The wind was strong on the first night - I was surprised that it didn't scare me, I usually am uncomfortable with wind. It was loud though and at times I was awake listening to it and hoping that everyone's tents were safe. (All the homeschoolers were fine - one hire vehicle that some backpackers were staying in ended up with a large branch on it, but no one was injured).
The heavy wind continued for all of the next day, then eased overnight which was a relief to everyone - it had most of the adults feeling a bit jittery and exhausted, although it didn't slow the kids down.
I was pretty tired after our 5 weeks away and was happy to sit at our tent up the back of the camping area and chat to whoever wanted to come to see me. I spent much of the first couple of days talking with our friend who was camped with us, and with others who came up to see us. It was great to sit and relax and not have to think too much.
The kids were very happy off with their friends. Caitlin and the rest of the teens wandered around the camp, played games, went for walks, sat in the lounge area of the camp kitchen, took lots of photos of themselves and each other, played on the swing, and forged stronger friendships. Liam and his friends chatted a lot about fantasy games and stories, played tag games, explored the camp grounds, and occasionally played on their DSs. Amelie played mainly with a couple of girls camped near us, they played with pokemon, did roadworks on the path in front of the other girls' tent, played mini golf and ran around a lot.
Various people had fires at night which were great to sit around and chat (for the adults) and the kids came back and forth with marshmallows. The boys played games with torches of an evening. Amelie was quite tired each night and ready to go to bed reasonably early.
On the 3rd day our campsite friend packed up and headed home - his son (Liam's friend) stayed in his tent next to us for the rest of the camp. One of Caitlin's friend's dads also went home, and the friend moved into our tent. Another of Caitlin's friends had his swag next to our tent (his dad had stayed the first night), so we had quite a tribe of extras with us.
Each of the kids and their friends spent time hanging out at our campsite, as well as at other campsites and in the kitchen. At one point all the teens and most of Liam's friends were at our tent, and someone started massaging someone's shoulders, which quickly turned into a massage chain - I had a great massage from Caitlin's friend.
On the 3rd evening I walked up to the top of the nearby hill, it was great to see the view from there and watch the sun head towards the horizon. There were glimpses of the ocean, and views of the forest in all directions. I was also able to get enough mobile reception to catch up on messages that had been sent while I'd been at camp - although this brought me back to the real world a bit and reminded me that our trip was nearly over which felt a little less relaxing than camp.
The next day I went for a longer walk by myself to the lighthouse. The walk itself was along a wide path, mainly through open fields, and occasionally through the forest. It was a sunny afternoon and quite a pleasant walk, although longer than I'd expected. I stopped to look at a tiny graveyard my friend had told me about, with the graves of adults and children from lighthouse families who had died while stationed there. The view of the ocean from near the lighthouse was quite beautiful. On the way back I ran into Caitlin and her friends doing the same walk as me. When they came back they spent time up on the top of the hill watching the sunset and taking gorgeous photos.
I spent several hours each afternoon sitting at my tent chatting to friends and drinking cups of tea. The weather was sunny and warm and it was a very pleasant way to spend the time.
On the last night the wind picked up a bit again and it started raining. I got up and sorted out the potential for leaks. Packing up in the morning was tricky with the wind and rain coming on and off. The kids hung out with their friends and I chipped away and the packing up, and we were ready to go around the middle of the day. I was taking home two of the other kids so we had to pack the car and the trailer differently, it was pretty crowded but we got everything and everyone in. Throughout the morning we said goodbye to people as they headed off and we said bye to the last few families before we went as well.
We drove home via the Great Ocean Road which was beautiful, although very slow because of the frequent roadworks. Coming through the countryside before Geelong someone indicated to me that there was something wrong with my trailer - I stopped and checked and one of the straps across the back had come loose and was dragging on the ground. I tied it back together with cable ties and secured the carpet and trailer again.
We had a fairly easy trip around Melbourne, and we stopped at Bundoora to drop Caitlin's friend off with family. The rest of us kept going and arrived home in the evening. Very exciting to see Tony again after so long, and to see the dogs and cat.
