The Playground at Darling Harbour

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Carmen

Darling Quarter Playground

One of the things that I discovered while traveling with 3 kids is that the pace of things is much different than with one child, or for that matter just adults. You do not get to see as much as you would like in one day as there are smaller legs to walk on, more pee breaks and more frequent stops for food or snacks. You also have to remember that even though you may want to see 5 different museums in a day, though you can successfully engage the kids in one, further engaging them in another could be quite the challenge.

It is important to slow things down a little and do some ‘kid stuff’ not only for the sake of the children but for your sanity as well. Let them play and run off some steam and be kids. This does not mean that you have to give up seeing the one part of the city you really wanted to see. It just means you may experience it differently.

Chinese Garden of Friendship

One area in Sydney we did this (and is definitely worth touring) was Darling Harbour. Home to the Powerhouse Museum, the Chinese Garden of Friendship, the Imax, National Maritime Museum and Sydney Sea Life Aquarium to name a few. Yet this time around, we decided to go for the kids and experience it ‘their way’.

Hence, my friend Dana recommended we go and check out the playground there, as she said it was a fabulous place for kids. She described the different water games, slides, and swings that were down there and explained how massive it was. Though I thought, well ok it’s a playground, I was intrigued, so decided that we should go and check it out.

I have to say I was super impressed. A definite ‘must do’ for all families, this spectacular playground features an array of activities that promotes learning and imagination for all ages. The Darling Quarter Kids Playground as it is called, is absolutely amazing and definitely not one to be missed. The range and variety of activities, engages kids of all ages, and will keep them entertained for hours! From the huge Octanet, giant slide and flying fox, to the swings, supernova and waterworks, there is something for every age and ability.

As soon as we arrived the kids were off like a shot. The challenge was the 3 of them were off running in different directions. Matthew I knew could hold his own and would check in periodically, but it was the twins exploring new skills that had me running around trying to make sure they were safe and in sight.

Giant Slide 8 metres long!

They were definitely expanding their comfort zone that afternoon, as both Luke and Chloe really enjoyed the giant slide and were going up and down over and over. To go up, they had to climb up the ‘climbing wall’ at the back of the slide, with a rope to aid them; then they slide down. It wasn’t the slide that concerned me, but the 3 metre high ‘climbing wall’ to get there. I felt it was a little high for my four year olds and was a nervous about them climbing up. You know with their attitude of being untouchable and all. I was proud and freaked out at the same time as they very agilely went up to the top.

To be honest I was not worried about them climbing up but more about them falling down. I guess this is one of the lessons a parent must learn in letting go and trusting in their children.

The slide itself, was super fast and 8 metres long. Well super fast for an adult, probably about the right speed for a little person (yes I did go down it once, then decided that it was much too fast for me and I would just supervise the climbing).

Matthew really enjoyed exploring the different water works such as the water scoop and water screw and also successfully climbed up to the very top of the Octanet – at 10 metres high, giving me a heart attack, as I calmly congratulated him when he called “Mum, look at me!” and then asked him, very calmly to come down.

There are also sand diggers and smaller slides, plus swings of all sizes. All 3 of them enjoyed the giant ring, which is like a huge tire swing but with room for a lot more kids and swings a lot wider. The flying fox was the one that really impressed me, similar to a small zip line, but one that kids can easily navigate themselves and is not too far off the ground. Even I wanted to go on that one!

The playground is well set up and laid out, with an area for shade on hotter days and bathrooms right there. The promenade adjacent to the playground is lined with a variety of cafes and restuarants for those adults who require coffee or refreshment as you monitor the children at play.

The best part of all is it’s free! And a wonderful opportunity to enjoy this area of the Sydney Harbour while the kids are fully entertained! Whether you stay for an hour or the entire afternoon, adults and children alike will be engaged the entire time.

Bondi Beach

Unfortunately, we only stayed for about an hour ourselves that day as we had spent the morning down at Bondi Beach and needed to head back for supper after a full day of activities. But it was definitely worth the trip down to have the experience. Both Luke and Chloe still talk about the giant slide and is one of the many things that they ask to go back to and do again and again.

What fantastic or unique kids playgrounds have you found in your travels? whether local or abroad?

The Taronga Zoo

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Carmen

One of the many things I love about Australia is the range of unique animals that exist in this country. Because of their isolation from the rest of the world for so long, this allowed these unique species to develop and exist. From the koala to the platypus, more than 80% of these animals, plants, reptiles and frogs are found only in Australia.

