It was a bit of a windy night, and the noise from the trains slowly heaving up the mountain could be loud - they didn't ever wake me up, but a couple of times I was already awake and heard them go past. The morning was beautiful and fresh, with the sun rising and lighting up the trees across the grass from us.
There wasn't a lot to do to pack up and it went pretty smoothly (although the wind made it slightly difficult at times and I also had trouble with the zip on the trailer cover). My friend from the night before came past at one point, she was walking to Springwood and it was cool to see her one more time.
We continued to drive through the Blue Mountains, and saw the new Hydro Majestic Hotel and it's majestic view. We stopped for petrol in Medlow Bath, and then approached Victoria Pass, which I had been anxious about for almost a week. The grade here is 14% in some parts, and I knew it was a tricky, steep road. My friend's husband had given me some tips the night before, so I put the car in 2nd gear and just took it very slow. The speed limit for trucks was 40, and I went slower than that - it was fine, I didn't feel the trailer pushing me at all at that speed. There were a few tight bends in between the 2 steep parts, and I managed them fine and got to the bottom feeling very relieved and a great sense of achievement!
I would have liked to stop in Hartley and have a look around but we already had enough stops planned for these last few days of driving. Tony rang us when we were near Lithgow so I pulled over and we all had a chat to him on his birthday. We kept going and turned off to find my friend's place - a friend from my BHP days. We parked the trailer in front of her shed, and then drove in to Bathurst to meet her at her daughter's school, which was having a Highland Gathering.
We found her watching the bagpipe display (her daughter was competing) and sat on the grass and watched that and the strong man competition. We were all hot and exhausted and I sent the kids to get themselves an ice block. Amelie accidentally got the wrong one so I sent her to get a 2nd one - it was hot and windy and it was much more bearable if we all felt happy. After their ice blocks the kids went for a walk to look at the games and rides. I stayed and talked with my friend for a while, it was so good to see her. She and her youngest son decided to go home for a while, so I went and found the kids and saw Caitlin and Liam competing by running attached to a bungee cord and trying to put blocks as far away from their starting point as they could. Caitlin's long arms and legs and speed made this a lot easier for her. Amelie got her face painted (a cat on one side of her face, it was really well done) and the others played some skill games (throwing or shooting balls at things). We had a bit more of a wander around and then discovered that the meat pies were half price as it was nearly the end of the day, so we had one each.
We headed back to my friend's place. I hadn't been to her house before, it was huge and spacious - she and her husband had designed and built it 15 years ago and I loved it. We had a bit of a look around, and went down to feed bread to the sheep and the very old (30 years) horse. Her boys were riding their motorbikes, and the 15 year old took Liam then Caitlin on a ride - they loved it. The kids played on the trampoline and the swing, and Caitlin helped feed the horse, then we went inside while my friend cooked dinner. We chatted and the kids played and we had a delicious lamb roast with her and her kids. We had ice cream and blueberries for dessert and then sat in the lounge for a cup of tea. It was relaxing and easy to be there and I'm so glad we detoured inland to see her.
The girls slept in the bunk beds in the youngest son's room (he slept in my friend's room) and Liam and I slept in single beds in the spare room. It was really dark once all the lights went out - no street lights this far out of town and they turned all the lights off before they went to bed.
Showing posts with label fear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fear. Show all posts
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Saturday, 3 March 2018
Brisbane Trip Day 13: Gold Coast
I woke early due to the curtains being open and the sun rising so early in Queensland. I had a nice long shower then spent some time on the computer. I woke the kids and we got ready for our day before going down to breakfast at 7.30. I had a 2 for 1 adults breakfast voucher so Caitlin ate for free, and the other kids cost $1 per year of age - which meant a full buffet breakfast for the 4 of us cost $51.50. The kids enjoyed it SO much (and so did I). We ate bacon, eggs in various forms, sausages, tomatoes, potatoes, waffles, pancakes, maple syrup, croissants, danishes, cinnamon rolls, cereal, yoghurt, fruit, juice, tea and coffee, and ice cream with topping (Caitlin and I didn't have any ice cream). Everyone ate as much as they could and it was all delicious.
Upstairs we finished getting ready then went to the car to drive to Movie World. We arrived just before 10am. We'd seen the DC Rivals HyperCoaster on Monday when we were at Wet n Wild, but looking at it up close from the Movie World Carpark made it look quite terrifying - and the thought that we COULD go on it today made it much more real. We sat and watched it and the Green Lantern coaster (which had several upside down bits and a drop that curved back in under itself) then realised we could scare ourselves out of doing anything if we stayed watching for too long so we headed in to the park.
There was a very excited vibe to the park and I was happy to be showing the kids somewhere I'd been before (although it had been over 20 years and most of the rides have changed). We wandered up the main street and found Green Arrow doing photo opportunities so Liam jumped in with him. The girls lined up for a photo with Wonder Woman but she finished before they got to the start of the line. We looked around for a shop to buy a refillable soft drink cup from - I'd promised the kids we'd get one today, but most places only had pink and we wanted black (a lady at Sea World yesterday had said Movie World had better colour choices, turns out we probably would have been better off getting the blue SeaWorld one and using it again today). Anyway, after checking in several places I finally was able to purchase a black cup. The kids were in the Looney Tunes kids area and went on the Sylvester Bounce and Pounce - a kids version of the ride that lifts you way up high and then drops you down fast. This one wasn't very high, and wasn't fast, just bounced the kids up and down for a while. They had fun. Caitlin was allowed on because she's 13 - I wasn't allowed on as an adult.
We all went then to the RoadRunner coaster. The guy let Caitlin sit with Amelie - he asked if she was 14 or over and she gave an affirmative kind of noise. Liam sat with me. The restraints covered both people in a seat, which meant that Liam and Amelie both had a huge gap between their legs and the bar, because Caitlin and I are so much bigger. Amelie said she wanted to get off, and the guy was really lovely about it. He talked to her about whether she'd prefer to sit with me and assured her she was safe, but she was adamant so he let her off and Liam moved to be with Caitlin which felt safer for him. The ride was fun - a little scary but not terrifying and I imagine a 2nd ride wouldn't be scary at all. Amelie waited for us and then went on the Carousel with Caitlin - she sat on Sylvester and was thrilled as he is her favourite Looney Tunes character. The kids all went on the Sylvester and Tweety Cages then had a look at the other kids rides while I talked to a lady who had just been on the DC Rivals HyperCoaster. She said it was terrifying and the drop was like no other drop she'd ever experienced. Her description was enough for me to decide I was definite NO for this ride.
We went to watch the Stunt Driving Show - it was very loud so a bit uncomfortable for Amelie but the show was fun. It was hot sitting there watching it - I'm glad the seats were in shade!