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Saturday, 23 June 2018
Saturday, 31 March 2018
Brisbane Trip Day 34: Melbourne -> Bimbi Park
We all slept pretty well and were up in the morning to play with the kids and chat to my sister before getting ready to move on. I thought about unhitching and going to Aldi, then decided we'd just shop on the way. We left around 10.30 and headed through Melbourne, aiming for Colac. I noticed petrol was quite cheap but the service stations I saw were small and were going to be tricky to navigate with the trailer, so I decided to get top up after getting out of Melbourne.
We listened to Percy Jackson again and had a good run through Melbourne and out past Geelong. On the road to Colac we encountered roadworks and it became a very long trip along what is usually an easy, straight road. Eventually we arrived in Colac and stocked up on the groceries we would need for homeschool camp. While I was in the carpark I received a few phone calls and messages about Luna - she had been wandering overnight and had ended up with our neighbour, and another friend was looking for her to take her back to her place for a couple of days. I sorted that out as best I could, then went to get petrol, which was not cheap at all.
Heading out of Colac I was feeling a bit flustered as it was much later than I had hoped at this stage, and I followed a sign to The Great Ocean Road rather than following my GPS. I had planned to drive through Lavers Hill as this was the least windy road. We had been driving for a while, along a road that was pretty good, when I realised I had cut back across to the Skeynes Creek Road, which is the one I most wanted to avoid because of several hairpin bends and a steep descent to the ocean. By this stage it was too late to go back the other way so I decided to keep going and just take it easy. The wind was also quite strong and there were lots of small branches on the roads, which made driving a little more taxing.
The descent took a while (I took it slow) but it was manageable, and the tight turns were ok. I felt pretty good once I'd got to the bottom. There were great ocean views from time to time as we came down, and then we drove alongside the ocean for a while as we approached and left Apollo Bay. I was pretty tired by now and found the last little bit of the drive up to Cape Otway quite difficult. I drove fairly slow which was occasionally stressful when there were people behind me. As we drove down the Cape Otway road we came to more roadworks. While we were stopped, the lady with the Stop sign came along and pointed out some koalas to everybody, so most people got out of their cars to have a look. Back in the car we finally made it to Bimbi Park around 4pm.
I went to check in, and helped a friend negotiate the correct rate for her site (it defaulted to the base rate being for 2 adults, then added both children on to that price, rather than including the first child in the base rate). Caitlin wandered straight down to find her friends, and as I drove past the camp kitchen, Liam and Amelie jumped out to see friends as well. I drove down the back and found where I was camping with another friend, and he helped me get set up. Other friends were around as well and it was great to finally be there and get ready to relax for several days.
Once set up we wandered back to the kitchen for a quick meeting about the camp (mainly just asking us to be respectful of a visiting school group when they were praying), and saw a few more friends, then back to camp to finish getting organised - cook some dinner, have a cup of tea, chat with people as they wandered by. The kids were back and forth, playing with their friends and coming back to check in or eat every now and then. It was still very very windy which made things slightly less peaceful. I decided not to put my annex up until the wind died down, I did not want to spend all night worrying about it flying away. I chatted to my campsite friend until Amelie was ready for bed and then we went inside the tent, I read for a little while and then we tried to sleep and not get blown away.
We listened to Percy Jackson again and had a good run through Melbourne and out past Geelong. On the road to Colac we encountered roadworks and it became a very long trip along what is usually an easy, straight road. Eventually we arrived in Colac and stocked up on the groceries we would need for homeschool camp. While I was in the carpark I received a few phone calls and messages about Luna - she had been wandering overnight and had ended up with our neighbour, and another friend was looking for her to take her back to her place for a couple of days. I sorted that out as best I could, then went to get petrol, which was not cheap at all.
Heading out of Colac I was feeling a bit flustered as it was much later than I had hoped at this stage, and I followed a sign to The Great Ocean Road rather than following my GPS. I had planned to drive through Lavers Hill as this was the least windy road. We had been driving for a while, along a road that was pretty good, when I realised I had cut back across to the Skeynes Creek Road, which is the one I most wanted to avoid because of several hairpin bends and a steep descent to the ocean. By this stage it was too late to go back the other way so I decided to keep going and just take it easy. The wind was also quite strong and there were lots of small branches on the roads, which made driving a little more taxing.