With that, no trip to Australia would be complete without a trip to at least one of the zoos or wildlife parks, to catch a glimpse and sometimes a cuddle, with some of these amazing animals. Of course, I would much prefer to see some of these animals in the wild (I say some because honestly I am perfectly fine seeing the crocodiles and the snakes behind glass, thank you). But it is a extremely cool experience to see a koala, kangaroo or echidna in their natural environment.

Platypus

Unfortunately, these experiences can be rare, depending on where you are traveling and how long you are spending in Australia. Therefore I always recommend at least one zoo experience of some kind so you can have an opportunity to see these unique critters.

While in Sydney, we chose to experience the Taronga Zoo, which is a natural bush area on the harbour’s north shore. It is easy to get to from Circular Quay, with a short (and beautiful) ferry ride to the zoo’s entrance. You can purchase a combo ferry and zoo entrance ticket at the terminal which does provides great savings, as opposed to purchasing them separately. Also with the pre-purchased pass you can take the cable car up to the top from the ferry terminal, which gives you a birds eye view as you zoom overtop of the zoo to the main entrance.

Fort Denison

The kids were all very excited to get to the zoo, as we had been promising them we would ‘go and see the animals’ since about 10 that morning, but it had taken us until almost 2 pm to get ourselves organized, fed and down to the ferry terminal. We bought our ferry zoo combo pass and boarded the ferry for the north shore. It was a beautiful day, so we sat up top where we could catch the views of the harbour as we sailed.

This was an unique experience for me, as the last time I was in Sydney, we did not go on the water, so I got to see a different view of Sydney. Chloe and Luke asked many questions as we sailed along, wondering what this was and that was. We sailed past Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, which we had been to earlier that morning; and Fort Denison, another of Sydney’s historic landmarks.

Once at the Taronga Zoo ferry terminal we made our way to the cable car. There were also options to take a bus to the top main entrance or a short walk. The cable car was super cool, much like a gondola for us, the car would slow down as we got on and had a seat inside, before we were whisked away over the tree tops. It was great way to see the layout of the zoo and where things were. We could see how the zoo had taken great care to create spacious enclosures for all the animals simulating their natural habitats. Luke screamed in delight as he spotted the elephants, asking to go see them when we got on the ground. We also caught the giraffes and orangatans to from this view.

The zoo itself has an extensive collection of Australian animals. As we passed through the entrance we received a free map to help us plan our route. Unfortunately we only had 2 hours to tour this extensive zoo (I would recommend a full day so you can see the entire zoo at leisure and take advantage of the shows and keeper talks as well), so we had to choose our route carefully. Our first priority were the koalas and we were not disappointed. Cuddled up in the trees, we got fantastic views and photos. Commonly called koala bears, koalas are actually not bears and are part of the marsupial family (animals that have young in their pouches). They are not related to bears at all!

Satisfied we moved on to the rest of the zoo. We saw crocodiles, snakes, lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, kangaroos, emus, wombats and even a goanna outside on his own. We looked diligently for the platypus in his enclosure, but to no avail (these animals are nocturnal so are hard to catch a glimpse of during the day).

Goanna

We managed to cover about 2/3 of the zoo in the time that we had but had to leave because the zoo was closing! We didn’t even get a chance to go into the gift shop 🙁

The other advantage of going to the Taronga Zoo is the stunning views of the Sydney Harbour from atop the hill. Even though we would have liked to have stayed a little longer and finished the zoo, we enjoyed our time there.

The highlights were definitely the koalas, the views, and the ferry ride to get there. There are other wildlife parks in the greater Sydney area, such as the Featherdale Wildlife Park and the Koala Park Sanctuary, which offer opportunities to hand feed some of their animals or experience encounters where you can be face to face! These parks though are located about 30 minutes outside the city.

We cuddled up on the ferry, tired yet satisfied with our afternoon at the zoo, each of us pondering what we liked best, and what our next Australian adventure might be…

Off to the Land Down Under – Sydney Harbour Highlights

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Carmen

I love Australia! Ever since I was a little girl I have been fascinated with the Land Down Under. Koalas, the Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge, all icons of this beautiful country. I really wanted to go there and explore, see if all the magic and mystery of this country I had built up, was real. Was it all that it was cracked up to be?