Seeing a 4D movie was high on everyone's priority lists so we went to the theatre for the next show. It was a road runner show and pretty fun, our seats moved around a lot and there were noises from all directions, sensations on our feet, and water sprayed on us. Amelie was worried she wouldn't be able to see properly and knelt on her seat, and was able to experience most of the effects.
Whenever we walked past a clothing store Caitlin had a quick browse as she wanted to buy some t-shirts. As we walked around the park there were often superheroes or Looney Tunes characters out offering photo opportunities or performing a little display, so we got many photos with various people as our paths crossed. Amelie went up to CatWoman who was draped on a car and had a little chat. CatWoman said 'Bye Cutie' as she left which was pretty thrilling. When Caitlin went over CatWoman told her she liked her hair (still in braids).
Caitlin and Liam went on the Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster (after seeing Batman pass by on the Batmobile) and Amelie and I went on the bumper cars. We met up with the others who both wanted to take me on the Spooky Coaster, and went back to the bumpers. The 4 of us had 3 or 4 more goes. Amelie had to sit with me but she drove (and I could reach the accelerator and help with the steering if she got stuck). She was pretty good at steering and avoided a lot of collisions which I think I would have become part of. Afterwards we watched the Doomsday Destroyer which performed in a similar way to the Pirate Ship at Australia's Wonderland, the one that went all the way over. I enjoyed watching it and was considering whether I could still do it. We had a play with a touch screen code cracking puzzle in Lex Luthor's van.
The big kids went to have a look at the shops again and Amelie explored Charlie's Chocolate Factory then she went on the Bounce and Pounce again. We headed down the other end of Main St to look at the scary rides and sat watching the Arkham Asylum Coaster for a while - a suspended roller coaster (I went on something similar (or the same one?) last time I was here, it was called Lethal Weapon then.) Everyone was hot and tired and we were going to head back for some lunch, then Liam and Caitlin decided to go on this coaster while we were there. They enjoyed it, Caitlin in particular - Liam found the harness didn't quite hold him in place so when the ride twisted or went upside down, he shifted in his seat a bit.
We went back and sat in the main tables in Main St, and Amelie got to give Sylvester a high-5 when he was getting ready for a photo shoot. We ate some lunch and got some more photos, saw Wonder Woman stop some robbers and CatWoman fight off 3 policemen. After we'd eaten some lunch we went and browsed the shops and Caitlin picked out and bought 3 t-shirts. We lined up then to watch the parade which was enjoyable. The kids were able to high-5 several of the superheroes or Looney Tunes characters as they walked back up Main St, and Marilyn Monroe came over to Amelie and said 'Would you like an ice cream Princess?' and gave her a Magnum. Thrilling for all of us!
Caitlin and I went back to the Scooby Spooky Coaster while the others went to the chocolate shop. Amelie filled a tube with sour powder and happily worked her way through that for the rest of the day. I was pretty nervous and I found it pretty scary - it was dark and I couldn't tell what was going to happen next. It actually helped that Liam had told me a bit about it so some things weren't as scary. At the moment all the special effects aren't working so it might even be scarier when they are in place - or maybe just more fun. I found the bit that wound from side to side quite scary - as we went around each sharp bend I leaned way out to the side and it felt like I was going to fall out. I screamed a lot and the guy behind me thought it was pretty funny.
We met up with the others and went to the HyperCoaster. Liam and Caitlin went and lined up and Amelie and I sat and watched and freaked out a bit at the thought of them being on it. The kids came back out after a while, very full of adrenaline and went straight back on it. They said it was really really scary on the first drop, and a bit on the second drop, then really fun. (It's a long coaster). Liam and I went back to the Scooby Coaster and this time I enjoyed it a bit more and screamed much less (still a lot by Liam's standards). Caitlin took Amelie on the Road Runner Coaster - she was ok with it but didn't like the track sloping sideways so much. Liam and Caitlin decided to go and try the Superman Coaster - I'd decided against it because it goes straight up. Amelie did the Bounce and Pounce again, then the Taxi Ride - she got to drive a taxi around a course, and because she was the only one there she had to keep getting out and moving to the first taxi in the queue each time she finished a circuit. She did 5 or 6 circuits then went to the Junior Driving Course. We walked through the Splash Zone to cool off a bit. We finished off on the Carousel, she sat on Sylvester again and I sat on a bench seat. The others came up as we finished - they'd loved Superman and said it was incredibly fast - faster than the JetSkis the day before. They'd also done the Green Lantern Coaster and enjoyed it, even the upside down bits. The kids were so excited that they'd been on all the roller coasters that were open.
We popped back into the chocolate shop and Liam bought some fudge, then into another store to buy some presents. We filled up our soft drink cup one more time (it had been great having that with us all day, cold drinks anytime we wanted them) and finally headed out to the carpark. Everyone was seriously exhausted and very very happy, it had been a fantastic day. I walked to the very far side of the carpark to try to get a photo of the DC Rivals coaster - I had to go that far to fit it all in one shot. The kids rang Tony to tell him about their great day, and we drove to a nearby shopping centre.
We popped in to Coles and bought roast beef and deli salads for lunch, and some pastries for breakfast tomorrow. The kids headed straight up to the room when we got back to the resort, and I followed a bit later after organising some things. On the way to the room I noticed people coming from the pool area - I checked and it was open! They had obviously finished their maintenance. We ate some of the beef and salads and put our swimmers on and excitedly headed down to the pool. It was a lovely temperature and a great place to swim. I taught Caitlin and Liam some tumbling tricks and we all swam around and enjoyed the refreshing swim. It was so great that we had got the discounted rate because the pool was closed, and then we still got to swim in the pool anyway! At 8pm there was a light and music show in the splash zone and the kids went and had a bit of a play and a dance. They wanted to try the sauna so we went and sat in there for a while and sweated a bit, then went back to the spa - a great way to finish off a very tiring day. We'd walked 38000 steps in 2 days - a big effort!
Back at the room we finished off our dinner and set up the beds, this time Amelie slept on the floor between the 2 beds, Liam had a bed to himself and I shared with Caitlin. The kids played briefly on their iPods and were all asleep by just after 9.
Upstairs we finished getting ready then went to the car to drive to Movie World. We arrived just before 10am. We'd seen the DC Rivals HyperCoaster on Monday when we were at Wet n Wild, but looking at it up close from the Movie World Carpark made it look quite terrifying - and the thought that we COULD go on it today made it much more real. We sat and watched it and the Green Lantern coaster (which had several upside down bits and a drop that curved back in under itself) then realised we could scare ourselves out of doing anything if we stayed watching for too long so we headed in to the park.