The descent took a while (I took it slow) but it was manageable, and the tight turns were ok. I felt pretty good once I'd got to the bottom. There were great ocean views from time to time as we came down, and then we drove alongside the ocean for a while as we approached and left Apollo Bay. I was pretty tired by now and found the last little bit of the drive up to Cape Otway quite difficult. I drove fairly slow which was occasionally stressful when there were people behind me. As we drove down the Cape Otway road we came to more roadworks. While we were stopped, the lady with the Stop sign came along and pointed out some koalas to everybody, so most people got out of their cars to have a look. Back in the car we finally made it to Bimbi Park around 4pm.
I went to check in, and helped a friend negotiate the correct rate for her site (it defaulted to the base rate being for 2 adults, then added both children on to that price, rather than including the first child in the base rate). Caitlin wandered straight down to find her friends, and as I drove past the camp kitchen, Liam and Amelie jumped out to see friends as well. I drove down the back and found where I was camping with another friend, and he helped me get set up. Other friends were around as well and it was great to finally be there and get ready to relax for several days.
Once set up we wandered back to the kitchen for a quick meeting about the camp (mainly just asking us to be respectful of a visiting school group when they were praying), and saw a few more friends, then back to camp to finish getting organised - cook some dinner, have a cup of tea, chat with people as they wandered by. The kids were back and forth, playing with their friends and coming back to check in or eat every now and then. It was still very very windy which made things slightly less peaceful. I decided not to put my annex up until the wind died down, I did not want to spend all night worrying about it flying away. I chatted to my campsite friend until Amelie was ready for bed and then we went inside the tent, I read for a little while and then we tried to sleep and not get blown away.
Sunday, 13 November 2016
Ocean Grove Trip
I hadn't done much preparation for our camping trip (we've been quite busy lately, and I'd just spent the weekend in Sydney for my sister-in-laws 40th), so we packed our clothes the night before, I put the awning canvases and the tarps back on the trailer the night before, then we did the rest on the Tuesday morning before we left and were away by 11. We got petrol and came back for a few things we'd forgotten, then were properly on the way by 11.30.
I stopped just out of Geelong because I was feeling pretty tired. I had a snack and walked around a bit, then the kids got frozen slushies from Hungry Jacks and we bought some fruit and veg from a little shop at the roadhouse. We continued on and reached Ocean Grove a bit after 2.
3 of the other homeschooling families we were camping with were already there, and another family joined us each day then went home of a night (they only live half an hour away). I set up the tent while the kids played with their friends, then the kids all did the watermelon challenge - putting rubber bands around a watermelon until it explodes. The top of the melon cracked and popped open and it felt like a bit of a let down, so the kids kept putting rubber bands on even though we thought it probably wouldn't explode now that the pressure had been let out. They put a few more on and it suddenly exploded upwards, covering one of the girls completely in watermelon and hitting everyone else, and spreading many metres out from the blast zone. It was hilarious and a lot of fun.
The kids rode their bikes and played in the playground and after a while LiAM and another boy went over to the beach (his mum and I went too). They built a big wall with a hole behind it that they tried to keep filled with water, as the tide was coming in the waves were filling the hole and knocking down the wall and things became more challenging. It was cold and windy on the beach, quite grey. The boys had a lot of fun and came home a little bit wet and very happy. The boy's family went home after we got back, they were only staying the one night as they had things on for the rest of the week, so LiAM was a little disappointed that his friend had left, although we will see them again soon.
I went to the shops to get food for dinner, we had hotdogs for tea in the camp kitchen. The others were around too, getting their own dinner and we chatted and played. After tea Caitlin went for a walk to the beach with the older girls, and the rest of us went to bed and read for a while, Caitlin came in not long afterwards.
