Overnight Adventures - Canberra for Kids? A Capital idea, and anything but cliched.

I was keen to get down to the Turner exhibition, so decided an overnight adventure to the Capital was in order. The Novotel had a great package that included the gallery tickets so off we went.

Canberra is an easy three hour drive from Sydney, so we were swooping into the hotel to grab our exhibition tickets and head straight of the see the works of Turner - the exhibition had a kids play room, so the time in the gallery was broken up, with a break for the kids mid-exhibition, where they could draw in real life or design art on the ipads.

Linking with #SaturdayCritters

We then hit the Australian National Botanic Gardens for a lazy afternoon stroll. The gardens are sprawling with rainforest gardens, bush walks and plenty of fauna to excite the little tourists. There is a Children's walk too, for young children to seek out answers to a botanical quiz. It was a great way to burn off some of that energy stored from the car trip, and with the sun beginning to go down, the lighting was lovely, casting shadows in the glorious fading sunlight. However, while our visit was fleeting, there is a coffee shop and information centre if you want to make a day of it.

As the temperature dropped, we headed back to the hotel to check in and change. While we've done many trips to Canberra, that usually involve the always enjoyable Questacon, I'd decided this time to investigate new sights to see, and had stumbled across an outdoor ice rink in the city for a winters festival. This was the highlight of the trip for the kids, and a reminder to me that it's always worth spending an hour or so before you go somewhere to investigate on the web what is on in the area.

The kids had a blast, and we all grinned like fools as the snow guns sprayed us with snow. My youngest was a natural, and is still talking of how much she loved ice skating. With kids spanning toddler to teen, it was great to have fun on everyone's level. It really had me grinning, grooving on ice to the music, under the twinkling lights. It was such a step out of our normal reality.

Fortunately we'd been advised to seek out the divine pizzas and other Italian delicacies at Bicicletta, well hidden in the Diamant Hotel, otherwise we would never have stumbled across it. In the arty suburb of New Acton, the food is great, and the children welcome. We had some calamari to nibble on then pizzas all round. It's a bustling restaurant for those in the know, so make a booking.

The next morning, we made an early morning visit to the National Arboretum. The 6 minute drive out there involved many complaints about not coming all this way to look at trees. However, we parked, and within a minute of discovering the giant slide, it was voted the best playground ever. The kids could have spent longer there, but the wind chill factor was destroying my bones, so I herded three reluctant children to the car. My insider tip, having been, is to go for breakfast - the restaurant has stunning views of the city, and the kids can then hit the playground.

The Aboretum has bonsai and discovery gardens, as well as huge cork forests, Himalayan Cedar forests and outdoor sculptures. The Village centre is funky architecture, and prompted one of my kids to comment "This is the coolest place in Canberra".


















Disaster then struck on our perfect trip, and as just as the discovery of the outdoor ice rink was for a lesson in a little planning, the converse is also true. We drove for an hour to ride the toboggan at Corin Forest and finally arrived, crossing black ice no less, only to learn that it was closed. I can't describe the disappointment of seeing the huge toboggan just out of our reach. I had read that it was open school holidays, but perhaps the ACT holidays had yet to begin. I rang when we got back into range (it was indeed a long way from the city!), but the recording merely said that they would be open the following day. So when driving somewhere remote, always ring to see if they are open (my new mantra). A hard lesson to learn, so I'm saving you the pain by sharing my stupidity.

It was a long and sullen drive back to Cockington Green, which I'd never been to & was very keen to see. The older kids, still disappointed from the wasted day, were not to thrilled with the miniature land. There is nothing more irritating than when you've paid a substantial sum in entry fees, to have unhappy, sullen kids ruin the experience. Then I saw it. The lure on their level of interest. I pointed out some star wars figures hidden in the country scene - then they were off on the scent of the quirky figures that sprinkle each display. Look carefully and there's someone out of place - the Stig? Death? They're there. My youngest, however, loved it from the minute we arrived, mainly for the train and the push button boats.  It's a quaint English attraction with a feel of yesteryear - yet hugely popular, with crowds proving the mass appeal.

Our 24 hours were up and it was time to make our way back to Sydney. While we had only been there overnight, it felt like we'd discovered a new aspect of Canberra. The Canberra outdoors, the Canberra with cool architecture, the Canberra where there's plenty of fun to be had.

I am hoping to return next holidays, to conquer this toboggan, but I've been instructed that I MUST call in advance.

Practicalities:

Bicicletta Restaurant http://www.bicicletta.com.au/

National Arboretum http://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/home

Corin Forest Recreational Park http://corin.com.au/

Australian National Botanic Gardens http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/index.html

Cockington Green http://www.cockingtongreen.com.au/

Related Articles:
Skate in the City  http://www.weekendnotes.com/skate-in-the-city-germa-place-civic/
National Arboretum http://www.weekendnotes.com/national-arboretum/

Linking this old post with #OurWorldTuesday #AwwMondays because seeing the kids when they were little does make my heart melt and I go Awww!