There was a very excited vibe to the park and I was happy to be showing the kids somewhere I'd been before (although it had been over 20 years and most of the rides have changed). We wandered up the main street and found Green Arrow doing photo opportunities so Liam jumped in with him. The girls lined up for a photo with Wonder Woman but she finished before they got to the start of the line. We looked around for a shop to buy a refillable soft drink cup from - I'd promised the kids we'd get one today, but most places only had pink and we wanted black (a lady at Sea World yesterday had said Movie World had better colour choices, turns out we probably would have been better off getting the blue SeaWorld one and using it again today). Anyway, after checking in several places I finally was able to purchase a black cup. The kids were in the Looney Tunes kids area and went on the Sylvester Bounce and Pounce - a kids version of the ride that lifts you way up high and then drops you down fast. This one wasn't very high, and wasn't fast, just bounced the kids up and down for a while. They had fun. Caitlin was allowed on because she's 13 - I wasn't allowed on as an adult.
We all went then to the RoadRunner coaster. The guy let Caitlin sit with Amelie - he asked if she was 14 or over and she gave an affirmative kind of noise. Liam sat with me. The restraints covered both people in a seat, which meant that Liam and Amelie both had a huge gap between their legs and the bar, because Caitlin and I are so much bigger. Amelie said she wanted to get off, and the guy was really lovely about it. He talked to her about whether she'd prefer to sit with me and assured her she was safe, but she was adamant so he let her off and Liam moved to be with Caitlin which felt safer for him. The ride was fun - a little scary but not terrifying and I imagine a 2nd ride wouldn't be scary at all. Amelie waited for us and then went on the Carousel with Caitlin - she sat on Sylvester and was thrilled as he is her favourite Looney Tunes character. The kids all went on the Sylvester and Tweety Cages then had a look at the other kids rides while I talked to a lady who had just been on the DC Rivals HyperCoaster. She said it was terrifying and the drop was like no other drop she'd ever experienced. Her description was enough for me to decide I was definite NO for this ride.
We went to watch the Stunt Driving Show - it was very loud so a bit uncomfortable for Amelie but the show was fun. It was hot sitting there watching it - I'm glad the seats were in shade!
Seeing a 4D movie was high on everyone's priority lists so we went to the theatre for the next show. It was a road runner show and pretty fun, our seats moved around a lot and there were noises from all directions, sensations on our feet, and water sprayed on us. Amelie was worried she wouldn't be able to see properly and knelt on her seat, and was able to experience most of the effects.
Whenever we walked past a clothing store Caitlin had a quick browse as she wanted to buy some t-shirts. As we walked around the park there were often superheroes or Looney Tunes characters out offering photo opportunities or performing a little display, so we got many photos with various people as our paths crossed. Amelie went up to CatWoman who was draped on a car and had a little chat. CatWoman said 'Bye Cutie' as she left which was pretty thrilling. When Caitlin went over CatWoman told her she liked her hair (still in braids).
Caitlin and Liam went on the Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster (after seeing Batman pass by on the Batmobile) and Amelie and I went on the bumper cars. We met up with the others who both wanted to take me on the Spooky Coaster, and went back to the bumpers. The 4 of us had 3 or 4 more goes. Amelie had to sit with me but she drove (and I could reach the accelerator and help with the steering if she got stuck). She was pretty good at steering and avoided a lot of collisions which I think I would have become part of. Afterwards we watched the Doomsday Destroyer which performed in a similar way to the Pirate Ship at Australia's Wonderland, the one that went all the way over. I enjoyed watching it and was considering whether I could still do it. We had a play with a touch screen code cracking puzzle in Lex Luthor's van.
The big kids went to have a look at the shops again and Amelie explored Charlie's Chocolate Factory then she went on the Bounce and Pounce again. We headed down the other end of Main St to look at the scary rides and sat watching the Arkham Asylum Coaster for a while - a suspended roller coaster (I went on something similar (or the same one?) last time I was here, it was called Lethal Weapon then.) Everyone was hot and tired and we were going to head back for some lunch, then Liam and Caitlin decided to go on this coaster while we were there. They enjoyed it, Caitlin in particular - Liam found the harness didn't quite hold him in place so when the ride twisted or went upside down, he shifted in his seat a bit.
We went back and sat in the main tables in Main St, and Amelie got to give Sylvester a high-5 when he was getting ready for a photo shoot. We ate some lunch and got some more photos, saw Wonder Woman stop some robbers and CatWoman fight off 3 policemen. After we'd eaten some lunch we went and browsed the shops and Caitlin picked out and bought 3 t-shirts. We lined up then to watch the parade which was enjoyable. The kids were able to high-5 several of the superheroes or Looney Tunes characters as they walked back up Main St, and Marilyn Monroe came over to Amelie and said 'Would you like an ice cream Princess?' and gave her a Magnum. Thrilling for all of us!
Caitlin and I went back to the Scooby Spooky Coaster while the others went to the chocolate shop. Amelie filled a tube with sour powder and happily worked her way through that for the rest of the day. I was pretty nervous and I found it pretty scary - it was dark and I couldn't tell what was going to happen next. It actually helped that Liam had told me a bit about it so some things weren't as scary. At the moment all the special effects aren't working so it might even be scarier when they are in place - or maybe just more fun. I found the bit that wound from side to side quite scary - as we went around each sharp bend I leaned way out to the side and it felt like I was going to fall out. I screamed a lot and the guy behind me thought it was pretty funny.
We met up with the others and went to the HyperCoaster. Liam and Caitlin went and lined up and Amelie and I sat and watched and freaked out a bit at the thought of them being on it. The kids came back out after a while, very full of adrenaline and went straight back on it. They said it was really really scary on the first drop, and a bit on the second drop, then really fun. (It's a long coaster). Liam and I went back to the Scooby Coaster and this time I enjoyed it a bit more and screamed much less (still a lot by Liam's standards). Caitlin took Amelie on the Road Runner Coaster - she was ok with it but didn't like the track sloping sideways so much. Liam and Caitlin decided to go and try the Superman Coaster - I'd decided against it because it goes straight up. Amelie did the Bounce and Pounce again, then the Taxi Ride - she got to drive a taxi around a course, and because she was the only one there she had to keep getting out and moving to the first taxi in the queue each time she finished a circuit. She did 5 or 6 circuits then went to the Junior Driving Course. We walked through the Splash Zone to cool off a bit. We finished off on the Carousel, she sat on Sylvester again and I sat on a bench seat. The others came up as we finished - they'd loved Superman and said it was incredibly fast - faster than the JetSkis the day before. They'd also done the Green Lantern Coaster and enjoyed it, even the upside down bits. The kids were so excited that they'd been on all the roller coasters that were open.