It was sprinkling in the morning and I hadn't put the annex up because I thought it wasn't going to rain. I moved things that I didn't want to get wet and went to the camp kitchen for my cup of tea. Gradually everyone else woke up and wandered to the kitchen and we had breakfast, the kids played games and we had a nice easy morning as the weather cleared up. There was more playing in the playground and lots of bike riding, then in the late morning we all headed over to the beach. It was sunny by now, but the wind was still pretty cold. 2 of the older kids went out surfing, and I went in the water with my 3 kids and Amelie's friend. It was very cold, and the 2 younger girls soon went back to play in the shallow waves at the edge. Caitlin, LiAM and I went out a lot further - it was shallow for a very long way and the waves weren't big, it was fairly easy surf to swim in, just really really cold. The kids had wetsuits on so they coped with it a bit better than me. Eventually I felt like my reflexes were getting a bit slower because I was so cold so I went back and sat on the sand in the sun to warm up. The kids played in the sand and after a while Caitlin went back in with the older kids and was able to go out further to where the water was a bit deeper (and it wasn't as rough there as I'd feared). They had a go at boogie boarding but the waves weren't quite right.
Amelie had had enough of the sand after a while so she went back to camp with some of the others. Her friend's mum had brought kites along, and LiAM and the other younger kids flew them on the beach for a while, the wind was strong and the kites flew really well. We wandered back to camp and had some lunch, the kids played in the playground and rode their bikes and the mums sat and chatted. In the afternoon we went strawberry picking at a local farm, the strawberries were fresh and delicious and it was a lot of fun. Afterwards LiAM sat with me and the other mums and dipped all his strawberries in cream - very enjoyable.
We all had dinner together that night, a few of us went to get roast chickens and hot chips, and we had a bit of salad and stuff too and we all ate in the camp kitchen together (it was really well equipped, and had lots of little tables and a great big table which fit most of us around it (there were 13 people altogether). After dinner Millie's friends went to bed, and once it got dark the rest of us walked over to the beach to see if we could see the Aurora Australis - it was supposed to be a good night for it but it was cloudy and so not possible to see anything. The kids had a play on the sand in the dark and it was cool to be there watching the surf and the night sky. When we got back Amelie and I wandered off soon afterwards, everyone else went back to the kitchen for a games night and played cards and other games until about midnight.
It was raining again in the morning, a bit more heavily this time, so again I had my cup of tea in the kitchen and the others wandered in one by one. We had breakfast then played Racing Demons, which the kids had learnt the night before. After a while we switched to playing Burn, and some of the others joined us. Amelie went to play with her friends in the playground, and everyone else played Burn for a few rounds (9 of us) which was a lot of fun.
By now it was midday and quite sunny again. We all went over to Barwon Heads to get ice-cream - it was delicious! We wandered around the shops for a while, while Millie and her friends went to the playground, then the rest of us met them there. The playground was right on the river, overlooking the bridge between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, a beautiful spot to play. Caitlin and LiAM explored the sandbanks in the river then LiAM and I walked back into town so he could buy something from the bakery.
The older kids wanted to go to the lolly shop in Ocean Grove, and Amelie chose to stay with her friends on the condition we could go to the lolly shop again tomorrow. Caitlin and LiAM selected their lollies and I grabbed a few too, then we headed back to camp (with one of the other boys in our car, he'd been with us all day). The mums sat and chatted again at our campsite while the kids rode their bikes and climbed trees, and when Amelie and the others came back they played in the playground. The others (except Amelie's friends) were leaving this afternoon so they finished packing up then we talked at the car while the big kids rode their ripsticks.
LiAM wasn't feeling well and had a nap and Caitlin crashed on the couch in the kitchen once everyone else had left. I cooked some dinner and the kids played, LiAM had a shower and then joined us as well. We had a relatively early night and read Harry Potter for a while.
It was sunny on our last morning so I went for a quick walk near the edge of the river then had my cup of tea at the tent. As the kids woke up they had breakfast then they went down to the kitchen to play cards while I packed up. Amelie's friend's Mum packed up as well, then she took all the kids down to the other playground while I finished off. We all met in the kitchen for lunch and then headed off. We drove over to Portarlington to the lolly shop there and met up with the family who'd been coming over each day. We bought our lollies then sat outside at a cafe with them in the warm sun and had the most magnificent milkshakes we've ever tasted. I reversed the trailer out of the tricky spot that I had parked in (feeling much more confident about my reversing now) and we headed to Geelong where we called in to see Amelie's friends again. The kids all had a wonderful afternoon playing with all their games and activities and I had more time to chat to their mum. We left around 6.30 which meant we missed the traffic on the Ring Road and had an easy trip home, arriving just after 8.30.