I wanted to go so badly that even though I was deathly afraid of snakes, of which the top 20 most poisonous exist in Australia, and greatly concerned about crocodiles; these things did not deter me – I was going. And now I have had the great privilege of going twice to this fabulous country. Truly unique in all it’s flora and fauna, animal species and human species too 🙂

The first time we went was back in 2007, when my oldest son was 4. We traveled for 3 months and explored a good part of the country. I actually never thought that I would go back. Then when my sister announced that she was going with her family to live there for a year, I knew that I could not pass up this second opportunity. Now with 2 more children, I made my plans to go. Would we travel to places we had been before? or would we see some of the places I had missed and wanted to go to? So I promptly turned to my Fodor’s Australia book, taking the newest version out of the library. (This is something I highly recommend wherever you travel, get a book on the area before you go and do some research on what there is to see and do. Always find the newest version as it will have the most up to date information on prices, etc. and it will save you a lot of time when you’re there; as well as give you a good framework or route for your travels.)

Though we were only going for 3 and a half weeks this time, we decided to do a bit of both. Enjoying the places I had been before, remembering and doing new things in those areas. Places felt familiar and comfortable, which got me excited and nostalgic at the same time.

This is how I felt when we first arrived in Sydney, our first stop on our Aussie adventure. It was neat to recognize areas and see how they may have changed, to feel oriented in a place I hadn’t been for 7 years, and to then expand upon what I knew, as well as explore new places and with new people.

One of the unique things about our stay in Sydney this time around was that we stayed with an old friend of mine that I had met in the UK back when I was fresh out of university. Not only did we get to catch up, but staying with a local is always a rich experience as they are able to give you insight into Sydney life that you might not find otherwise. Dana was not only able to make recommendations on what to see and do, especially with the kids, but also able to orient us as to where we were and how to get to various places, whether it be the Sydney Harbour or the local Coles (grocery store) down the road.

There is so much to do in Sydney, from a plethora of museums (lots of great museums for kids, such as the Powerhouse Museum and Australian National Maritime Museum) and beaches, to walks, parks (love the Chinese Garden of Friendship) and significant monuments.

Our first day there, was a beautiful winter day. The sun was shining, bright blue sky and about 20 degrees. Yes cold for Australians, but pleasant shorts weather for us. I was already loving Australia in winter. 🙂 We had decided that day we were going to take the kids to the Taronga Zoo, after a short walk down exploring the Sydney Harbour and waterfront where we had to catch the ferry at Circular Quay. According to Dana it was only about a 20 minute walk away.

It was a beautiful walk. Straight down from her place led us past Harry’s Cafe, famous for their meat pies (and a place I wanted to go to since my last visit), to the waterfront paths, which wound along the water past Mrs. Macquarie’s chair and the Botanical Gardens, before reaching the Sydney Opera House and Circular Quay.

Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair is one of my favorite places along the waterfront and was one of our first stops on our walk. Having been here before I knew that this was a place I wanted to stop and enjoy again. Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, otherwise known as Lady Macquarie’s Chair, provides one of the best viewpoints in Sydney. The historic chair was carved out of a rock ledge for Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s wife, Elizabeth, as she was known to visit the area and sit enjoying the panoramic views of the harbour. It is neat for kids as they get to sit in this gigantic ‘chair’ or climb it, as the little ones tended more to do. As adults, we took all the photos we could and enjoyed the views in between ensuring the kids did not climb too high or fall down. Somehow we all got an experience and created our memories. For me, I was reflecting on my time there before and creating new ones (in amongst ‘be carefuls’ and ‘climb over there’)

For Luke and Chloe, they were just excited to be there and Matthew well he was doing his best to ponder the meaning of life, while trying to remember being there before.

As we continued on our way and rounded Mrs. Macquarie’s Point, (directly east of the Opera House on the eastern edge of the Botanical Gardens), we were rewarded with the best and most famous view in Sydney, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge behind.

Also one of my favorites, and something I would not miss, no matter how short my time in Sydney. The Opera House with its ‘billowing sails’ and the Harbour Bridge behind is a beautiful majestic sight that amazes me and gives me goose bumps each time I see it. Personally I could have stopped there, or at least meandered down to the cafes by the Opera House and spent the rest of the afternoon there on the harbour. Enjoying a latte or a glass of wine, just soaking up the atmosphere. But we had promised the kids some animals, koalas and kangaroos to be specific (and honestly they would not sit leisurely while we enjoyed wine and lattes), so after a yummy lunch of fish and chips (which at this point during the trip was a novel idea – more on that later), we grabbed the ferry to the Taronga Zoo. Which that was an adventure in itself!