We popped back into the chocolate shop and Liam bought some fudge, then into another store to buy some presents. We filled up our soft drink cup one more time (it had been great having that with us all day, cold drinks anytime we wanted them) and finally headed out to the carpark. Everyone was seriously exhausted and very very happy, it had been a fantastic day. I walked to the very far side of the carpark to try to get a photo of the DC Rivals coaster - I had to go that far to fit it all in one shot. The kids rang Tony to tell him about their great day, and we drove to a nearby shopping centre.
We popped in to Coles and bought roast beef and deli salads for lunch, and some pastries for breakfast tomorrow. The kids headed straight up to the room when we got back to the resort, and I followed a bit later after organising some things. On the way to the room I noticed people coming from the pool area - I checked and it was open! They had obviously finished their maintenance. We ate some of the beef and salads and put our swimmers on and excitedly headed down to the pool. It was a lovely temperature and a great place to swim. I taught Caitlin and Liam some tumbling tricks and we all swam around and enjoyed the refreshing swim. It was so great that we had got the discounted rate because the pool was closed, and then we still got to swim in the pool anyway! At 8pm there was a light and music show in the splash zone and the kids went and had a bit of a play and a dance. They wanted to try the sauna so we went and sat in there for a while and sweated a bit, then went back to the spa - a great way to finish off a very tiring day. We'd walked 38000 steps in 2 days - a big effort!
Back at the room we finished off our dinner and set up the beds, this time Amelie slept on the floor between the 2 beds, Liam had a bed to himself and I shared with Caitlin. The kids played briefly on their iPods and were all asleep by just after 9.
Brisbane Trip Day 12: Gold Coast
We woke after a good sleep and started to get ready to go to SeaWorld. I was looking at the information we got when we checked in and discovered we were eligible for a Guest Only dolphin presentation, for which we needed to be at the Gift Shop by 8.45. We quickly finished breakfast and got ready and headed down to the foyer. The group was walked through into SeaWorld to the Affinity Dolphin Pool and we got to see a training session with the dolphins which was really interesting. We then walked back to the resort and lined up go into the theme park when it opened. I raced back to the car to get close-toed shoes for Liam and Amelie because there was one attraction that required shoes. I got back to the line in time for us to go in. We'd planned to catch the monorail from the resort but it wasn't running at the moment so we walked in.
We went first to the stingray pools, where we discovered that we could pat the rays if they swam near the edge of the pool. Amelie found it hard to reach them sometimes, and we promised her we could come back later to pat them after we'd done a few more things. The priority for everyone was seeing Mishka the polar bear cub, so we went there next. We saw 2 adult polar bears, then moved to the pen where Mishka was with her mum. She was incredibly cute and lots of fun to watch, playing with a large plastic container that was floating in the water. Her mum had ripped a little hole in the plastic so that Mishka could grab it with her mouth and she was trying to pull it out of the water. Both the cub and the mum also spent time eating fish frozen into blocks of ice.
As we walked to the Nikelodeon kids area, we saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come out for a photo opportunity which was pretty cool. Caitlin and Amelie went on a TMNT ride, then the 4 of us went on it (I sat with Liam). If we peddled our little planes they went higher, so it was fun and not at all scary. We then went on a bus ride which was like a mini pirate ship that rocked back and forwards, and also span on a fairly large, slow axis. We went from the kids rides through to the jet ski ride which Caitlin and Liam went on and said was fun. I wanted to try it so Caitlin took Amelie back to the kids rides and Liam and I went on - it was SO incredibly fast and I was quite scared. I screamed a lot. It didn't go high, just very fast around a turning track that also twisted a bit so at times we were sideways. It was fun but very intense (and I was happy with one ride, the speed was a bit much for me).
The ray pool was on the way to the dolphin show so we stopped in there again and patted some more rays. Amelie again had limited success - they had to come quite close to the surface for her to reach them and it didn't happen often. She was disappointed but then cheered by the idea of seeing the dolphin show.
We got a seat a fair way up in the stands. I was wondering if we'd find it a bit boring seeing as we'd seen 2 shows in Coffs and the training session this morning - but the show was great. The music helped to make it exciting, and the behaviours the dolphins displayed were impressive. Having a big crowd also made it more exciting. It was well presented (although a little sappy at times) and very very enjoyable. We all like the trainers being propelled forwards by the dolphins, we hadn't seen that before.
After the show we went to the battle boats - the kids lined up to go on a boat and I stayed on shore and shot the boats with water cannons. The kids were a little disappointed that they were on the far side of their boat so they couldn't shoot me or anyone else, although there were some targets to aim at that made cool water effects happen - but they were very hard to hit. I had fun squirting people and getting squirted by the boats. The kids still got wet, which Amelie wasn't thrilled about. There was quite a crowd there because so many people had just come out of the dolphin show, so we figured we'd try again later when there was less of a queue and the kids could be on the side where they could shoot the crowd.
The kids all had a big climb on the Sky Fortress - a large climbing play gym structure with lots of ladders, slides, bridges, net bridges etc. I joined them in there and had a go at walked across the high net bridges - it was very very very scary and I was very slow (the kids just ran across) - it was a great feeling to achieve it though. There was a harnessed climbing area too, but the kids needed to be completely dry to do that and we were still wet from the battle boats. We had some lunch to see if we would dry off enough in that time but were still damp so decided to come back later. While we were eating a pair of Asian kids asked me something which I couldn't understand. They were pointing to their backpack and I didn't know what they wanted. The older girl used the translator on her phone and the English version was 'Can you take a look at our backpack?' I still couldn't figure out what they wanted me to do, then they pointed at the Sky Fortress and I realised they wanted me to watch their stuff while they had a climb, which I was happy to do.
The big kids went for another ride on the JetSkis to try to dry off and met Amelie and I at Shark Bay. We had a pat of the sea cucumbers and sea stars and looked at some rays in the big pool. The Stunt Jetboat Show was about to start so we went up to the front of the park to watch that. I really love watching stunt driving and this was a good show. On the way there and back we saw more dolphins in different pools.
Caitlin and Liam had been keen all day to go on the Storm Coaster - the big roller coaster we'd seen on our way in. We headed there now and Amelie and I watched while they went on it. I had also been keen to go, but watching from the observation windows in a tunnel going over the ride scared me quite a bit - the initial drop looked fun but this later drop looked a bit steep for me. They went on it twice and loved it, and Amelie wanted to move on so I decided not to try it for now.