I stopped just out of Geelong because I was feeling pretty tired. I had a snack and walked around a bit, then the kids got frozen slushies from Hungry Jacks and we bought some fruit and veg from a little shop at the roadhouse. We continued on and reached Ocean Grove a bit after 2.
3 of the other homeschooling families we were camping with were already there, and another family joined us each day then went home of a night (they only live half an hour away). I set up the tent while the kids played with their friends, then the kids all did the watermelon challenge - putting rubber bands around a watermelon until it explodes. The top of the melon cracked and popped open and it felt like a bit of a let down, so the kids kept putting rubber bands on even though we thought it probably wouldn't explode now that the pressure had been let out. They put a few more on and it suddenly exploded upwards, covering one of the girls completely in watermelon and hitting everyone else, and spreading many metres out from the blast zone. It was hilarious and a lot of fun.
I went to the shops to get food for dinner, we had hotdogs for tea in the camp kitchen. The others were around too, getting their own dinner and we chatted and played. After tea Caitlin went for a walk to the beach with the older girls, and the rest of us went to bed and read for a while, Caitlin came in not long afterwards.
It was sprinkling in the morning and I hadn't put the annex up because I thought it wasn't going to rain. I moved things that I didn't want to get wet and went to the camp kitchen for my cup of tea. Gradually everyone else woke up and wandered to the kitchen and we had breakfast, the kids played games and we had a nice easy morning as the weather cleared up. There was more playing in the playground and lots of bike riding, then in the late morning we all headed over to the beach. It was sunny by now, but the wind was still pretty cold. 2 of the older kids went out surfing, and I went in the water with my 3 kids and Amelie's friend. It was very cold, and the 2 younger girls soon went back to play in the shallow waves at the edge. Caitlin, LiAM and I went out a lot further - it was shallow for a very long way and the waves weren't big, it was fairly easy surf to swim in, just really really cold. The kids had wetsuits on so they coped with it a bit better than me. Eventually I felt like my reflexes were getting a bit slower because I was so cold so I went back and sat on the sand in the sun to warm up. The kids played in the sand and after a while Caitlin went back in with the older kids and was able to go out further to where the water was a bit deeper (and it wasn't as rough there as I'd feared). They had a go at boogie boarding but the waves weren't quite right.
Amelie had had enough of the sand after a while so she went back to camp with some of the others. Her friend's mum had brought kites along, and LiAM and the other younger kids flew them on the beach for a while, the wind was strong and the kites flew really well. We wandered back to camp and had some lunch, the kids played in the playground and rode their bikes and the mums sat and chatted. In the afternoon we went strawberry picking at a local farm, the strawberries were fresh and delicious and it was a lot of fun. Afterwards LiAM sat with me and the other mums and dipped all his strawberries in cream - very enjoyable.
It was raining again in the morning, a bit more heavily this time, so again I had my cup of tea in the kitchen and the others wandered in one by one. We had breakfast then played Racing Demons, which the kids had learnt the night before. After a while we switched to playing Burn, and some of the others joined us. Amelie went to play with her friends in the playground, and everyone else played Burn for a few rounds (9 of us) which was a lot of fun.
By now it was midday and quite sunny again. We all went over to Barwon Heads to get ice-cream - it was delicious! We wandered around the shops for a while, while Millie and her friends went to the playground, then the rest of us met them there. The playground was right on the river, overlooking the bridge between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, a beautiful spot to play. Caitlin and LiAM explored the sandbanks in the river then LiAM and I walked back into town so he could buy something from the bakery.
