Festival of the Winds, Bondi Beach

When we set off for a quick visit to Bondi beach one September morning we didn't expect to see a whale on the beach, or that it would be ridden by Spongebob Square Pants!
It was the Festival of the Winds. The largest Kite Flying Festival in Australia. Part of the beach was covered in kites of different sizes and shapes.
Those interested in flying can contact the Australian Kiteflyers Society AKS.

  

School Art show

Wow, I am truly impressed with the art produced at school. We have returned from the evening 'parent only' school art show, which was really well organised by the parent group, from helping to produce the actual pieces of art to the evening reception. The playground was transformed by fairy lights into an atmospheric reception and the school hall into a gallery. 

Each child produced an individual piece of art and each class produced a joint piece of art. They were displayed really well. The individual pieces you can buy - great fundraising idea as who wouldn't buy their kids art on canvas, the class masterpieces were then auctioned. 

The bar helped the evening go smoothly, especially when it came time to auction off the class artwork. The bids were flowing as fluently as the drink.  It was lovely to see the staff supporting the event and enjoying the evening. 

Saturday it is open for all the kids to visit. 

Now we just need to find a space on the wall for our new little canvas! 

Parsley Beach, Sydney

The venue for our Christmas Day on the beach. It's in a residential area and by the time we arrived at 10am on Christmas Day the car park was full but it was easy to find free parking in the surrounding streets.

As you enter from the car park, take note to look behind you as that's the toilet block. 

At the entrance there is a playground with swings, climbing frame, sea-saw boat etc. Well equipped for a small play area. Lots of benches if you want to sit in the shade to watch the kids. 

There is a cafe with outdoor tables and several picnic benches between the car park and the sandy beach. 

Then a long stretch of grass. Long enough for someone to erect a volley ball net and several games of cricket and frisbee to take place without impacting on each other and still have enough room for the large clusters of deck chairs, tables and blankets assembled on our Christmas Day visit. 

The sand is a semi-circle shape, divided from the grass area by a brick wall. Covered in a lot of leaves from the overhanging trees and a few shells. There is a large (fake) crab on the beach to play on.
Over the water is a long, high, pedestrian bridge providing good views across the beach and out across the bay.
There is a shark net which makes it a popular swimming and snorkeling choice. There are metal ladders leading into the sea from the rocks and beside the edge of the shark net.

Unfortunately on the day we visited the water was very murky. So much so you couldn't see your feet in the water. It wasn't very pleasant to swim in although it didn't stop us. We swam up to the nets and climbed out over the rocks and were rewarded by lovely warm rock pools to soak our feet in. My son was further rewarded by the sight of dead fish on the rocks which he insisted on throwing over the net to the fishermen patiently waiting for something a bit more lively to catch. There is an information signs displaying the vegetation you may spot. I was lucky enough to have a water dragon cross my path. When you need a stretch its a nice stroll along the rocks and over the footbridge. 

Summary: A good family beach. Shame about the quality of water. 

Facilities: Car park; toilets; beach shower; cafe; picnic benches and benches; playground; trees for shade; rocks; walking path; small sandy beach; swimming; shark net; fishing. 

No dogs on the beach but from the bridge they can walk around the rocks. 

Red Leaf Beach, Sydney

With the entrance hidden off the main road it's easily missed. Popular with locals as a good swimming spot due to the large semi circle shark net enclosure with a walkway. There are also platforms you can swim up to.

It's not a beautifully golden clean sandy beach and we did see some discarded bottle tops.We've only been once so I can't say if that is the usual condition and it won't stop us visiting again. There was plenty of litter free sand for playing in. The beach is a narrow but long shape with a parallel raised grass area. 

Above the beach is a cafe, the toilet block and shower block. There are also lockers. Good views across to the CBD. 