We went back to the Sky Climb via the ray pool, this time Amelie was able to pat some rays and she felt much happier. We were all splashed a bit so hoped we'd dry off enough to be able to climb. Amelie wanted to climb as well so I needed to do it too - she was in the height range that needed an adult to accompany them. The kids put their shoes on and I borrowed shoes from the desk , and we went and harnessed up. I was feeling pretty good about it and keen to give it a go. We walked up to the first level and Caitlin and Liam went off on their own way. Amelie walked across a ladder bridge and I followed her fairly easily. Then she walked across a plank and it took me quite some time to be brave enough to try that myself (I let 3 people go in front of me). There were ropes I could hang on to which helped - Amelie did it without the support ropes (because she couldn't reach them). Then we did some stepping stones which I also found a bit tricky. Amelie started to go up to the next level then reached a height where she was too scared so she came back down. She did one more crossing then it was time to come down. I made myself take a step or two out onto another ladder that I was really scared to do, then I came back and headed down myself. Caitlin and Liam climbed around on the 2nd level and had a great time. I gave the borrowed shoes back - and was allowed to keep the borrowed socks.
The queue on the Battle Boats was now non-existent so Caitlin and Liam had another go, while Amelie and I ran from cannon to cannon on the shore line and shot them as much as possible. We all got quite wet and it was a lot of fun.
The kids wanted to see a 3D movie, so we went to watch the Sponge Bob movie in the theatre - it was a lot of fun.
We headed back to Shark Bay, patted the rock pool creatures again, and went down to the underwater viewing area. The first window showed us lots of sharks and a turtle, a few rays and fish, and was pretty cool. The second window had many more fish, lots and lots of rays, including the Spotted Eagle Ray which is Amelie's favourite. There was a huge Queensland Grouper hiding under a rock (in plain sight) and lots of beautiful tropical fish, some sharks, so many rays. It was fascinating and we spent quite a bit of time watching.
I wanted to give the Storm Coaster a go so we went back over there. Amelie was in two minds and decided to just watch us. I was exceptionally scared and the closer I got to getting on the more sick and upset I felt. I sat with Caitlin and Liam sat with another boy. I had tears in my eyes and seriously considered asking them to stop even once I had the restraint down on my legs. Then the ride started and I felt quite a bit better straight away (things were out of my hands - I'm usually less anxious when there's nothing I can do!) Luckily the pull up to the top (the bit that often scares me the most because of the anticipation) was quite fast, and then there was a little dip and curve which I loved, then a long dip and curve which was fantastic, then the steep bit which was really scary because for a second we felt like we were free falling - I had my eyes shut tight for that bit - then a few more very fast ups and downs through water spray, and then it was over. I really loved it. I had screamed a lot and I was quite shaky when we got off, but really happy. When we got back to Amelie she said she wanted to have a go - she was within the height range as long as she sat with an adult. She sat with me and they put the restraints down - hers didn't quite touch her legs and her back wasn't against the seat back. We were both a bit concerned and it took me a while to catch the attendants attention to ask if she'd be OK. They said she was within safety standards and it would be fine. I asked if she'd move around too much and they assured us it would be fine. She decided she was OK so off we went. She seemed to like the first bit but got a bit scared and teary at the steep bit. I actually kept my eyes open this time. Amelie didn't really like the fast ups and downs towards the end, but was happy when she got off and said she enjoyed it. I was so impressed with her first big roller coaster effort!
Amelie had wanted to buy a SeaWorld towel that she'd been seeing all day, so we did that and then wandered back to see Mishka again - still cute and this time swimming around a bit. Her fur was so smooth when she came out of the water. She had completely deflated the plastic container she'd been playing with this morning.
We hadn't seen the Creatures of the Deep exhibit so walked up there - it was just large statues of deep sea creatures, not particularly exciting but cool to see. The big kids wanted to go on the Storm Coaster again, and Amelie was happy to not go back - they went ahead and she and I went to the ring toss game. She bought a large hat full of small rings - I reckon there were a couple of hundred in there and she and I tried to toss them over the neck of large glass bottles (which had small necks). It was really really hard, we had very many near misses but didn't get any rings on. She did get to keep the hat though, and it was a lot of fun, so money well spent. The big kids enjoyed their last ride (and the last run of the day) on the Storm Coaster, and got to see a one of the staff operate her last ever ride at SeaWorld and be part of the goodbyes for her.
We walked out via the rays again, and then up to the monorail station to catch it back to the resort - Amelie in particular was very keen to finally get on it. When it came in the driver got out and was on her radio, then came along and said that she wasn't allowed to take any more passengers because she'd already done extra trips that afternoon (it was a bit after 5 by now). Amelie was devastated - tired and hungry and so disappointed, so it was a long slow walk back to the Resort. In our room we collapsed on the beds and the kids put the TV on - more disappointment as Pokemon wasn't on as Amelie had expected. We ate some snacks and the kids played on iPods and had a good rest. I had a cold bath which was amazingly relaxing. For dinner we had cup-a-soup and cup-a-noodles. Easy and filling and tasty. We watched Friends and The Middle and ended off the day feeling tired but relaxed. Liam set up his camping mattress using the arm chair and two stools to make a little bed, which he thought might be more comfortable than the floor.
We went first to the stingray pools, where we discovered that we could pat the rays if they swam near the edge of the pool. Amelie found it hard to reach them sometimes, and we promised her we could come back later to pat them after we'd done a few more things. The priority for everyone was seeing Mishka the polar bear cub, so we went there next. We saw 2 adult polar bears, then moved to the pen where Mishka was with her mum. She was incredibly cute and lots of fun to watch, playing with a large plastic container that was floating in the water. Her mum had ripped a little hole in the plastic so that Mishka could grab it with her mouth and she was trying to pull it out of the water. Both the cub and the mum also spent time eating fish frozen into blocks of ice.
As we walked to the Nikelodeon kids area, we saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come out for a photo opportunity which was pretty cool. Caitlin and Amelie went on a TMNT ride, then the 4 of us went on it (I sat with Liam). If we peddled our little planes they went higher, so it was fun and not at all scary. We then went on a bus ride which was like a mini pirate ship that rocked back and forwards, and also span on a fairly large, slow axis. We went from the kids rides through to the jet ski ride which Caitlin and Liam went on and said was fun. I wanted to try it so Caitlin took Amelie back to the kids rides and Liam and I went on - it was SO incredibly fast and I was quite scared. I screamed a lot. It didn't go high, just very fast around a turning track that also twisted a bit so at times we were sideways. It was fun but very intense (and I was happy with one ride, the speed was a bit much for me).
The ray pool was on the way to the dolphin show so we stopped in there again and patted some more rays. Amelie again had limited success - they had to come quite close to the surface for her to reach them and it didn't happen often. She was disappointed but then cheered by the idea of seeing the dolphin show.
We got a seat a fair way up in the stands. I was wondering if we'd find it a bit boring seeing as we'd seen 2 shows in Coffs and the training session this morning - but the show was great. The music helped to make it exciting, and the behaviours the dolphins displayed were impressive. Having a big crowd also made it more exciting. It was well presented (although a little sappy at times) and very very enjoyable. We all like the trainers being propelled forwards by the dolphins, we hadn't seen that before.