The older kids wanted to go to the lolly shop in Ocean Grove, and Amelie chose to stay with her friends on the condition we could go to the lolly shop again tomorrow. Caitlin and LiAM selected their lollies and I grabbed a few too, then we headed back to camp (with one of the other boys in our car, he'd been with us all day). The mums sat and chatted again at our campsite while the kids rode their bikes and climbed trees, and when Amelie and the others came back they played in the playground. The others (except Amelie's friends) were leaving this afternoon so they finished packing up then we talked at the car while the big kids rode their ripsticks.
LiAM wasn't feeling well and had a nap and Caitlin crashed on the couch in the kitchen once everyone else had left. I cooked some dinner and the kids played, LiAM had a shower and then joined us as well. We had a relatively early night and read Harry Potter for a while.
It was sunny on our last morning so I went for a quick walk near the edge of the river then had my cup of tea at the tent. As the kids woke up they had breakfast then they went down to the kitchen to play cards while I packed up. Amelie's friend's Mum packed up as well, then she took all the kids down to the other playground while I finished off. We all met in the kitchen for lunch and then headed off. We drove over to Portarlington to the lolly shop there and met up with the family who'd been coming over each day. We bought our lollies then sat outside at a cafe with them in the warm sun and had the most magnificent milkshakes we've ever tasted. I reversed the trailer out of the tricky spot that I had parked in (feeling much more confident about my reversing now) and we headed to Geelong where we called in to see Amelie's friends again. The kids all had a wonderful afternoon playing with all their games and activities and I had more time to chat to their mum. We left around 6.30 which meant we missed the traffic on the Ring Road and had an easy trip home, arriving just after 8.30.
Saturday, 7 May 2016
Half-lap Day 5: Keith -> Hahndorf
The kids all slept well, I was awake for a
while listening to the very long, loud trains rattling past, and the noise of
the highway. We were all awake fairly early though, which meant we had time for
a leisurely breakfast and for Millie and I to have our showers, before
beginning to pack up. The kids explored the caravan park in between helping
with pack up. We’re getting more efficient as we figure out what order to do
things in and the best way to put everything in the car and trailer. We were on
the road again just before 11, our quickest getaway by far.
On the way we listened to Almost Super
again – it’s great to find a book that all 5 of us enjoy, and this is
definitely one of them. We also watched the terrain around us change a few
times – low flat bushes, and areas of wetlands as we passed the Coorong.
 |
| Our set up in the carpark at Monarto Zoo |
After a couple of hours we reached Monarto
Zoo, which we have reciprocal membership to as part of our Zoos Victoria
membership. So it was free for us to go in which saved us over $100. We packed
a bag with food and hats and sunscreen and in we went. As we were arriving in
the afternoon we decided to get straight on the safari bus (the kids checked out
the meerkats while we were waiting). We saw Przewalski horses and zebras and
bison and rhino
and other animals, before we hopped off to go and see the giraffe talk. The added bonus of this talk and feed was that there were zebras (Millie’s favourite) and they came up to feed off the ute, right underneath where Millie was standing. It’s the closest she’s ever been to a zebra and it was extremely exciting. We really got to see the detail of their stripes and how fluffy their ears were.
 |
| Our view of the zebras at the giraffe talk |
 |
| Waiting for the cheetah |
We had a bit of lunch (tuna and ham and
cheese and crackers) while we waited for the bus again, then got off at the
next stop so that we could hear the cheetah talk. This cheetah had been hand
raised and so the keeper was able to go in the enclosure with her. She said at
the start that the cheetah might not come up for us to see her ‘because she IS
a cat…’ She did come eventually and it was amazing to see her interacting with
the keeper, just like Winky at home. The talk was interesting and we all loved
watching her. At the end the keeper asked the kids (ours and one other family)
why they weren’t at school. Mine replied that they were homeschooled, and she
said that was great, and that coming to the zoo was a very educational way to
spend the day. She asked what they learned from her talk, and LiAM said ‘not
much’. After everyone stopped laughing I explained that the cheetah was his
favourite animal so he already knew most of what she had said, but that she had
confirmed his knowledge. She asked him to tell her something about cheetahs that
she’d missed, so he said that they have the black stripes below their eyes so
they can see better in the bright sun. She was impressed, and chatted to him a
bit about all the types of cats in Africa, and was even more impressed when he
said that hyenas are related to cats. She said that he could be a zookeeper one day with that amount of knowledge and interest.
