Out & About with Kids #52 Autumn 2017 by Out & About with kids

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OUT&ABOUT WITH KIDS

FAMILY | TRAVEL | HOLIDAY | LEISURE | ENTERTAINMENT

No.

THE 2017 AUSSIE AND KIWI SKI SEASON PLUS

AUTUMN 2017

RRP $7.95

Into the Outback

ISSUE 52 | AUTUMN 2017

Amber Poulton’s outback family adventure

Thailand

Oui Paris! Sue White’s guide to a baby friendly Paris

Teens in Taiwan

Why Taiwan is great for teens

Welcome back to the Whitsundays FA M I LY | T R AV E L | H O L I D AY | L E I S U R E | E N T E R T A I N M E N T

The Whitsunday Islands bounce back quickly in Cyclone Debbie’s wake

ISLANDS

Eco-friendly Hawaii • Cruisy Fiji • Cook Islands • Simply Solomons • Lord Howe Island

Discover Thainess on a homestay holiday

Macao

We search out Macao’s family hot spots

Snowy Mountain Meltdowns

Yumi Stynes shares her childhood snow experiences, good and bad

Holiday Parks

Our Autumn guide to camping

Welcome to a whole new world of family fun. Welcome to Aulani. This beachfront paradise, set on the white sandy shores of O‘ahu in Ko Olina, was created with families in mind, by the people who know families best – Disney. There’s so much for the whole family to do that’s included in the cost of your stay, from the supervised kid’s club to nightly entertainment, plus amazing water fun at the pools, lazy river, waterslides and special splash zones for little ones. Come discover the magic at Aulani – a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii.

Contact your Travel Agent to book your dream Disney holiday.

©Disney

Out & About with Kids Print & Digital outandaboutwithkids.com.au Publisher Elisa Elwin elisa@oawk.com.au 0413 770 550 Editor Deborah Dickson-Smith deborah@oawk.com.au Digital Content Manager Lisa Monk lisamonk@oawk.com.au Social Media Manager Holly O’Sullivan holly@oawk.com.au Contributors Marie Barbieri Deborah Dickson-Smith Elisa Elwin Carla Grossetti Julie Jones Simon Mallender Amber Poulton Monique Van Tulder Yumi Stynes Sue White

Art Director Jon Wolfgang Miller Advertising Enquiries: Wayne Stickle wayne@oawk.com.au Angela Chrisan angela@oawk.com.au Published by Elwin Media Pty Ltd ABN: 22 159 093 606

PO Box 4148, Balgowlah Heights NSW 2093 Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the editorials are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher and Out & About with Kids. Information provided was believed to be correct at the time of publication. Copyright © Out & About with Kids 2017 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. All reasonable efforts have been made to contact copyright holders. Out & About with Kids cannot accept unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If such items are sent to the magazine they will be returned.

ello to autumn… and hello from me, your new editor. So, who am I? Someone who loves travelling – especially with my kids. Once upon a time… (a long time ago) my first big trip with my first-born at four months old made me realise that travelling with kids was a whole different way of travelling. It has its challenges, but it’s incredibly rewarding and a great way to give your kids a better understanding of the world around them. My kids are all big kids now, in fact my youngest just turned 16, and they all love travelling. It doesn’t matter if it’s a trip to Paris, a cruise in Fiji or a camping trip to the Central Coast, if I suggest it, they’re in. My eldest even has her own travel blog (thatraveller.com) and as I write this, she’s exploring Flores and Komodo in Indonesia. And so, to this autumn issue of Out & About with Kids. We look at a few camping options as we head into the cooler months, check out the 2017 Aussie and Kiwi ski season, and our contributors share their stories in our Family Traveller section, exploring destinations as far afield as Paris, Macao, Taiwan, Thailand and the Solomon Islands. I’d love to hear your travel stories too – if you’ve been somewhere recently that you think our readers would be interested in, please email me at deborah@oawk.com.au Happy travels! Deborah

outandaboutwithkids.com.au

AUTUMN 2017 outandaboutwithkids.com.au

contents

COMMONWEALTH GAMES In less than a year, the 2018 Commonwealth Games will descend on the Gold Coast, the largest event to be staged in Australia in over a decade, bringing together over 6000 athletes from 70 nations. As the countdown begins, we look at some of our favourite Goldie attractions.

DID YOU KNOW…? Stay up to date with the latest family travel news in Australia and overseas, cruises, airlines and luxury holidays.

HOLIDAY PARKS Where to have fun in the Great Outdoors, Holiday Parks from Sydney’s Northern Beaches to Australia’s Red Centre and the Kimberley Coast.

SKI AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND It’s already snowing in the mountain resorts of Australia and New Zealand, so time to start planning your next family ski trip. What’s new and exciting for kids on the Aussie and Kiwi slopes? It’s all here in our roundup of downunder skiing, and Yumi Stynes reminisces about her own childhood ski holidays.

’s Bato n to Fo llo w th e Q ue en lt h Games th e Common wea

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d w hat to do Whe re to st ay an Is la nd s an d Fi ji in Hawai i, Co ok

ISLANDS As we hurtle towards the cold winter months, who isn’t thinking about a tropical island holiday? Take a look at what’s new and exciting in Hawaii, the Cook Islands and Fiji, and cruise the remote Lau Islands in Fiji.