After the show we went to the battle boats - the kids lined up to go on a boat and I stayed on shore and shot the boats with water cannons. The kids were a little disappointed that they were on the far side of their boat so they couldn't shoot me or anyone else, although there were some targets to aim at that made cool water effects happen - but they were very hard to hit. I had fun squirting people and getting squirted by the boats. The kids still got wet, which Amelie wasn't thrilled about. There was quite a crowd there because so many people had just come out of the dolphin show, so we figured we'd try again later when there was less of a queue and the kids could be on the side where they could shoot the crowd.
The kids all had a big climb on the Sky Fortress - a large climbing play gym structure with lots of ladders, slides, bridges, net bridges etc. I joined them in there and had a go at walked across the high net bridges - it was very very very scary and I was very slow (the kids just ran across) - it was a great feeling to achieve it though. There was a harnessed climbing area too, but the kids needed to be completely dry to do that and we were still wet from the battle boats. We had some lunch to see if we would dry off enough in that time but were still damp so decided to come back later. While we were eating a pair of Asian kids asked me something which I couldn't understand. They were pointing to their backpack and I didn't know what they wanted. The older girl used the translator on her phone and the English version was 'Can you take a look at our backpack?' I still couldn't figure out what they wanted me to do, then they pointed at the Sky Fortress and I realised they wanted me to watch their stuff while they had a climb, which I was happy to do.
The big kids went for another ride on the JetSkis to try to dry off and met Amelie and I at Shark Bay. We had a pat of the sea cucumbers and sea stars and looked at some rays in the big pool. The Stunt Jetboat Show was about to start so we went up to the front of the park to watch that. I really love watching stunt driving and this was a good show. On the way there and back we saw more dolphins in different pools.
Caitlin and Liam had been keen all day to go on the Storm Coaster - the big roller coaster we'd seen on our way in. We headed there now and Amelie and I watched while they went on it. I had also been keen to go, but watching from the observation windows in a tunnel going over the ride scared me quite a bit - the initial drop looked fun but this later drop looked a bit steep for me. They went on it twice and loved it, and Amelie wanted to move on so I decided not to try it for now.
We went back to the Sky Climb via the ray pool, this time Amelie was able to pat some rays and she felt much happier. We were all splashed a bit so hoped we'd dry off enough to be able to climb. Amelie wanted to climb as well so I needed to do it too - she was in the height range that needed an adult to accompany them. The kids put their shoes on and I borrowed shoes from the desk , and we went and harnessed up. I was feeling pretty good about it and keen to give it a go. We walked up to the first level and Caitlin and Liam went off on their own way. Amelie walked across a ladder bridge and I followed her fairly easily. Then she walked across a plank and it took me quite some time to be brave enough to try that myself (I let 3 people go in front of me). There were ropes I could hang on to which helped - Amelie did it without the support ropes (because she couldn't reach them). Then we did some stepping stones which I also found a bit tricky. Amelie started to go up to the next level then reached a height where she was too scared so she came back down. She did one more crossing then it was time to come down. I made myself take a step or two out onto another ladder that I was really scared to do, then I came back and headed down myself. Caitlin and Liam climbed around on the 2nd level and had a great time. I gave the borrowed shoes back - and was allowed to keep the borrowed socks.
The queue on the Battle Boats was now non-existent so Caitlin and Liam had another go, while Amelie and I ran from cannon to cannon on the shore line and shot them as much as possible. We all got quite wet and it was a lot of fun.
The kids wanted to see a 3D movie, so we went to watch the Sponge Bob movie in the theatre - it was a lot of fun.
We headed back to Shark Bay, patted the rock pool creatures again, and went down to the underwater viewing area. The first window showed us lots of sharks and a turtle, a few rays and fish, and was pretty cool. The second window had many more fish, lots and lots of rays, including the Spotted Eagle Ray which is Amelie's favourite. There was a huge Queensland Grouper hiding under a rock (in plain sight) and lots of beautiful tropical fish, some sharks, so many rays. It was fascinating and we spent quite a bit of time watching.
I wanted to give the Storm Coaster a go so we went back over there. Amelie was in two minds and decided to just watch us. I was exceptionally scared and the closer I got to getting on the more sick and upset I felt. I sat with Caitlin and Liam sat with another boy. I had tears in my eyes and seriously considered asking them to stop even once I had the restraint down on my legs. Then the ride started and I felt quite a bit better straight away (things were out of my hands - I'm usually less anxious when there's nothing I can do!) Luckily the pull up to the top (the bit that often scares me the most because of the anticipation) was quite fast, and then there was a little dip and curve which I loved, then a long dip and curve which was fantastic, then the steep bit which was really scary because for a second we felt like we were free falling - I had my eyes shut tight for that bit - then a few more very fast ups and downs through water spray, and then it was over. I really loved it. I had screamed a lot and I was quite shaky when we got off, but really happy. When we got back to Amelie she said she wanted to have a go - she was within the height range as long as she sat with an adult. She sat with me and they put the restraints down - hers didn't quite touch her legs and her back wasn't against the seat back. We were both a bit concerned and it took me a while to catch the attendants attention to ask if she'd be OK. They said she was within safety standards and it would be fine. I asked if she'd move around too much and they assured us it would be fine. She decided she was OK so off we went. She seemed to like the first bit but got a bit scared and teary at the steep bit. I actually kept my eyes open this time. Amelie didn't really like the fast ups and downs towards the end, but was happy when she got off and said she enjoyed it. I was so impressed with her first big roller coaster effort!
Amelie had wanted to buy a SeaWorld towel that she'd been seeing all day, so we did that and then wandered back to see Mishka again - still cute and this time swimming around a bit. Her fur was so smooth when she came out of the water. She had completely deflated the plastic container she'd been playing with this morning.
We hadn't seen the Creatures of the Deep exhibit so walked up there - it was just large statues of deep sea creatures, not particularly exciting but cool to see. The big kids wanted to go on the Storm Coaster again, and Amelie was happy to not go back - they went ahead and she and I went to the ring toss game. She bought a large hat full of small rings - I reckon there were a couple of hundred in there and she and I tried to toss them over the neck of large glass bottles (which had small necks). It was really really hard, we had very many near misses but didn't get any rings on. She did get to keep the hat though, and it was a lot of fun, so money well spent. The big kids enjoyed their last ride (and the last run of the day) on the Storm Coaster, and got to see a one of the staff operate her last ever ride at SeaWorld and be part of the goodbyes for her.