Melbourne

Our first trip to Melbourne was a long weekend the week before Christmas. We left Sydney in thunderstorms and arrived in Melbourne to blistering heat (40's). Therefore our usual method of walking around to explore a new city turned into short walks between air conditioned buildings. We did visit the Royal Botanic Gardens; Melbourne Art Centre; National Gallery of Victoria; Moving Image Museum; Melbourne Museum; Federation Square; Docklands area; MCG; Tram Ride; Crowne Casino Complex and South Melbourne Market. You can read more about those below.
If you only have a couple of days in Melbourne I would suggest concentrating on:  the Docklands area for views, shopping, refreshments then in the opposite direction you have Federation Square, for entertainment, museum, graffiti street then a short walk to the Southbank for galleries and theatre, from there another short walk to the Botanical Gardens. To make your own itinerary check out the official tourist site.

Royal Botanic Gardens

 

 

The Royal Botanic Gardens is a beautiful green space on the edge of the City Centre. It has a separate gated children's garden - The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden, with miniature fountains to jump in and streams to run through. On the day we visited there were many, presumably local, families picnicking in the children's garden. We started our visit at the Cafe Jardin Tan and can recommend their homemade lemonade. We walked through the gardens and around to the lake. We were only going to stop for ice-cream at the Terrace cafe but when we arrived we saw people enjoying high tea so had to order the scones. Outside the Terrace you can go punting on the lake.

ACMI - Australian Centre for Moving Image

 

The ACMI on Federation Square kept us occupied for hours and is free entry. There are movies, exhibitions and workshops. Downstairs is their permanent exhibition - Screen Worlds. It walks you through the history of the moving image from the very first images through to current techniques. It is very interactive and there is a treasure hunt for kids. We didn't get to finish the treasure hunt because we found the area with the video games - and didn't move for half an hour.


Melbourne Museum

 

 

I'm not sure how often the exhibitions change but when we visited at the end of 2015 there was plenty to keep my 4 and 8 year old interested. All exhibitions had elements that were interactive plus a dedicated play centre for younger kids with Lego tables; drawing; reading areas; building bricks; musical steps and other fun things. We started at the 'Forest Secrets' where you can walk under the stream and see the fish and frogs. 'Bugs Alive' is the permanent insect section displaying thousands of specimens including some still moving! Was helpful to see what spiders to avoid.We spent 5 hours at the Melbourne Museum and only covered the ground floor, cafe's and play area.


National Gallery of Victoria

The National Gallery of Victoria is a beautiful building and worth a visit if you're in the area. It's free to walk in and to visit the garden. Some exhibitions are chargeable.

South Melbourne Market.

When we arrived at South Melbourne Market I thought it was just a fruit and veg market but as you walk deeper inside there are many different stalls. My son had his haircut at the Barber of Saville. There are also tempting nail stalls and massage stalls. We finished with fish tapas dinner at the corner cafe. Check open hours as it doesn't open every day. It was about a 30 minute walk from the Centre but you can get there by bus/tram or there is free parking (check restrictions).


Docklands Area

We jumped on the free CBD tram to the edge of Docklands Area, walked across the bridge and enjoyed the waterside views. As well as numerous restaurants you'll find the Harbour Town Shopping Centre which has outlet stores, a food court and fun park.









MCG Melbourne Cricket Club
We visited the MCG to watch an evening game of Cricket. My husbands a big cricket fan. After watching games at Lords and the London Oval I still struggle with the rules and the slow pace. Still, it was an experience to sit in the stands and enjoy the atmosphere. Outside the ground they handed out free No4/6 runs cards and inflatable clappers. With the fan cams and sponsorship competitions it reminded me of American sports games.

The MCG houses the National Sports Museum. Memorabilia from a range of sports not just cricket. 

Street Art at Hosier Lane

 

There are many streets listed under street art.
I only got to see Hosier Lane.
You can find others here.









Free CBD Tram
Take a tram ride - it's free! The CBD has a free tram zone. All the stops are identified with 'Tram Free Zone', which my son pointed out was wrong because it's not free of trams! If you get on and off within the tram free zone you don't need a ticket. If you are travelling on beyond the free zone then you need a ticket but will only be charged for the extra stops.