FAMILY TRAVELLER Join our family contributors as they share their travel experiences with us. Carla Grossetti takes her boys to Sanctuary Cove, Sue White discovers that Paris is surprisingly baby-friendly, Elisa Elwin finds the simple life in the Solomon Islands and Marie Barbieri goes in search of everything that’s cool for kids in Macau.

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OUT & ABOUT WITH KIDS COLUMNS Families come in all shapes and sizes so we’ve asked a few specialist travel bloggers to share their travel tips. Sue White shares advice on travelling with toddlers, Julie Jones writes about accessible travel and Monique Van Tulder shares her own personal tips for luxury getaways.

Di sc over Ta iwan’s qu irk y at trac tio ns fo r kids

ia lis ts sh are O ur travel sp ec th ei r ho lid ay ti ps AUTUMN 2017 outandaboutwithkids.com.au

Lord Howe Island The Seven Peaks Walk on Lord Howe Island has just been added to the Great Walks of Australia collection, alongside iconic walks such as the Cradle Mountain Huts Walk, Larapinta Trek and Maria Island Walk. While this walk is a five-day adventure, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be tackled all at once, and Lord Howe has plenty of kid-friendly walks with panoramic views like this one from the top of Mt Eliza. Photo: Luke Hansen.

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THE JONESYS ARE HEADING OUTBACK

Professional adventurer and motivational speaker Justin ‘Jonesy’ Jones is about to challenge the family norm and embark on his biggest adventure yet, with partner Lauren and baby Morgan. The Sydney-siders, and their one year old daughter Morgan, will begin a family adventure of a lifetime in June, embarking on a three-month expedition in the Australian Outback. Travelling on foot, pulling carts that will carry their supplies AND daughter, ‘The Jonesys’ will walk some 1800 kilometres from the centre of Australia to the South Australian coastline, taking in a number of iconic Australian sights along the way including Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Lake Eyre and Lake Torrens. Where they can, they will walk off road and track and supplement their provisions with tucker hunted and gathered along the way. “Lauren and I each spent our 20s chasing our love of travel and adventure, and exploring the natural world,” said Justin, a professional adventurer known for kayaking from Australia to New Zealand and traversing Antarctica. “When we became parents, we found our desire for adventure didn’t dissipate – if anything it grew. Now it’s not just a matter of us wanting to continue to explore and connect with the world, but also wanting our daughter to have those same experiences.” Fuelled by their desire to be active, reconnect with

As a family, we value experiences over material possessions... we want to challenge that traditional concept of settling down. nature and have fun along the way, the Jonesys want to explore how new parents can continue to live a life of adventure once kids come along. “As a family, we value experiences over material possessions and so we want to see how we can challenge that traditional concept of getting married, having kids and settling down. How can we reconcile all of the challenges of parenting with being more deeply connected and fulfilled?” explained Lauren. “The great thing is that while we discover our ‘new norm’ we’ll have a fantastic family adventure and give Morgan a chance to explore her backyard and learn in the school of life.” The Jonesys will set off from near the Red Centre in late June, aiming to complete their journey in Port Augusta, South Australia at the end of September. They’ll be updating us along the way with guest posts on outandaboutwithkids.com.au and you can also follow their adventure via thejonesys.com or on social media with the handle @followthejonesys

ABOVE:

Justin ‘Jonesy’ Jones with partner Lauren and baby Morgan.

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EVERYTHING

GOLD IS NEW AGAIN The Goldie prepares for the 2018 Commonwealth Games

n less than a year, the 2018 Commonwealth Games descend on the Gold Coast, the largest event to be staged in Australia in over a decade, bringing together over 6000 athletes from 70 nations. Taking place over 12 days in and around this sun-drenched setting, state-of-the-art venues are now under construction for 18 sports and seven para-sports and tickets go on sale soon. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event to watch some of the world’s top athletes compete at a global level, and of course, enjoy everything the Gold Coast has to offer for families. Tickets to events are very reasonably priced, starting at $20 for adults and $10 for kids, so they are likely to sell fast, and some events, including the men’s and women’s para marathons, road cycling and sections of the triathlon, are free of charge. Accommodation will disappear quickly too, so it’s recommended families start looking at options sooner rather than later. And, as the countdown for the Games continues, here’s a few of our favourite family-friendly Gold Coast attractions to discover.

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2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

TOP TIPS: 1

Book now for budget accommodation at tourist parks including those at Broadwater, Tallebudgera Creek and Kirra to name a few. With traffic movement likely to be impacted, plan to cycle to key vantage points. There are plenty of bike-hire options along the Gold Coast. The competition events at venues in Coomera are just a short stroll to Movie World, Wet’n’Wild, Dreamworld and Whitewater World. Buy tickets for morning qualifying sessions then hit the fun parks in the afternoon.

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Ambassador and former champion sprint hurdler, Sally Pearson.