We walked out via the rays again, and then up to the monorail station to catch it back to the resort - Amelie in particular was very keen to finally get on it. When it came in the driver got out and was on her radio, then came along and said that she wasn't allowed to take any more passengers because she'd already done extra trips that afternoon (it was a bit after 5 by now). Amelie was devastated - tired and hungry and so disappointed, so it was a long slow walk back to the Resort. In our room we collapsed on the beds and the kids put the TV on - more disappointment as Pokemon wasn't on as Amelie had expected. We ate some snacks and the kids played on iPods and had a good rest. I had a cold bath which was amazingly relaxing. For dinner we had cup-a-soup and cup-a-noodles. Easy and filling and tasty. We watched Friends and The Middle and ended off the day feeling tired but relaxed. Liam set up his camping mattress using the arm chair and two stools to make a little bed, which he thought might be more comfortable than the floor.
Monday, 19 February 2018
Brisbane Trip Day 3: Newcastle
I was up first and headed out for a walk. I
ended up alongside the Swansea Channel, which was looking hazy and glowy in the
early morning sunlight. I sat at a table near the water and did some writing
then took some photos, and walked home feeling very happy and refreshed.
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| Swansea Channel |
We had a very lovely lazy morning at the
house. The older girls chatted and watched Netflix, Liam watched Dr Who, the
younger two played on the trampoline and in the pool in the back yard and with
their stuffed toys. The adults pottered around and did bits and pieces and
spent time reading and playing games. We had bacon and eggs for breakfast and
BLTs and party pies for lunch, it was all very relaxing and enjoyable.
After lunch I took the 3 oldest girls back
down to Blacksmiths beach. We swam in the corner near the breakwall where the
currents are not as strong. The waves were big, but not rough, they weren’t
dumping at all. We swam for nearly 2 hours and it was a lot of fun. I haven’t
swum in surf like that for a very long time and it was perfect.
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| Cousins at the beach |
When we got back I jumped in the pool with
the little girls, it was a great way to wash off all the salt and feel
refreshed. The bigger girls joined us after a while and then everyone went back
to hanging out and relaxing in their own way.
After dinner I took the 2 older cousins and
my 3 kids down to the jetty at Pelican. The 4 older kids immediately headed out
on to the jetty and jumped in – they jumped from the jetty itself and from the
top of the pylons. It wasn’t a big jump – only a couple of metres from the top
of the pylons, but it was fun. I decided to give it a go (just from the jetty)
and it took me a long time to work up the courage. I eventually jumped and I
did find it quite scary. Amelie jumped in after me – I was so impressed because
she was obviously very scared but had decided she wanted to do it. She took way
less time than me to work up to it. The current was quite strong so once in the
water we had to swim hard to the shore to avoid being taken under the jetty.
Amelie and I both jumped a second time then she’d had enough. I wanted to do it
a 3rd because it usually takes 3 times before I stop being terrified
– I was still nervous but this time I managed to keep my eyes open as I jumped!
After that I was happy to just take photos of the big kids as they jumped in
various combinations.
Back at the house we said goodbye to the
youngest cousin as she was going back to her Mum’s. I popped down to the shops
to get a few urgent supplies and we watched the Winter Olympics for a while.
The girls were allowed to stay up a little later than usual as we were here,
once they went to bed Caitlin and Liam watched a couple of shows on Netflix then
joined Amelie and I in the tent.
Thursday, 4 June 2015
King Valley Trip -> Day 3
We slept a little better the 2nd night even though it was still very cold. No one slept in for very long in the morning and we had crumpets and porridge and hot chocolate around the fire. Caitlin and LiAM and I went for a walk back along the river, as the light was better today - it had been cloudy all day Monday and this morning the sun was out - so Caitlin got to explore the river as well, and I took some better photos.
Once the air started to warm up a bit Caitlin was back in the water. I had been thinking about it the day before, and seeing as it was sunny and the fire was raging I decided to give it a try - I knew I'd be disappointed if I didn't get in the water at least once. Caitlin was very excited when she saw me coming in and happily gave me her kayak. The water was painfully cold, but sitting on the kayak wasn't too bad - until I got the shakes from cold and from fear of falling in, and I was wobbling a lot which increased my chances of falling in... I managed to calm down and stop wobbling and kayaked up and down our little area - I love kayaking and it's been a long time since I had a go, so it was very exciting and a lot of fun.
I didn't stay in long, and happily dried out in front of the fire. Millie wanted to go in again although in the end decided not to. LiAM and Caitlin were in and out all morning. Caitlin also did a bit of bike riding. The kids played on the river bank and around the fire and Tony and I played with them or relaxed or pottered around.
We put our bike rack on the car, then tried to put Tony's bike on but it was a bit tricky, and he didn't have a helmet with him, so we decided to leave the bikes home for today. We wanted to visit Bright (we'd driven through before, but not spent any time there). We set off in the early afternoon, and listened to a combination of Frozen and Saddle Club on the way. It was a clear afternoon so I suggested going up Mount Buffalo on the way - something I had wanted to do when we were in the area 6 years ago but the mountain was covered in smoke from burning off fires. Everyone agreed to the mountain detour, so I happily headed up the mountain once we got to Porepunkah. It was a 35km drive to the top of the mountain, and it was windy and a little scary at times - driving up we had the mountain rising steeply to our left, and dropping away sharply on the right. Even though it was across the other side of the road, knowing that drop was there had my heart rate elevated and my breathing quite shallow. LiAM didn't like it either. Thinking about driving back down made it worse! It was a long drive and Caitlin started to feel a little unwell, so we had windows down and everyone snuggled under their jackets for warmth, so that Caitlin could get a little fresh air. The views on the way up were impressive - some out across the valley, and others of rock formations on the mountain itself, or waterfalls, as well as a lake and some plains - it is a beautiful mountain. The last little bit of road (3km) was gravel with very tight hair pin bends - and we finally made it to the carpark at The Horn - the top of the mountain.
I had one strong moment of vertigo when I walked to the (well fenced) edge - I stepped back a bit and let my head adjust and then I was fine. Looking across the top of the mountain range was pretty cool. LiAM was happy to look at the view then wanted to go back - he wasn't a big fan of the height either. We wandered around at the end of the carpark for a while, then headed up the 1.5km track to the The Horn. It was steep in places and all up hill, Caitlin and LiAM and Tony charged ahead and Millie and I took our time. Great views on the way up as well as cool trees and rocks to check out in close up. The view from the top was a 360 degree view across the top of mountains. Definitely worth the drive and the climb. We could even see Mt Kosciuszko across in NSW. There was a distance marker there showing where all the mountains were and how far away they were - made everything seem much closer compared to the distance it would take to drive to them!
As we were ready to go back down we noticed some cloud coming in over the next ridge to the north west. By the time we were halfway down we were completely in the cloud - I love bushwalking in cloud and really concentrating on the details of the trees and rocks close to the path, it's just as spectacular as being able to see the view. The carpark was a bit spooky - looking over the edge into complete whiteness - very cool. We sat and had a picnic at the picnic table - and by the time we'd finished, the cloud had moved on, although was still in the valleys so we could see the tops of the mountains, and were looking down on the top of the cloud. Also very cool.