 |
| Hand feeding a cheetah - how cool would that be! |
We raced back down to the bus and continued
on, seeing rhino, hyena, painted dogs (including puppies, who chased the bus as
it drove past) and lions. Back to the visitors centre where we watched the
meerkats for a while, then the kids spent some of their money in the gift shop
while Tony went back to the car to make us some hot drinks. Caitlin bought
jewellery, Millie a little Schleich fennec fox, and LiAM a plush snow leopard
and a Schleich hyena. It was a tough decision for the younger two with so much
to choose from, and balancing the idea of getting awesome animals with not
wanting to spend their holiday money too quickly. Everyone was happy with their
choices in the end (and LiAM’s snow leopard has not left his side since).
We continued on towards Adelaide, still
trying to figure out where to stay for the next couple of nights. We’d had a
couple of suggestions of free camps but I didn’t have enough internet signal to
download Wiki Camps and couldn’t find more information on them any other way,
so we looked at caravan parks. The prices were all within about $10 of each
other, with the Hahndorf Big 4 right in the middle of the price range, so we
decided to go with a bit of luxury for a few nights before heading north into
more unknown areas.
It was fun driving through Hahndorf and
remembering last time we were here (which was before Millie turned 1, I was
shocked to calculate that that means it’s 6 years since our South Australia
trip! I loved SA then and I’m excited to be back). We stopped for groceries and
then on to the Big 4 – the kids were very excited as we drove in and then more
so after they had explored and found a pool, mini golf, outdoor chess, a great
kitchen, nice toilets, and a games room.
Tony and I set up while they explored and
then had sausages on the BBQ for tea.
Caitlin and I put the annex up by ourselves while Tony cooked. After
we’d eaten we all went up to the games room and played air hockey (for
free!!!), ping pong and fusball (all free). It was so much fun. I got better at
fusball with a bit of practice – Tony is really good though so I was no match
for him. We went close at air hockey, one of the few physical things I have a
chance of beating him at. We each played the kids as well and they all did
well.
I came back down and set the beds up and we
put up the second wall on the annex so that if it rains (which is forecast) all
our stuff will stay dry. The kids were exhausted so I read to them for a while
then finished getting ready for bed myself.
Monday, 15 February 2016
Lorne Homeschool Camp 2016 - Day 1
I didn't sleep well the night before we left - I went to bed later than I'd like, and then as often happens I dreamt all night about getting ready and driving there and wondered how it was all going to work out. Once I was up in the morning though everything went smoothly. We didn't rush, all stayed calm and packed our clothes and the food and put it all in the trailer and car. The kids tried out their new camp beds in the lounge room before we packed them, everyone was quite excited about that!
We left around 12.40, a bit later than I'd hoped, still with plenty of time to get there and have a good afternoon. The trip down was quite uneventful, we counted horses and other animals and listened to music and chatted. The drive along the Great Ocean Road to Lorne was spectacular as always - and the kids had only seen it once before (4 1/2 years ago) on a cold, grey, rainy winters afternoon. This day the sea was a brilliant aqua, an incredible colour, and so so beautiful.
We arrived at the caravan park at 3.30 and went to set up our camper trailer. As we arrived we saw LiAM's friend K and were shown where his tent was, and as we drove to our site we saw some friends who we hadn't been sure were coming, so Caitlin was very excited. We could see other homeschoolers we vaguely knew, and other families who we assumed were also homeschoolers. As we were setting up, Caitlin's friend M arrived at our site. The girls helped for a little while and then I said they could go for a walk and see the beach etc. LiAM went with K to see his tent again. I finished setting up and M helped us with the camp beds (one of them takes a bit of strength to click into place) and then we all got into our swimmers and headed for the beach - just across the field from us.
The water was beautiful, not cold at all. Amelie mainly stayed on the sand and ran around for a while and started building a sand castle. Caitlin went in the water with M, and LiAM went in with K. They took their boogie boards in for a while, and then just swam without them.