Meet the furry friends of Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is number one on our family list. Home to one of the world’s largest collections of native Australian wildlife, with a host of unique Australiana experiences like sheepshearing and indigenous dance performances. Meet the vets hard at work in Currumbin’s wildlife hospital, learn about crocodile behaviour or cruise around the sanctuary on a Segway tour. Older kids will love the TreeTop Challenge, with 11 zip-lines traversing the treetops, while younger ones will love the adventurous encounters with Blinky Bill & Friends. cws.org.au

Transform your reality at Holoverse Get a completely unique perspective on the Gold Coast as you fly above the skyscrapers of Surfers Paradise in the fantastical world of Holoverse. Venture into futuristic worlds and ancient civilisations, trek through the African jungle, dive deep beneath the ocean and transform into dragons as you battle it out in the sky. holoverse.com.au

Hone your game at KDV Sports What better way to prepare for the upcoming Commonwealth Games than at one of the Gold Coast’s newest sporting facilities? The $20 million KDV Sports complex is located alongside the main stadium in Carrara and has world-class golfing and tennis facilities. Have a putt on the 18-hole mini golf course or test out your swing on the driving range. There are kidsize tennis courts for those new to the game, full-size grass and clay courts as well as Padel courts (a unique mix between squash and tennis) now hugely popular in Europe. kdvsport.com

Help carry the Queen’s message to the Games The Commonwealth Games baton began its long journey from Buckingham Palace in March this year, and will reach the Games at the Opening Ceremony on 4 April 2018. More than 3800 baton carriers will be needed on the baton's journey around Australia, and nominations are now open. To be selected baton bearers must “represent

the spirit of the Commonwealth and inspire others to be great”. To nominate a baton bearer, visit the Commonwealth Games website: gc2018.com Thanks to a GPS tracker fitted inside, you can also watch the baton’s progress around the globe here: gc2018.com/qbr

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Did you know …? Aus tral ia’s Best Fam ily Road Trip Songs Planning a road trip with the kids? You might want to think about a sound track to take with you, one that keeps everyone happy – toddlers, tweens, teens and parents. Kinderling Kids radio has done the research for you, surveying over 1000 parents and asking them to pick their favourites. Over 5500 songs were submitted and here is the final Top 10 Road Trip Songs. 1. Let It Go – Idina Menzel 2. Happy – Pharrell Williams 3. Wheels on the Bus 4. Hello – Adele 5. Hot Potato – The Wiggles 6. Can’t Stop the Feeling – Justin Timberlake 7. Roar – Katy Perry 8. Land Down Under – Men at Work 9. How Far I’ll Go – Alessia Cara 10. Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars Says Kinderling Radio founder Evan Kaldor, “Family roadtrips are all about exploring new places together, using imaginative games to pass the time or conversations with your children that occur only while driving. We’ve put together a series of roadtrip mixtapes that are free to download and helpful through all stages of the roadtrip – the excitement of heading off, car karaoke for family singalongs and soothing sounds on the return journey home.” Listen to Kinderling live at kinderling.com.au or on DAB digital radio (search under ‘kids’). The mixtapes can be downloaded for free.

Behind the scenes at the Australian Institute of Sport Did you know you could take a guided tour of the Australian Institute of Sport? Resident athletes take guests on tours of the complex four times a day, and you can even challenge yourself in Sportex, an interactive sports exhibit set amongst a collection of Australian sporting memorabilia. Who knows, you might even see some of Australia’s elite athletes in training? Experienceais.com

AUTUMN 2017 outandaboutwithkids.com.au

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Montague Island Lighthouse Sleepovers Ever wondered what life was like for lighthouse keepers? You can get a pretty good idea with an overnight stay on Montague Island on the Eurobodalla coast. The island, home to New South Wales’ largest colony of fur seals, is also one of the largest little penguin breeding sites in Australia. In fact, you’ll find a wide variety of birds here, everything from peregrine falcons and crested terns to silver gulls and shearwaters. In the island’s small museum, you can learn about the island’s history as a lighthouse and more recent conservation efforts. Apart from the fascinating history of the lighthouse, there’s an even more intriguing story – the local indigenous dreamtime story of a mother and her two sons. Looking back towards the mainland from Montague Island you can’t help but feel like you’re being watched by the imposing Gulaga (Mount Dromedary). In this story, Gulaga’s youngest son Najanuga (Little Dromedary), stayed behind with his mother while his brother Baranguba (Montague Island) went out to sea on an adventure and never came home. Eurobodalla.com.au

Parrtjima – A Festival in Light

Alice Springs will host its second Annual Parrtjima – A Festival in Light from Friday 22 September to Sunday 1 October. The free public event is the first authentic Indigenous light festival of its kind and showcases the oldest continuous culture on earth through the newest technology, on a 300-million-year-old natural canvas. Created in partnership with local Aboriginal artists and art centres, the event aims to raise the profile of Aboriginal artists from Central Australia

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by sharing their outstanding work and rich culture with the world. Parrtjima (pronounced Par-CHee-ma) means ‘lighting up’ and conveys two meanings: physically illuminating an object with light and ‘lighting up’ as in to shed light and understanding on a subject. The 10-day event follows the outstanding success of the inaugural festival in 2016, which was attended by almost 16,000 people. ParrtjimaAustralia.com.au

Questacon goes Above and Beyond! Visit Questacon in Canberra and join the epic journey into the sky and beyond. Presented by Boeing in collaboration with NASA, Above and Beyond is the ultimate interactive and multisensory flight exhibition that invites you to experience what it takes to make the ‘impossible’ possible in and above the sky. Proudly supported by Media Partner Nine Canberra, Above and Beyond is open until 23 July 2017. Questacon.edu.au

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Sanctoo Villas open in Bali Zoo Bali Zoo recently opened its own accommodation, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not talking safari-style tents, these are luxury villas, each with its own plunge pool, 43-inch LCD television, 24-hour cable TV, Bose sound system and free high speed internet. All this, within five minuteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s walk from elephants, tigers, meerkats, Komodo dragons, to name a few animals within their care. The zoo has a couple of pretty unique dining options, including breakfast with orangutans and lunch with elephants at Gayo Restaurant. Most of the animals at the zoo have been rescued and now form part of a conservation and breeding program. The zoo has successfully bred and released several species so far, including Sunda porcupines and most recently Javan deers which were released onto Menjangan Island in the Bali Barat National Park, and is helping to raise awareness (and funds) in conjunction with the Saba Asri Foundation, a foundation responsible for the conservation of turtles. Bali-zoo.com

