Shepparton: Kidstown Playground

These posts are going to be a bit out of order while I get caught up on some blogging.

After the holidays we headed to Shepparton because we needed to get our caravan serviced and made an appointment at a place there.  We have been having a problem with our gas heater (we have central heating in the van).  We dropped the van off and headed into town to explore.

I’ve heard about this big playground in Shepparton with huge slides and multiple play areas.  They ask for a gold coin donation as an entrance fee.  We were excited to finally check it out.  There was a huge donation bin near the entrance and we all dutifully put coins in.  (Why are kids always so happy to put coins in these things?) We headed straight for the big slides.  I love that these metal slides are under shade.

Then we started exploring.  I had to get a picture of the kids in front of the giant cow.  Cows are quite the theme in Shepparton.

This kid is the cutest thing ever.

Giant sand pit with digger.  Check.

Toddler area with cars to sit in.  A big hit with the little guy, as long as he was the one driving.  No one else was allowed to touch the steering wheel.

Doesn’t this remind you of a Fred Flintstone car?

This guy is ever the clown.  Cute picture.

Not so sure about the purple dinosaur.

But loved the slide.

This one loved the monkey bars, of which there are many at varying heights.

The little guy got a turn on the slide too, with some help.

And how could we miss the miniature train?

Huge flying fox.  I don’t know how she stayed on so long!

Cows, more cows.

And the painted cows…there are many, many painted cows in Shepparton.

 

We didn’t know it at the time, but this wouldn’t be our only visit to Kidstown!

Point Lonsdale

So many beautiful pictures from Point Lonsdale, I don’t know where to start! 

We drove down to the lighthouse and walked around the point.  The landscape is amazing.  The first thing we saw was the gorgeous old pier. 

  

Check it out on the map! See the pier?

We walked down the beach toward the lighthouse, then around the point.   

You can see from the map above that when you round the point (right behind these rocks) you are no longer facing the bay, you are facing open ocean.  What a beautiful sight.

I’ll have to break up this post and put more pictures in the next one!

Just for fun…our cute toddler…

Before we took off in our caravan after the holidays, there was a massive rainstorm in our town.  In less than an hour we had soooo much rain.  Our toddler had never gotten out of the caravan on his own before.  He chose that afternoon, with all those irresistible puddles, for his first escape from the van.  He was so proud of himself.

He’s taken to stealing the car keys as well!  A true escape is in the works, I’m sure!

On the Road Again!

After three weeks at home for the holidays, we were more than ready to get back on the road!  The kids are seasoned travellers now.  The little guy (rubbing his eyes in the picture below) didn’t even make it out of the yard before he was asleep in the car.  The others had their backpacks and pillows all ready to go.

First stop: Shepparton, Victoria! 

More posts coming soon!

tower hill reserve

There’s a fantastic wildlife reserve near Warrnambool, Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve.  It’s a great place to see several Aussie animals at once and do some short walks as well.  We did the peak climb when we got there, which is a bit strenuous since it’s so steep.  The kids were doing all the classic complaining all the way up, I was trying not to laugh too hard.  It’s not a long hike at all.

‘But my legs are soooo tired.’ ‘Can’t you carry my water bottle?’ ‘How much further?’  ‘I just want you to carry me.’  All of those times three.  Turbobug had the best spot on Dad’s back.

There’s a rock at the top that’s just asking for kids to stand on it.  Ours obliged with some poses.

The view from the top. 

We saw a couple of emus with chicks.  The mums watched us very carefully, they were very protective of their young ones.

We went on a walk around a lake.  The kids, of course, loved the pile of rocks that was to be spread across the path.  Never mind all the amazing things surrounding us, bring on the rocks!

See the blue wren?  We saw several that day.

We even saw a tiger snake curled up by the path.  We all walked right past it until Dad pointed it out and we came back for a look, not too close of course.  (The snake’s not in the picture below, so don’t hurt your eyes looking for it!)

We had a relaxing time in Warrnambool.  The caravan park wasn’t too busy, so the kids were able to ride their scooters all over the place.  They’d take the walkie-talkie with them we could keep in touch with them.  Most of the people camping around us were there for the same number of days we were so the kids got to know some of them.  Ladybug was upset to say goodbye to her new friend (a woman in the van next to us).

There’s a stray cat at the caravan park that has figured out how to get people to feed her, she’s friendly and was pretty good with the kids.  Apparently she is microchipped and has been returned twice but both times found her way back to the park.  She was a little too friendly for us, finding her way into the van one night while we were all playing a game.  But the kids loved having a cat around, we miss ours, and Turbobug especially loved the kitty.  Even now, two weeks later, he’s looking at the picture below and meowing at the sight of the kitty.  :)

By the end of our stay we were feeling a bit more settled in the van and ready to move on!  Our plan is to head to Mt Gambier in South Australia, with a few stops along the way, and then back to Bendigo for our first Christmas in the van.

Warrnambool

We’ve been to Warrnambool several times and stayed in this same caravan park.  We decided to spend nearly a week here, in a familiar place, to just relax, hit the beach, and adjust to life on the road.  This lifestyle is a big adjustment and we needed time to settle in a bit.

As soon as we got there the kids were begging to go to the beach.  Little did they know it would be so windy and cold!  We were lucky that only the first few days were like that, we did have some lovely beach weather while we were there.

This little guy fell asleep in his highchair after one of those days!  He loved the beach.  He came back soaking wet and covered in sand every time.

We put up the annex for the first time during our trip.  It becomes quite crowded with six camping chairs in there!  See the patio lights? That’s why I chose this blog design, the design at the top reminds me of our lovely lights.  :)

We got to see the most beautiful sunset on the beach.

The first day we found these blue jellyfish on the beach.  There were heaps of them strung all along the beach where the tide had come in.

We had the chance to try out our new washing machine.  There isn’t one in the van, so we decided to purchase a twin tub.  It fits in our shower while we travel.  This is eventually going to pay for itself since we won’t be paying to use the laundry at each caravan park we visit. 

It works great.  It’s toddler-height, which means our ever-helpful toddler was very involved.  Look at him on his tiptoes.  So cute!

There’s a fabulous playground in Warrnambool, the Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground.  We made sure to visit a couple of times.  The zip line is always a big hit.  :)

Lake Colac

After we had our van fixed in Melbourne we drove to a free camp at Lake Colac.  It was a nice camp right on the edge of the lake.

The first of many beautiful sunsets we’ll see on the road!

The lake edge was full of tall grasses and I was warned there had been a snake sighting.  So to get to the water the kids rode their scooters down to the boat ramp and played there.

We found this nest that had fallen sideways.  I’m just so amazed at bird nests, they are so intricate and require so much work to complete.  I can’t believe the way the birds can bend the twigs and weave them together.

The large pine cones were beautiful too.

We went for a walk and found some trees to climb.

Adults included.  Well, one adult anyway.  Can you see him up there?

Not quite as high, to Mama’s relief.  :)

After having our water pump fixed it felt like such a luxury to have water in the van.  We spent time settling in and just enjoying being on the road and getting used to living in the caravan.