, ask them to tread water with their noodle while you slowly pull the bottom of the mask away from their face and let the water out. There’s no really need to take it off their head. If they need to stand up, swim to shallow water and look down before standing.

Now, it’s possible the kids will get the hang of this really quickly and become immersed in watching tropical fish. Even with teens, it’s important that they buddy up and stick with their buddy at all times. Once they feel comfortable, discard the noodle and explore together. AND if the become real fish, they can try diving down to get closer to the coral. To do this, they simply hold their breath, do a duck dive and hold enough breathe in their lungs to exhale when they come up. 

When they reach the surface again, a short, sharp ‘TSS’ into their snorkel will push the water out the top, or through the purge valve at the bottom, and they can breathe again…

There is something absolutely magical about snorkeling. Time suspends and the sound of breath in and out is almost meditative.  Only three more sleeps and I get to show Amber how it works! I’ll tell you next week!

Getting wet

Now, it’s time to get wet! In the pool, or in the bath tub are the best places to start getting kids comfortable. To reduce fogging, spit in your mask and wash it around then rinse. If this is too gross for kids, very diluted soapy water (dish soap) does the same thing.

Get their hair wet first and place the mask, making sure not hair finds its way inside to break the seal. Keep the strap high on their head and slowly put just their face in the water. Tell them to keep their mouth closed around the snorkel and breathe through it like a straw. No laughing, because the water will come in around their laugh lines! Don’t bother with fins at this stage. When they feel comfortable with breathing they can try swimming at the same time.

When they feel comfortable with that, I suggest you graduate to a calm beach. Still, don’t use fins for a while. Walk up to their waists, put the mask on and do just what they did in the pool. The visibility at the beach is likely to be much worse than the pool and this takes getting used to.

Next step, put on fins. There are two ways to do this: first, on the sand, then walk backwards into the water. Second, if the water is nice and calm, walk up to their waist holding the fins and put them on while in the water. I suggest a pair of socks because this stops the rubbing…

Now, the idea is to try and lay flat on the surface with their face in the water and slowly kick up and down with their legs, keeping their legs (and fins) underwater. The more splash, the fewer fish they will see, and the more tired they will get.  Practice this in an area they can stand up at first but be very careful where you stand if you have to stand up. Fins are responsible for enormous reef damage, and this is why it’s important to have control before exploring the reef.

Tomorrow, let’s talk about actually snorkeling on coral reefs together!

Heron Island here we come!

So, there I was this morning, digging through the summer toys looking for snorkels and masks. Why, you ask?  This weekend we are off for a couple of night at Heron Island and it’s a place I have long wanted to go… lounging on the beach, watching turtles nest, snorkeling with tropical fish at the place where two currents meet and the range of species is extraordinary.

As dug through all manner or paraphernalia, it occurred to me you might be intending to snorkel with the kids this summer too… so, I thought I might help you along the road. (I used to teach kids to snorkel on the Barrier Reef and Hawaii, so I probably know what I’m talking about…). Today let’s talk about buying the gear…

First there are the  fins and we all know how quickly kids’ feet grow. If you are planning to snorkel with tour operators I don’t recommend buying your own. They will have plenty of sizes to fit most kids. Just check ahead for availability if your kids’ feet are on the extremely small side.

When it comes to masks, however, I really recommend getting a properly fitted one for each child. There is NOTHING guaranteed to turn kids off snorkeling faster than an ill-fitting mask. Things to watch out for are that the silicone is small enough to fit their face. Hold the mask up against them, without the strap and ask them to breathe in. If it stays there, it fits.

When you get your new mask home, clean out the inside of it with toothpaste. This removes the thin layer of silicon and reduces fogging.

Then there’s the snorkel… and one of the most uncomfortable parts of snorkeling is the mouthpiece, especially for kids. Most ‘off the shelf’ snorkels come with a large mouthpiece. Luckily these can usually be replaced and I suggest taking your mask to a dive shop and buying a small mouth piece for a few dollars.

Now you’ve got your gear, it’s time to learn the basics… doing this right first time can be the difference between comfortable kids and fearful ones, so I’ll share my tips for getting in the water tomorrow! 

Photo courtesy Tourism Queensland

Live and waiting

 Well, the dust has settled and it has now been a week since the launch of www.kidswelcome.com.au at UnderWater World on the Sunshine Coast.  And what a successful launch it was…

Over 100 people (half of them kids) arrived around 6pm and were greeted at the door by my wonderful team of PR students from the University of the Sunshine Coast.  While adults mingled and swapped holiday stories, the kids were whisked away to the seal viewing area for dinner, and divided into scavenger hunt teams… red, blue, green and yellow then set off with clipboards in hand and a exploration booklet. How exciting it was to be in this iconic attraction at night, without anybody else so they went a little wild and ran from clue to clue!

Upstairs, adults gathered in the Turtle Theatre where local celebrities shared their thoughts about Kids Welcome.  MP Fiona Simpson applauded the ingenuity, Sunshine Coast Destination Limited representative Tony Quarmby called it ‘unique in the western world’ and Councillor Debbie Blumel reflected on how far things have come since the launch of Kids Welcome to Queensland in 2009. After I showed everyone through the site, it was officially declared open by Channel 7 New’s Rosanna Natoli…

Now it was time to explore UnderWater World at night. Parents and children were united to wander through the shark tunnel, wander through the Billabong and spot ‘Nemo’ in an anemone.

The evening wrapped up with a prize giving for the winning scavenger hunt team and a prize draw for tickets to local attractions. 

So, now the web directory is officially open. It includes over 2000 reviews of things to do with kids in Queensland, NSW and the ACT with more states to follow soon. It’s free to use and you can even upload your own reviews and images to help other parents make good choices for their own kids. I have provided the framework and it’s up to you, the user, to determine the direction this resource takes.

I’d love it if you can log on and give me an insider’s view of those places you most love….