Ballarat Trip -> Day 1

Last year Caitlin's school had gone on a trip to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. She didn't go with them as it was in the middle of her acting season and she had so many other things going on - and I promised that I would take the kids to Ballarat during Vintage this year and we would go to Sovereign Hill ourselves. So with Tony on night shift and the school holidays only a week away we decided that this week was the time to go. And having our camper trailer made the whole trip a bit cheaper - and I was keen to see if I could manage a camping trip on my own with the kids.

I had planned to leave around lunch time or later, then Caitlin suggested on Saturday night that we try and get to Kryal Castle while we were in Ballarat - it's only open on weekends so we decided to leave home by 11 at the latest in order to get to the castle in time to really have a good look around (and to see the jousting which was on at 1.30). So we packed the car and the trailer and actually were on the road by 11 which was quite impressive. It was the first time I'd towed the trailer without the car having mechanical problems, and it was amazing how much less stressful it was. The trailer was still heavy, but it didn't feel hard to drive with it, and not having to worry about the car breaking down was a big relief.

The trip took 2 hours and was uneventful. We listened to 'Magnificat' by Marilyn Edwards and chatted about lots of stuff. We arrived at Kryal Castle at 1pm, in time to get our tickets, have a quick wander through the Dragon's Lair (we meant to come back to it but there were too many other cool things to do and we didn't get time), get some lunch from the bakery (hot dogs for the kids, a chicken schnitzel burger for me, and an all-day-refill cup with a picture of a knight on it for us all to share), and then head to the jousting arena. The jousting was exciting - one of my favourite bits of medieval knightly competition, and Caitlin was enthralled by the horses, and the other two loved it as well. There was a bit of comedy and drama involved as well, but I really really loved the jousting part. Afterwards Caitlin went to see a pantomime, while LiAM and Millie played giant chess and I sat in the sun. We topped up our drink then all went back to the arena for sword fighting - it was only a small group so I joined in as well. We all got foam swords and shields and had a number of different types of battles. Millie at first would only fight if she was right next to me, but she gained confidence as the battles went on and in the end she was the best defensive fighter. After a while Caitlin and I (and some others) went over to the Mangonel (like a catapult) and played with it for a bit. Caitlin went back to the sword fighting and I stayed and talked to the catapult guy about medieval weapons and battle strategies. I learnt a lot and also affirmed some of my own previous knowledge.

Jousting Demonstration

The sword fighting went for about an hour and the kids were happily exhausted by the end of it. From there we headed to the maze (via another drink refill). It was a stone maze and more like a labyrinth at first but then got a bit tricky towards the end - simple enough though that Millie could find her way through without wanting me to be with her. The kids had a bit of a play on a model horse and chariot, and sat in the big chair near the dragon in the foyer, then we headed off towards our caravan park.

Giant Chess

LiAM was the Prince on his team - they all had to protect him in this battle

The girls taking a break from the fighting

As I was checking in at Ballarat Goldfields Big 4, the kids ran off to jump on the jumping pillow. We'd stayed here with Mum 4 years ago when I was in Ballarat for an ABA conference, and Caitlin remembered where everything was. The guy checking me in changed the site he was going to put us in, and placed us right next to the jumping pillow instead - very thoughtful. I backed the trailer into place (a passing guy did help me but I think I could have done it myself - maybe not as elegantly though!) and then I couldn't get the trailer off the car! The guy from the site next to us helped me, then Caitlin and I set up the tent. It only took us about 25 minutes - it's getting easier every time, and there was very little stress involved this time. The kids explored the park - jumping pillow, lots of roads to ride scooters and the Ripstik on, tv room, games room, playground, and a pool. Once we were all set up we went for a swim - it had been a warm afternoon but it was pretty cold in the pool! Millie practised her swimming a bit and hung around with me, and Caitlin and LiAM played a game all over the pool. Millie and I got out and sat in the fading sunlight once we'd had enough, and eventually we all headed back to the tent and into warm dry clothes, then went into town to get groceries.

I cooked butter chicken for dinner while the kids played in the playground and rode scooters and played giant chess. We talked to some other people using the camp kitchen while we ate - they were here as part of a group and were playing Hand and Foot Canasta - a game I used to play a LOT when I was younger and hadn't thought of in a while - I might refresh my memory on the rules and show the kids how to play. We had ice cream and ice blocks for dessert, then back to the tent after I'd cleaned up. We set up our beds (me on the mattress, kids on thermarests on the floor) and I read Eldest until everyone was ready for sleep.