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World Expeditions builds new schools in Nepal World Expeditions will mark the anniversary of the Nepal earthquakes with a new school rebuild project in Nepal’s remote region of Gorkha, its fourth since the earthquake devastated the country on 25 April, 2015. People are invited to join an 18-day trip to the region which combines sightseeing in Kathmandu, an eightday trek and four days working with the locals to rebuild three new classrooms at the Shree Manjushree School in the remote village of Kashi Goan. The school, which was established in 1962 and has 365 students attending, was severely damaged during the earthquakes. To date, the World Expeditions Foundation, via the company’s Earthquake Appeal, has funded several teams of volunteer trekkers in the building of classrooms at three schools across Nepal. The newest addition to the company’s humanitarian rebuild projects is the most remote and participants may be lucky enough to see red panda, musk deer, bear or even leopard, as they pass through untouched traditional villages, in the Tamang and Gurung regions, on route to Kashi Goan. The 18-day Rebuild Nepal: Shree Manjushree Secondary School trek departs Kathmandu on 25 November and costs $2490 per person. worldexpeditions.com

Visit the world of Anne of Green Gables The Netflix adaptation of Anne of Green Gables launches in May, which is likely to inspire quite a few people to visit Prince Edward Island in Canada, where the best-selling book is set. The tiniest province in Canada, Prince Edward Island is a vital player in the storyline, every bit as important as Anne’s foster parents, Marilla and Matthew, and her special friends, Gilbert and Diana. Follow in her footsteps, discover Avonlea first hand, and find out just why Anne says, “Isn’t it wonderful that every day can be an adventure?” Visit Green Gables Heritage Place. Walk through the Victorian rooms that inspired the setting of Montgomery’s novel. Explore the ‘haunted woods’ and ‘Balsam Hollow’ described in the book and take a stroll through the barn, granary and woodshed, restored to the period style of the 1800s. Step back in time at Avonlea Village. Browse the shops just as Anne did in this real-life recreation of LM Montgomery’s fictional town in Cavendish. Get to know Lucy Maud. Visit Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birthplace where you’ll see a replica of the writer’s wedding dress and personal scrapbooks containing some of her stories and poems. Sing along! Head into Charlottetown’s Confederation Centre of the Arts and grab tickets to Anne of Green Gables – The Musical, the longest running musical in the world.

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Some moments stay with you.

‘‘

If you think the NT is all dry, you couldn’t be more wrong. Driving from Tennant Creek to Katherine, there are a number of amazing swimming spots. When the kids saw Mataranka Springs and learned a pool didn’t have to come with chlorine, to be crystal clear. That was a moment.

Mataranka Thermal Pool, Elsey National Park.

NorthernTerritory.com/TheHaydenWay

Courtesy Seaworld™ Parks & Entertainment

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How to see Amer ica’s top attraction s for half price

CityPASS Chicago Chicago CityPASS cost: $99.75 for adults (value $212); $84.75 for kids 3-11. Booklets are valid for nine consecutive days, starting with the first day of use. Includes: • Shedd Aquarium • Skydeck Chicago Fast Pass • The Field Museum • A choice between the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, OR 360 CHICAGO • A choice between Adler Planetarium OR Art Institute of Chicago

Dallas Dallas CityPASS Cost: $48 for adults (a value of $79); $32 for kids 3-12. Includes: • Perot Museum of Nature and Science • Reunion Tower GeO-Deck • A choice between The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza OR Dallas Zoo • A choice between Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden OR George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

New York City New York CityPASS booklets cost $122 for adults; $98 for youth 6-17. Includes: • The Empire State Building Experience • American Museum of Natural History • The Metropolitan Museum of Art • A choice between Top of the Rock OR

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Guggenheim Museum • A choice between Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island OR Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise • A choice between 9/11 Memorial & Museum OR Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

San Francisco San Francisco CityPASS booklets cost $89 for adults (value $152), $66 for kids 5-11. Includes: • 3-Day, Unlimited-Use Cable Car & Muni Bus Passport • California Academy of Sciences • Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise Adventure • Aquarium of the Bay • A choice between Exploratorium OR de Young Museum + Legion of Honor

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay CityPASS cost: $106 for adults (value $217); $96 for kids 3-9. Includes: • Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay • The Florida Aquarium • Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo • Clearwater Marine Aquarium • A choice between Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) OR Chihuly Collection presented by the Morean Arts Center

Southern California Southern California CityPASS admission cards cost $353 for adults (value $503); $324 for kids 3-9. Includes: • 3-Day Park Hopper® ticket to Disneyland Resort: unlimited back-and-forth access to both Disneyland® Park and Disney California Adventure® Park • One-day admission to SeaWorld® San Diego • One-day admission to LEGOLAND® California

CityPASS voucher booklets are available in a dozen cities across the United States, with savings of up to 50 per cent now available at some of the country’s most popular attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, LEGOLAND® California and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. (Prices in US$).

