Warrumbungle National Park

Back in early July we did a VERY  quick visit to the Warrumbungle National Park. A lot of the park was still closed due to the fires that recently devastated the area in January of this year.  We had intended to visit the park at that time but the fires obviously put our plans on hold.  It is a shame we did not see the park as it was but there was a beauty in the recovering landscape that was very inspiring all the same.

Regrowth is evident and in places the green growth frames the burnt areas in a reminder that nature is a cycle. This provided a lot to talk about with both children as we walked about and saw the evidence of the fires everywhere.

Siding Spring Observatory. This is a must see kind of place.  I was not sure what to expect but it was very child friendly with lots of hands on activities that made science fun.

You could stand on the scales to see what you would weigh on other planets.  I think I was about half a tonne on the sun but thankfully earth's gravity is different ;)

Then you could see what 1 litre of milk would weigh on different planets depending on their gravity.  Some were lighter and some you could not lift.  It was great and a wonderful way of demonstrating the concept.

Both children had fun and it was wonderful that there was so much for them to do so I was not having to tell them to not touch everything every two minutes like some places. 

The telescope was well worth the look too.

Whitegum Lookout was an easy walk that is sealed for ease of access.  This was a great walk to see the signs of the bush fire up close so that we could discuss it with the children.

Burbie Canyon was an easy 2 km return walk along a stream.  The children had fun walking (and running) along the track, scrambling and jumping the stream.

The lookout and Burbie Canyon walk were the only two walks open when we went.  I think more of the park is open now.  We will go back and camp one of these days so we can explore more of the tracks and the rock climbing too.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo - Part 2

Never mind the fact that these photos are from LAST school holidays and I am obviously so far behind in everything that I despair of EVER catching up; here are the rest of the zoo photos as promised in Part 1 some time ago...

My children are part monkey, they HAVE to climb on everything!  Thankfully the zoo caters for children such as mine and there are plenty of things for them to scramble on.

I love the zebras.  They are one of my favourite animals.  I love the distinctive stripes and the fact they are like fingerprints; all different.  I also think I like their similarity to horses.

We sat and watched the zebras standing in the warm sun for awhile before moving.  There was a baby foal that was very new but the mum was smart enough to have the foal in the middle of the big yard as far away from people as she could get.

More climbing...

This was a highlight.  The Galapagos Tortoises were under the heat lamps in the shed with the exception of this fellow.  He not only braved the chill but came over for a gentle pat.  The children loved it and it was very awe inspiring. 

Such wonderful animals with their wizened eyes.

There you go.  Given we visited way back in July this post has been a long time coming.  I have a lot of other things to catch up on too but I don't want to rush these things..!

Lightning Ridge

Further to our camping adventures mentioned in the last post, we also went to Lightning Ridge.  It was AMAZING.  So very different to anything I had seen before.

The bottle house.  The light inside from the sun shining through this glass would be amazing to live with.  I wonder how long it took to drink the beer in the bottles?  

In any given direction you would see either mounds taken from mines, shafts, or shacks.

A beer can house built in 1977.  I thought this was wonderful!

A Church knocked up for a film set.

And a castle made by Amigo.  It even has dungeons under that connect to this mine.

Part of me wants to live here.

I didn't find my own opal, but I bought some in a small pair of earrings :)

If you have small children there is still plenty of things to see and do, but don't go in Summer for a visit, it was already verging on too hot for my two smalls.

Capertee

Capertee is a VERY quiet little village on the Castlereagh Hwy between Mudgee and Lithgow in New South Wales.   Capertee Valley is the largest enclosed Valley in the Southern Hemisphere.

We had the butane burner to make a cup of coffee while the children played which was good as the only other option seemed to be the local pub.

There was a unisex toilet and a shaded table area as well as a small rainwater tank to wash hands when we finished.  Both children enjoyed this park and we did too.

Goulburn

 Goulburn is found in the Southern Tablelands of NSW, on the Hume Hwy almost adjacent to the turnoff to Canberra.  It is Australia's first inland city.

On the main street (Auburn Street) right in the CBD sits Belmore Park.

This is the perfect playground for children and one we often stop at when we are traveling south.

The train is a big hit with Blue, and Possum loves the swings and slides.  There are shade sails to protect the smalls and big shade trees where you can sit and have lunch.

There are also large grass areas, a fountain, a green house and clean toilets.

It really is a park for the whole family.

Just as important is the fact that Gloria Jeans is on the main street just opposite and there is a Vinnies just down a bit to the left on the far side of the main street as well.

Goulburn's other claim to fame is Rambo, the big Merino which pays tribute to the areas fine wool industry.

New Stuff

Blogtoberfest 2010 kicks off tomorrow and I am a bit excited about it.  I took part last year and while I did not quite manage to blog every day of October, I went close, I had fun, and I met new bloggers too.

There are a couple of new things here which I thought I would point out.  Maybe you already noticed? 

I have added some pages to the top of my blog: 
One for linking the Kid Craft activities that happen here, one to link Recipes I have shared and one as a Travel Tips place to review parks and child friendly places to stop and explore. 

I can't believe there is a book to help people travel with pets, but not children!  We are on the road a lot and it is always good to know if there is a good park ahead to plan good breaks for the kids.  There is nothing under that tab today, but tomorrow there will be!

Maybe you have a great park near you and would like to do a guest post? 

Let me know, it would be very welcome!