The waves were only small (although slightly bigger than the previous 2 beaches we'd been to) and LiAM was quite comfortable with them. I had a bit of a swim then helped Amelie with her sand castle. Another little girl who we'd met once before came and helped us as well.
I chatted to some of the other mums while the kids swam and eventually I left Caitlin with M and the rest of us went back up to the tent. When Caitlin had finished all the girls went and had a shower (LiAM was already changed). We played near the tent for a while and once everyone was ready we walked over to the shops - there was a Foodworks across the road from the caravan park. On the way we discovered an ice dispenser which turned out to be much handier than having to buy bags of ice from the supermarket. We got milk and a few other supplies and more snacks, then back to the tent where I cooked pasta and cabana and a tomato/silverbeet sauce. LiAM grated some cheese for me, and then everyone was able to eat whichever bits they liked, and everyone ate a lot. M came and joined us after tea, and helped us eat the Chocolate Bavarian we'd bought - I hadn't had one since I was a kid, and had been meaning to introduce it to mine for a while - I was quite happy when LiAM spotted it in the freezer. After dessert Caitlin went for a walk with M (who is 16 so I was happy for Caitlin to be with her even when I wasn't around) and we got ready for bed. It took us a little while to get settled, lots of excitement with sleeping in new beds, then finally all into bed and crashed pretty quickly.
We left around 12.40, a bit later than I'd hoped, still with plenty of time to get there and have a good afternoon. The trip down was quite uneventful, we counted horses and other animals and listened to music and chatted. The drive along the Great Ocean Road to Lorne was spectacular as always - and the kids had only seen it once before (4 1/2 years ago) on a cold, grey, rainy winters afternoon. This day the sea was a brilliant aqua, an incredible colour, and so so beautiful.
We arrived at the caravan park at 3.30 and went to set up our camper trailer. As we arrived we saw LiAM's friend K and were shown where his tent was, and as we drove to our site we saw some friends who we hadn't been sure were coming, so Caitlin was very excited. We could see other homeschoolers we vaguely knew, and other families who we assumed were also homeschoolers. As we were setting up, Caitlin's friend M arrived at our site. The girls helped for a little while and then I said they could go for a walk and see the beach etc. LiAM went with K to see his tent again. I finished setting up and M helped us with the camp beds (one of them takes a bit of strength to click into place) and then we all got into our swimmers and headed for the beach - just across the field from us.
The water was beautiful, not cold at all. Amelie mainly stayed on the sand and ran around for a while and started building a sand castle. Caitlin went in the water with M, and LiAM went in with K. They took their boogie boards in for a while, and then just swam without them.
The waves were only small (although slightly bigger than the previous 2 beaches we'd been to) and LiAM was quite comfortable with them. I had a bit of a swim then helped Amelie with her sand castle. Another little girl who we'd met once before came and helped us as well.
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| Amelie working on her sandcastle |
I chatted to some of the other mums while the kids swam and eventually I left Caitlin with M and the rest of us went back up to the tent. When Caitlin had finished all the girls went and had a shower (LiAM was already changed). We played near the tent for a while and once everyone was ready we walked over to the shops - there was a Foodworks across the road from the caravan park. On the way we discovered an ice dispenser which turned out to be much handier than having to buy bags of ice from the supermarket. We got milk and a few other supplies and more snacks, then back to the tent where I cooked pasta and cabana and a tomato/silverbeet sauce. LiAM grated some cheese for me, and then everyone was able to eat whichever bits they liked, and everyone ate a lot. M came and joined us after tea, and helped us eat the Chocolate Bavarian we'd bought - I hadn't had one since I was a kid, and had been meaning to introduce it to mine for a while - I was quite happy when LiAM spotted it in the freezer. After dessert Caitlin went for a walk with M (who is 16 so I was happy for Caitlin to be with her even when I wasn't around) and we got ready for bed. It took us a little while to get settled, lots of excitement with sleeping in new beds, then finally all into bed and crashed pretty quickly.
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| Our campsite faced the Erskine River - this is the view from our site |
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