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Cowgirl Power in Fort Worth Did you know there was a museum in Fort Worth totally dedicated to cowgirls? The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is the only museum in the world dedicated to honouring the women of the Wild West, the trailblazers who displayed extraordinary courage and pioneer spirit as they headed west into the wild unknown. The museum was founded in 1975 and is located in the heart of Fort Worth’s Cultural District. The Museum’s Hall of Fame honours women such as Sacagawea, principal guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition, painter Georgia O’Keeffe, writer Laura Ingalls Wilder, sharpshooter Annie Oakley and U. S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. More information: cowgirl.net

great museums for kids in Dallas and Fort Worth

1. Kimbell Art Museum 2. Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 3. Fort Worth Museum of Science and History 4. Amon Carter Museum 5. George W. Bush Library and Museum 6. Perot Museum of Nature and Science. 7. Dallas Heritage Village. For more information on Dallas and Fort Worth, visit their Aussie Facebook page: Facebook.com/dallasfortworthAU

GATEWAY TO TEXAS AND THE SOUTH - RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THE USA

Experience Texas hospitality, great food and music plus some of the best museums and galleries in America.

VisitDallas.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.visitdallas.com www.fortworth.com

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FortWorth.com

top tips for healthy lunch boxes

Taking time out to have a nutritious lunch, especially during a busy school day, is super important. It helps to keep children’s energy levels up, keeps them focussed so that they can get the most out of their day. It’s always tempting to fill lunch boxes with unhealthy snack options, which children love to eat, but with a little forward planning it really can be easy to keep things healthy and tasty and ensure that at the end of the school day there is nothing left but crumbs.

Lunchbox tips:

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Create lunchboxes that include at least three of the five food groups: grains, vegetables, fruit, dairy and proteins. Avoid including high sugar drinks in their lunch box. Water it is the healthiest and most thirst quenching option. Replace high salt and high sugar processed snacks with fresh fruit or homemade dips with vegetable sticks. Save money by including local in season fruit and vegetables where possible.

Plan ahead and freeze or make small portions that can be included in lunchboxes – for example individual frittatas or savoury muffins. Get the kids involved with batch cooking for lunch box preparation. They will love the fact that they’ve contributed towards their meals – this can even help with fussy eaters. Making food from scratch means you control exactly what your children are eating and you are including the freshest ingredients.

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Have a budding young chef at home? The Good Foundation is a not-for-profit charity which aims to transform Australia’s food habits through advocacy and program delivery. They proudly deliver the Jamie’s Ministry of Food program throughout Australia. Jamie’s Ministry of Food offer a tailored 4 day, School Holiday program for children aged 12 -18. Head to jamiesministryoffood.com.au to find out more.

Your cool home base for the Nation’s Capital 69 Canberra Avenue Kingston ACT 2604 | easthotel.com.au

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Did you know …? Cruise

Cruise Fiji for half the price with Captain Cook Cruises Fiji. Take the family on a three, four, seven or 11-night Fiji island cruise and half the family pay half price, with Captain Cook Cruises Fiji’s ‘Family Fare 50% Off Sail’. The sale is valid for travel from 1 May 2017 to 31 March 2019 and on sale until 30 June 2017. All 3, 4, 7 and 11-night cruises are aboard the 130-passenger, newly refurbished MV Reef Endeavour small ship cruise vessel, able to discover parts of Fiji that larger ships cannot get to, so passengers are able to visit remote villages, churches and schools, take part in traditional village sevusevu ceremonies and Meke and Lovo Feasts. As well as being immersed in Fijian culture there is plenty of time for relaxing on warm white sandy beaches, swimming in crystal clear waters, snorkelling or glass bottom boating over amazing coral reefs. Kids 10 years and over can explore the underwater world with a Discover Scuba Dive operated by Viti Water Sports, Captain Cooks’ onboard PADI 5-Star Dive Centre.

A complimentary Kids Club is available for children 5-9 years, so while you’re relaxing, the kids can make new friends, have lots of fun and learn about Fijian culture. Kids Club operates between 9am and 12noon, 2pm and 5pm and from 6pm to 9pm. For further information and bookings visit captaincookcruisesfiji.com

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Learn how to dive on Royal Caribbea n ships

P&O expands its Pacific Partnership Program The P&O Pacific Partnership has raised over one million dollars from P&O passengers in only four years, and now plans to open two new projects to assist women and young children in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands, working in conjunction with Save the Children Australia. In PNG, where the maternal mortality rate is currently 30 times greater than Australia, there is a pressing need to improve health outcomes for expectant mothers. Donations collected by P&O will fund the Newborn Baby and Birthing Kits Project in PNG, which encourages mothers to have their babies delivered at health centres by helping to cover medical fees and providing essential supplies such as infant care items and mosquito nets to combat the transmission of malaria to newborn babies. In the Solomon Islands, P&O Cruises is now supporting the Solomons Early Childhood Development Project. Many children in the Solomon Islands do not have access to early childhood education and development services, and enter school underprepared, which can lead to longer term issues. In 2017, 11 P&O ships will visit PNG and the Solomons, and passengers are asked for a voluntary donation of one dollar each. From little things, big things grow.

