Snow Holiday Continued

So we packed up and left our lovely house in Jindabyne and hit the road.  Next stop: Canberra.  It was a dull, grey day when we got there and it stayed that way until we left.

We stopped in to see Julia but unfortunately she wasn't in.

 We met up with our friends Cimone and Darren and their kids Christian and Emma.  We had dinner at their local Club.  It was a great night.

Strike a pose!

 We found Canberra quite dull (sorry if there are any Canberra residents reading this).  It possibly could have been the weather and our crappy accommodation which caused our lukewarm response to Canberra.

Our next stop was much more convivial - Hunter Valley.  We got a great 2BRM apartment on a golf course.  We did a bit of sight seeing.  The highlights were the Chocolate Factory (wine tasting tours just don't work when you have 3 kids in tow) and dinner at a beer brewery, which had an open log fire, very cosy and lovely.

The Chocolate Shop - anticipation mounting...

... and - success!  Chocolate dipped strawbs and marshmallows, yummy yummy.

Checking out the vineywards

... and the function room / restaurant.

Check out the moosh on Ella.   Those cheeks were just made for squeezing.

It was very brisk at the vineyards so we did lots of horsing around to keep warm.

The potters barn brewery we went to for dinner was great.

 Back on the road again, this time on our way to Coffs Harbour.  We stopped at a few places off the highway .  We stopped at tea rooms which was a bit like stepping into the twilight zone.  It was in a tiny town and the shop sold everything from magazines, to postage stamps, to drill bits, to angle grinders,to Akubra hats, to kids toys, the list was endless.  We marvelled at the variety.  An old lady was running the shop and she made a mean cheese toasty for us for lunch and milkshakes for the kids.  She told us she was "new" to the area - she'd only been there 28 years. 

We also stopped at this river bank for a leg stretch and toilet break.  Liam and James attempted to scale this structure.

 ... while Zane and Ella looked on with some concern.



Here is a quintessentially Australian shot for you. 

We finally made it to Coffs and of course our first stop was a trip to the Big Banana.  Ella was very happy with the bag of banana lollies she got to hold.  The boys loved the toboggan ride they had there.

 Zane and Liam were a bit under the weather with the flu, so while they tried to get some rest in the afternoon, James, Ella and I went out exploring.  We visited an aquarium and a playground.  We did some people watching. 

Before we left Coffs we went to the yacht club for a great brekky before hitting the road again.  Here we are outside the Maccas in Grafton enjoying the sunshine. 

We passed a giant prawn along the way.

... before arriving at the Macadamia Castle, which was awesome!

James meeting the locals.

A spot of mini golf.

Ella was our caddy.

So that ends the tale of our epic journey.  Whilst we loved it (for the most part), we have decided the next holiday will involve a beach, a swimming pool, and not doing much of anything at all!  Fiji, here we come!!!

Snow Holiday

We made a snap decision last month to organise a snow holiday after hearing good reports about the snow at Thredbo and Perisher.  Zane got all misty eyed remembering his childhood driving holidays and decided that the only way to get there was to drive, so we could stop and "smell the roses" along the way....... what follows next is an account of our sometimes harrowing, but for the most part enjoyable, eight days, but first, here are some stats to whet your appetite for the adventure ahead!

Kilometres travelled:  3,100
McDonalds visits:  6
Dead kangaroos/wombats driven past:  25
Stops required to completely change Ella's nappy and outfit: too many to count!
Hotels stayed in: 5

We go away early on the Friday morning (3.30am) to try to beat the traffic and get a few hours under our belt while the kids were still sleepy, thus reducing the need for stops.  We got to Sydney by about 5pm and checked into our 2 bedroom apartment right on Manly beach.  Leigh had very kindly offered to have us stay but unfortunately Chloe was suffering from a case of suspected swine flu, so we decided to stay in an apartment just to be on the safe side.  Ironically, Zane and Liam ended up coming down with the flu anyway, and it was a doozy, lasting two solid weeks, and it really knocked them around.  Just goes to show the best laid plans can go awry! 

Anyhow, back to the holiday.  Leigh met us for breakfast on Saturday morning, while John completed a two hour run around Manly beach.  Apparently he was taking it easy due to an injury, he usually goes for longer than that!! 

Aunty Leigh meeting Ella for the first time.

No show without punch.

Ella was anxious to show Aunty Leigh all her party tricks - here she demonstrates jumping up and down while shrieking with delight (it's one of her favourite pastimes).

It was a beautiful day at Manly beach.

Uncle John's turn for a cuddle

Liam dusting off the cobwebs after his 14 hour car ride the day prior

James was quite excited to be out in the sunshine too.

Heading up to the Manly ferry.

After brekky, we took a walk along the beach and hopped on the ferry and headed over to Circular Quay.  It was just a glorious day on the water, with lots of people out enjoying the harbour one way or another, and we remarked on how lucky Liegh and John are to live in such a beautiful city.  Sydney has a great energy, and on a sunny day, there's no better place to be.  We wandered around the city and stopped at a great cafe for lunch, then headed back to our apartment.  We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the playgrounds along the promenade and then had a nice dinner at a local restaurant. 



It's almost impossible to get a good one of the five of us, here's the best of a bad bunch.

James and Ella have been having some delightful interactions and are really enjoying each other's company.  Ella can sit up all by herself now so she has suddenly become a lot more interested - and interesting!

The next day, Sunday, we headed off to our next stop, Jindabyne.


The landscape changes quite dramatically as you head further down the country. It goes from sub-tropical Queensland to rolling green hills and lots of cattle in New South Wales, gradually changing into brown, flat paddocks, much more desert-like. While there are difficult moments travelling such long distances with three kids under five, it is undeniably the best way to see our beautiful country. We stopped at some great pubs and tea rooms along the way, and met some characters that looked like they'd just stepped off the set of The Man from Snowy River.

We got into Lake Crackenback Resort at Jindabyne in the late afternoon. It is a resort set on 150 hectares right at the entrance to Kosciusko National Park. Our accommodation was perfect, a double storey house with loads of room and a roaring log fire to greet us on arrival. It was so nice we didn't want to leave it!

Heading up to Thredbo.  James was almost unbearably cute in his bib and brace pantsuit!!

Our first look at the mountain!

No time for pose for pictures, let's get sledding!!

We found a great spot called "Dead Man's Gap" for sledding.  While we were there it started snowing and the boys had a snowball fight, it was quite magical!

Me and Ella enjoying the snow

Here's the front view!



Back at our place



Snow angels!

Liam made this great snowman

Check out the foot of snow on top of this car!