I decided to drive back down - I knew in theory that I would be able to do it, even though it scared me, and I wanted to tackle that fear. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, even the bits next to the drop off. I took it very slowly and felt much better once we were back on flat land, I'm pleased that I did it though.
We got to Bright around 4pm and went for a walk along the main street. We popped into the lolly shop at the end of the street and the kids each picked something to buy, we also got some mini marshmallows to use with bananas and chocolate in the fire. We walked down the other side of the street and stopped in the other lolly shop, the kids had ice creams and Tony and I had a coffee. Nice to sit in the warmth and have a treat all together. From there we walked down to the river where we found a great playground. It was dusk by this time, however the playground was well lit and there was enough light for us to see the river for a while. I left the others to finish playing and walked up to the supermarket to get some more supplies, Tony and the kids picked me up on the way through after getting some hot chips to eat on the way home (in case anyone fell asleep in the car before we had dinner).
We had run out of gas in the morning and hadn't been able to refill it in Bright (we were there too late in the day) so cooked our dinner on the fire - potatoes in foil in the coals, and some bacon and vegetables in the frypan. Delicious. Millie had fallen asleep in the car so we put her to bed in the tent. Caitlin and LiAM filled bananas will mini marshmallows and chocolate pieces and roasted them in foil in the coals - also delicious.
A very pleasant evening around the fire, then into the tent to read some more Eldest. It was cloudy by this stage and although it was still cold it wasn't quite so freezing. I'd also rearranged the bedding a little - Millie was no longer interested in sleeping in her sleeping bag on the floor, so I added her mattress to LiAM's bed, and I put a large piece of carpet (that we use to cover the trailer) under LiAM and Caitlin's beds which created quite a bit more warmth.
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| Morning on the river |
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| Autumn colours |
Once the air started to warm up a bit Caitlin was back in the water. I had been thinking about it the day before, and seeing as it was sunny and the fire was raging I decided to give it a try - I knew I'd be disappointed if I didn't get in the water at least once. Caitlin was very excited when she saw me coming in and happily gave me her kayak. The water was painfully cold, but sitting on the kayak wasn't too bad - until I got the shakes from cold and from fear of falling in, and I was wobbling a lot which increased my chances of falling in... I managed to calm down and stop wobbling and kayaked up and down our little area - I love kayaking and it's been a long time since I had a go, so it was very exciting and a lot of fun.
I didn't stay in long, and happily dried out in front of the fire. Millie wanted to go in again although in the end decided not to. LiAM and Caitlin were in and out all morning. Caitlin also did a bit of bike riding. The kids played on the river bank and around the fire and Tony and I played with them or relaxed or pottered around.
We put our bike rack on the car, then tried to put Tony's bike on but it was a bit tricky, and he didn't have a helmet with him, so we decided to leave the bikes home for today. We wanted to visit Bright (we'd driven through before, but not spent any time there). We set off in the early afternoon, and listened to a combination of Frozen and Saddle Club on the way. It was a clear afternoon so I suggested going up Mount Buffalo on the way - something I had wanted to do when we were in the area 6 years ago but the mountain was covered in smoke from burning off fires. Everyone agreed to the mountain detour, so I happily headed up the mountain once we got to Porepunkah. It was a 35km drive to the top of the mountain, and it was windy and a little scary at times - driving up we had the mountain rising steeply to our left, and dropping away sharply on the right. Even though it was across the other side of the road, knowing that drop was there had my heart rate elevated and my breathing quite shallow. LiAM didn't like it either. Thinking about driving back down made it worse! It was a long drive and Caitlin started to feel a little unwell, so we had windows down and everyone snuggled under their jackets for warmth, so that Caitlin could get a little fresh air. The views on the way up were impressive - some out across the valley, and others of rock formations on the mountain itself, or waterfalls, as well as a lake and some plains - it is a beautiful mountain. The last little bit of road (3km) was gravel with very tight hair pin bends - and we finally made it to the carpark at The Horn - the top of the mountain.
I had one strong moment of vertigo when I walked to the (well fenced) edge - I stepped back a bit and let my head adjust and then I was fine. Looking across the top of the mountain range was pretty cool. LiAM was happy to look at the view then wanted to go back - he wasn't a big fan of the height either. We wandered around at the end of the carpark for a while, then headed up the 1.5km track to the The Horn. It was steep in places and all up hill, Caitlin and LiAM and Tony charged ahead and Millie and I took our time. Great views on the way up as well as cool trees and rocks to check out in close up. The view from the top was a 360 degree view across the top of mountains. Definitely worth the drive and the climb. We could even see Mt Kosciuszko across in NSW. There was a distance marker there showing where all the mountains were and how far away they were - made everything seem much closer compared to the distance it would take to drive to them!
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| View from the carpark |
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| View from the top of The Horn (showing the windy road we'd come up) |
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| At the top of Mount Buffalo |
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| Cloud rolling in |
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| View from the carpark in the cloud |
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| View from the carpark once cloud moved on |
I decided to drive back down - I knew in theory that I would be able to do it, even though it scared me, and I wanted to tackle that fear. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, even the bits next to the drop off. I took it very slowly and felt much better once we were back on flat land, I'm pleased that I did it though.
We got to Bright around 4pm and went for a walk along the main street. We popped into the lolly shop at the end of the street and the kids each picked something to buy, we also got some mini marshmallows to use with bananas and chocolate in the fire. We walked down the other side of the street and stopped in the other lolly shop, the kids had ice creams and Tony and I had a coffee. Nice to sit in the warmth and have a treat all together. From there we walked down to the river where we found a great playground. It was dusk by this time, however the playground was well lit and there was enough light for us to see the river for a while. I left the others to finish playing and walked up to the supermarket to get some more supplies, Tony and the kids picked me up on the way through after getting some hot chips to eat on the way home (in case anyone fell asleep in the car before we had dinner).
We had run out of gas in the morning and hadn't been able to refill it in Bright (we were there too late in the day) so cooked our dinner on the fire - potatoes in foil in the coals, and some bacon and vegetables in the frypan. Delicious. Millie had fallen asleep in the car so we put her to bed in the tent. Caitlin and LiAM filled bananas will mini marshmallows and chocolate pieces and roasted them in foil in the coals - also delicious.
A very pleasant evening around the fire, then into the tent to read some more Eldest. It was cloudy by this stage and although it was still cold it wasn't quite so freezing. I'd also rearranged the bedding a little - Millie was no longer interested in sleeping in her sleeping bag on the floor, so I added her mattress to LiAM's bed, and I put a large piece of carpet (that we use to cover the trailer) under LiAM and Caitlin's beds which created quite a bit more warmth.
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