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Royal Caribbean International has teamed up with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), with onboard PADI Five Star Dive Centres on 10 ships, including Explorer of the Seas, the 3800-guest mega-liner based in Sydney next Summer for, a range of South Pacific cruises. Passengers can choose from a 30 minute Try Dive (from US$29), a refresher course (US$59) or go the whole hog and enrol in PADI’s Open Water Diver course, with courses starting at US$599 per person. The course begins at home with an online course using either the PADI Touch app for mobile devices or PADI eLearning® online for computers – leaving more time for scuba diving while on holiday. Once on the high seas, divers will test the waters in the ship’s pool before heading out to complete the four mandatory,

open-water training dives in some of the world’s most spectacular underwater havens. The training dives are split among two different ports of call, allowing for maximum sightseeing throughout the cruise. Courses available on locallybased Explorer of the Seas this season include the Try Dive program, Reactivate Program as well as the PADI Scuba Diver program. Priced from just US$449, this course includes all the materials required for precruise knowledge development, a confined water session in the ship’s pool, equipment hire and two dives in picturesque Port Vila, in Vanuatu. For further information or to book a Royal Caribbean cruise, visit royalcaribbean.com.au, phone 1800 754 500 or see your local travel agent.

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Get ready Star Wars fans, next year the hugely popular Star Wars Day at Sea returns to Disney Cruise Line with 15 special Disney Fantasy sailings to the Caribbean from January through April. Star Wars Day at Sea takes you to a galaxy far, far away for a few adventures with characters from the Star Wars saga including a few Jedi, Wookies, droids and Stormtroopers during a day-long celebration. “The Force is stronger than ever on board Disney Fantasy, and we are excited to bring back Star Wars Day at Sea in 2018,” said Karl Holz, president of Disney Cruise Line. “The popularity of the event over the past two years inspired us to continue immersing our guests in the Star Wars galaxy. Everyone, from the youngest Padawan to the most knowledgeable Jedi Master, is invited to enjoy this event of galactic proportions and make memories that will last a lifetime.” The event features a full day of Star Wars celebrations including a spectacular deck party, with fireworks, encounters (and photo opps) with the galaxy’s most formidable and heroic characters, Star Wars-themed activities, unique food and beverage offerings and special merchandise. So, remember to pack your favourite Star Wars costume and prepare yourself for a bit of Jedi training, Star Wars-themed arts and crafts, Star Wars trivia games and a bit of binge-watching Star Wars films and television series. The grand finale features legendary Star Wars characters, pyrotechnics, stunts, special effects and a stunning fireworks display accompanied by John Williams’ iconic music. Departing Jan. 6, 20; Feb. 3, 17; March 3, 17, 31; and April 14, 2018, the western Caribbean itinerary includes Cozumel, Mexico; Falmouth, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, and Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay. Departing Jan. 13, 27; Feb. 10, 24; March 10, 24; and April 7, 2018, the eastern Caribbean itinerary includes Tortola, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay. Contact your local travel agent to book your dream Disney holiday.

©Disney. ©Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd. © &™ Lucasfilm

The Force returns to Disney Cruise Line

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So Solomons,

So Different ! INCORRECT SIZE?

Explore the hidden paradise of the South Pacific, an archipelago comprising a vast group of 992 breathtaking tropical islands. Feel the spirit of adventure and enjoy your own special piece of paradise - dive, fish, surf, hike, kayak or simply relax and discover a culture with a welcoming smile. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau PO Box 321, Mendana Avenue, Honiara, Solomon Islands call (677) 22442 or email info@sivb.com.sb

www.visitsolomons.com.sb

www.facebook.com/VisitSolomonIslands

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Did you know …? Flying with kids

H awai ia n Air lines says Alo h a to Moa n a Hawaiian Airlines continues to hold its position as one of the world’s most family-friendly, with its recent partnership with the Disney animated feature, Moana. The airline celebrates the spirit of ‘aloha’ with three aircraft now bearing Moana livery, and a range of Moanathemed amenities and Keiki entertainment packs for all kids on board. There will also be limited edition Moana gifts available including plush character sets, pouches, ear buds and cozy blankets available for purchase online or in-flight.

Hawaiian Airline’s Insider Tips for flying with kids. With years of experience (and children of their own), Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants have mastered the art of

travel and a can provide few tips for families. JETLAG. Encourage the kids to move their legs once you arrive at your destination. It resets blood flow and reduces swelling. Sleeping on the plane does not always work out, so if it’s an early flight, go to bed early the night before, and it’s a later flight, try to get the kids to nap beforehand. PACKING

Keep chargers, snacks, games, etc organised in different Ziploc bags. This makes for less clutter and protects against spills. Always pack snacks regardless of when your flight is. Don’t let your flight plans shift your family’s meal schedule. Try to keep everything as close to the normal routine as possible. NAVIGATING THE AIRPORT

ALWAYS allow extra time, particularly if you are not familiar with the airport. To survive a layover with little ones, most airport hotels have day rooms for a fraction of the nightly rate.

2000 Nannies for Etihad Airways Etihad Airways has celebrated the graduation of its 2000th Flying Nanny, all trained at Norland, the traditional UKbased college specialising in ‘early years’ education. The training program was devised by Norland specifically for Etihad Airways and provides cabin crew with expert skills to support families on long-haul flights. Flying Nannies were introduced by Etihad Airways in September 2013, providing an extra pair of hands for parents so they can get a bit more personal time on those long-haul flights. In September 2016, Etihad introduced a new Flying Nanny Kit as part of a new range of ‘Etihad Explorers’ children’s activity packs, to keep kids occupied while on board. The kit contains an extensive range of fun items including Origami, games, pom-poms, flight certificates, tools for magic tricks and face-painting, and a ‘Flying Nanny stamp of approval’ which the nanny can use to reward children during their inflight activities.