Queenscliff Trip

On Saturday we headed down to Queenscliff for 3 days away with Mum and Dad, and my sister and her family. On the way we stopped at Tony's cousin's house as we were thinking about buying their camper trailer (they have just upgraded to a caravan). We hadn't seen them for ages (nearly 2 years we think) so it was great to catch up and for the kids to play - LiAM was able to play Skylanders and the girls played on the swings and Millie set up a bit of a tea party for us. We set up the camper trailer and chatted about how and when to use it, and did decide to buy it - very very exciting, I've been wanting one for a few years and I'm thrilled to have one now!

We arrived at the house we were all sharing around 5.30 on Saturday afternoon. The others were already there and settled in. We explored the house and played with the baby and chatted to everyone and felt very relaxed and happy to be away for a few days. We had fish and chips for tea, then Tony and Dad and the kids and I headed down to the beach to see the sunset. Tony had thought we might see the sun set over the ocean because of the angle of the peninsula - and he was right. We arrived just in time to see it hit the ocean horizon and were able to watch it set - beautiful. The kids paddled in the edge of the water then started jumping the little waves, and eventually moved in as far as their knees and slightly bigger waves - they were all saturated and very happy by the time we headed home. The kids started a game of Monopoly back at the house and the adults played Monopoly, did puzzles, read books etc until we all went to bed. The kids and Tony let me sleep in the front room by myself on the sofa bed so that I could have a sleep-in the next morning - very much appreciated.

Sunday was a relaxing day with a leisurely breakfast, and then everyone in and out of the house doing various sight seeing things as the mood struck them. We had trips to the beach, to the shops, to the train station, in basically every combination of kids and adults. Tony and I had some time together browsing the shops, F & J were able to go out for lunch on their own, and the kids went out at various stages with different people, one, two or 3 at a time. Dad and I took the kids on a steam train ride which we all enjoyed immensely. We had a couple of trips to the beach each day - and discovered that at low tide, the beach where we'd watched the sunset turned into a series of rock pools which led to safe, calm water for swimming, and lots of chances to see sea stars, crabs, fish and heaps of plant life. With so many adults around it meant that usually each child could go home or go out when they wanted to, there was generally someone happy to help them out, and others could stay longer or not go out at all and it worked very well.

Monday was similar to the day before, lots of outings and lots of hanging around at the house. There was a great selection of games in the house - Monopoly, Uno Skip, Pictionary, which we played quite a bit. F had also brought along a trivia game which we played on Sunday night.

Tony left early on Monday to head back to work, and it was a bit weird not having him there - I kept waiting for him to wander out into the living area, I missed him quite a lot.

One of the highlights of the house for the kids was the spa bath. After each trip to the beach they returned home and jumped in the spa - a great way to warm up (the weather was a bit chilly at times) and relax and really feel indulged on our holiday.

My highlight of the weekend was an early morning (7am) walk to the beach alone, and a swim in the ocean. The tide was up but knowing where the rock ledges were meant I knew where the water would be safe - the swim bought back many memories of swimming in the ocean early in the morning (for a few years I did it every day). I felt so happy and excited and calm (all at once) in the water, it was an amazing start to the day. I walked home around the beach and headlands where there was only a tiny gap between the rocks and the water (tide was coming in) and got wet once - it felt like an exciting adventure trying to beat the waves around the headland.

On Tuesday morning we all packed up in a leisurely fashion. F & J left around 11am and the rest of us were ready to go around midday. Mum and Dad were coming home with us as Tony had taken their car on Monday. The 6 of us went down to the observation tower near the ferry terminal - LiAM had been keen to go to the top all weekend. The view from the top was fantastic, seeing the headlands on both sides of the bay and out to the ocean, and the bay and shoreline in all directions. From there we went back into town and got a big bag of lollies each from the lolly shop and a gelato from the gelato shop (we'd had an ice cream the day before from the Swedish ice cream shop), then headed towards home.

We stopped in Geelong for pizza for lunch and for me to pick up Caitlin's christmas present (a RipStik), and then again at Tony's cousin's to pick up the camper trailer to bring it home - I was a little nervous driving with a (very heavy) trailer in peak traffic, and down the hill at Christmas Hills, but it wasn't too difficult and I made it home happily without incident.

(I have photos to add, once my internet speed is faster and can actually hang in there long enough to get the photos uploaded...)