AUTUMN 2017 outandaboutwithkids.com.au

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Did you know …? Luxury

Lizard Island’s new Family Time deals If you feel the need for some tropical pampering this winter, Lizard Island may just be the place for you. During the July and September school holidays, the luxury resort welcomes families with younger children, where you relax while the littlies discover a new world and develop new skills. So, adults get to relax, maybe find a deserted beach to call yours for the day to enjoy a lunch on the sand and take in the view, or take a guided walk to see the nature, flora and fauna up close, and in between activities, indulge in a spa treatment at Essentia Day Spa to ensure you get the most from your Great Barrier Reef holiday. And the kids? Lizard Island is the perfect playground to understand and connect with the Australian eco-system. With a wide range of safe nature based activities from snorkelling lessons to pirate treasure hunts, rest-assured everyone in the family will be entertained. Book Lizard Island ‘Family Time’ package between now and 7 October 2017, a single room price starts from $2099 (twin share) plus $520 per child (aged between 6-12) per

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night when sharing with their parents for travel dates 2 – 16 July 2017 and 25 September – 08 October 2017. More information: lizardisland.com.au/special-offers.aspx

Centara Grand’s Family Discoveries packages

White Christmas guaranteed in Antarctica There are obviously still many sleeps to go until Christmas, maybe even enough to save up for the ultimate family Christmas present – a Christmas cruise to Antarctica. Abercrombie & Kent has introduced a new cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands & South Georgia on board the exclusively chartered super comfortable 199-passenger ship, Le Lyrial. The cruise includes daily Zodiac excursions which take in the extraordinary flora and fauna of Antarctica (penguins, whales and birds), and there are specially tailored hands-on activities and workshops for young travellers throughout the cruise including: research station visits; children-only Zodiac rides in search of ocean creatures in tidal pools; squid dissection; nature journaling; special bridge visits with the captain; penguin drawing; nautical knot tying; wildlife identification; making Japanese fish prints; photography lessons; and snowball fights on land. The journey features two Young Explorer leaders – dedicated educators and experts in engaging children’s creativity, who will share their knowledge and expertise with young travellers in an engaging and educational way during Zodiac trips, on shore excursions and aboard Le Lyrial. Children from as young as seven years old are welcome on board. The cruise runs from 12 to 28 December 2017. See abercrombiekent.com.au for more information.

Bangkok is a place of glittering temples and palaces, lively street markets, some of the best food in the world and… fabulous shopping. Set in the heart of Bangkok’s shopping district and connected to CentralWorld shopping and leisure centre, one of the biggest lifestyle complexes in Southeast Asia, Centara Grand is a great choice for families. Book a Family Discoveries package before December 2017, which comes with spacious accommodation for two adults and two kids in a Premium World Room, free buffet breakfast, discounted dining at all hotel restaurants and discounts on spa treatments at SPA Cenvaree. The deal also includes daily cookies and milk for children at turndown and welcome drinks for up to two adults and two children. More information: centarahotelsresorts.com/ featured-packages/family-holidays-to-thailand/

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Family Favourite: Pinetrees Lodge, Lord Howe Island Recently voted the No. 1 Hotel in Australia in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards, Pinetrees Lodge, on beautiful Lord Howe Island, is luxury with a difference. This is one of the oldest family businesses in Australia, now run by the 6th generation of the original family – Dani Rourke and her husband, Luke Hanson. While you’re staying here, you’ll very likely get to know them, and their two cheeky little girls: Elsie and Pixie Hanson – the seventh generation. Pinetrees first opened for business around 1895, accommodating guests travelling between Sydney and Norfolk Island. The first owner/manager, Mary Nichols, inherited the land from her father, who purchased it in 1848 for two tons of potatoes. The resort has come a long way since then, now with a range of accommodation choices, from one-bedroom suites to three bedroom cottages. Throughout the year, the resort now hosts a range of special events including a wellness week, ocean swim week, dive week and their Seven Peaks Walk is now the newest member of the exclusive Great Walks of Australia collective. And the food? Head chef Dennis Tierney, aka ‘The Stranded Chef’, cooks up fresh delights every day; “You will leave the island fat but fit”. Don’t miss the famous Fish Fry Up every Monday night. “Pinetrees has hosted families for over 100 years, and many people who came as children now bring their own children and grandchildren. High energy daytime activities combined with early kids’ dinners are some of our secrets to a happy family holiday, and we ensure that parents get a break from shopping, cooking and cleaning. You’ll need to book well in advance to confirm one of our family-friendly Garden Cottages,” explains Luke Hansen. More information: pinetrees.com.au

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WHY WE LOVE THE WHITSUNDAYS FOR KIDS

With over 70 islands scattered across the warm waters of the Coral Sea, and the Great Barrier Reef a short hop away, the Whitsunday Islands are one of Australia’s most idyllic getaway destinations. The year-round tropical climate is perfect for active families wanting to explore both above and below the water, and with a wide range of activities and accommodation, there’s something for everyone. Here are a few reasons to choose the Whitsundays for your next family holiday.

BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort Set across 26 acres of sub-tropical gardens in Airlie Beach is the award-winning BIG4 Adventure Whitsundays holiday park, with everything from unpowered campsites to powered caravan sites and luxury cabins. They have the largest resort pool in the area, a kids playground, tennis, mini golf, a jumping pillow, and a brand new water park. The water park has 13 slides of different heights and speeds which are geared towards kids (and adults) of all ages, together with water features for toddlers and a 30cm splash pool, coloured to reflect the kaleidoscope of corals in the Great Barrier Reef. There’s also an on-site Kids Club and outdoor movies screened during the school holidays. adventurewhitsunday.com.au

Cruise Whitsundays Reefsleep No trip to the Whitsundays is complete without time spent beneath the water’s surface exploring the Great Barrier Reef. 'Reefworld' is a permanently moored pontoon on one of its most beautiful stretches,

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Hardy Reef, and an ideal spot for fun and safe family snorkelling excursions. Better still, extend your day trip to a sleepover, and get some private time on the Reef once the day visitors head home. After an unforgettable sunset over the water, a whole range of nocturnal animals come out onto the Reef, including octopus, fire urchins and crayfish, which you can observe on a night dive, or opt instead for a spot of star gazing, with an incredible display of stars illuminating the night sky overhead. Bunk down in cosy swags for the night, then wake for a barbeque breakfast and morning snorkel before the day visitors arrive. NB: Minimum age 15. cruisewhitsundays. com/great-barrier-reef-experiences/reefsleep

Bowen One hour north-west from Airlie Beach is the historic town of Bowen, established in 1861 and one of Queensland’s undiscovered gems. Palm-fringed beaches line the coastline in places such as Horseshoe Bay, and there are some great coastal walks. It’s also the birthplace of the much-loved Kensington Pride mango. Stop at Le Sorelle Coffee House for the best coffee in the Whitsundays, then feast on freshly-caught fish and chips for dinner at the Birds Fish Bar, perfectly finished off with locally-made mango sorbet. To really explore all Bowen has to offer, spend a night

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or two at the beachfront Rose Bay Resort. One and two bedroom apartments are ideal for families. tourismbowen.com.au

BIG4 Adventure Whitsundays Resort

Where to eat at Airlie Beach

Find Nemo snorkelling with Cruise Whitsundays.

Seafood at Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach is a bit of a foodie haven, taste flavours from a different country every night, not to mention Queensland’s greatest selection of seafood, craft beer and fine rum. In downtown Airlie Beach, Fish D’vine is an awardwinning seafood restaurant and rum bar, famous for a relaxed atmosphere and fantastic seafood. Located at the Port of Airlie, Denman Cellars has a range of over 200 beers from around the world as well as a great tapas menu to nibble on. It’s a family favourite, with outdoors seating and plenty of room for kids to run around. The Fat Frog Beach Café is known for great coffee, and house-made meals, while the stunning location at Cannonvale Beach makes for the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the views and gentle sea breeze. A great place to catch a drink around sunset is the Whitsunday Sailing Club. You can also enjoy buffet dinner on the waterfront balcony known to have ‘the best view in Airlie Beach’. Find out more: tourismwhitsundays.com.au

Airlie Beach Lagoon Pool

Getting Around: Whitsundays 2 Everywhere Meeting every flight which arrives at the Whitsunday Coast Airport, Whitsundays 2 Everywhere offers airport transfers and charter services in and around the Whitsunday Coast area. whitsundaytransfers.com Cruise Whitsundays Cruise Whitsundays is an award-winning marine operator based in Airlie Beach, offering a range of day cruises and island resort connections. cruisewhitsundays.com

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MATT HAYDEN’S ULTIMATE TOP END FAMILY ADVENTURE Looking for the ultimate family adventure this school holidays? Former Aussie Test cricketer Matt Hayden reckons you should do Nature’s Way, a weeklong drive through the Northern Territory’s tropics. Matt, his wife, Kellie, and kids Grace, Joshua and Tom recently had a blast on the Mataranka to Darwin via Kakadu leg – and learnt heaps along the way. Here, Matt gives us a four-day snippet of their twoweek NT adventure, starting at Mataranka, just south of Katherine.

Day 1 Mataranka to Katherine It’s incredible that the outback is home to something like Mataranka – a natural thermal spring shaded by tropical foliage. It’s a magical stop to get wet and reenergised in the warm, turquoise water. After a beautiful feed of fresh fish at Mataranka

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Homestead, we drove up the road to Katherine, ready for a bush tucker dinner at Marksie’s Stockman’s Camp. Marksie is a true Territory character, and his stories had us all in stitches.

Day 2 Katherine Gorge to Kakadu Nitmiluk National Park is a must do. The gorge itself is one of life’s special experiences, especially early in the morning. We did the Nit Nit Dreaming sunrise cruise, drifting past amazing rock art in the dawn light. The kids absolutely loved it. We all had a ball at the Top Didj Indigenous cultural experience in Katherine. We tried painting, learnt how to light a fire and had a go at spear throwing. Fun AND educational! Katherine in the rear view mirror, we made for Kakadu – the jewel of the Top End.

Day 3 Kakadu After a wonderful night ‘glamping’ at Cooinda Lodge (the kids loved that!), we headed out to watch the sun rise and have a fish on a Yellow Water Billabong cruise. We saw enormous crocs, and with a third of Australia’s bird population right here – the bird song at dawn was incredible. Every family should do this. Later at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the girls loved making grass bracelets while the boys made traditional tucker – buffalo cooked the old way – in paperbark on the fire.

Day 4 Kakadu to Darwin What we came across on the drive to Adelaide River was incredible – buffalo, dingoes, brolgas and black cockatoos. The kids were so excited. We had to call in to the Purple Mango Café and Brewery at Marrakai for what locals say is the best pizza of the Top End. It was indeed sensational. The Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River was like nothing we’d ever done. We met the local crocodiles, including ‘Mr T’, who leapt from the water right in front of our eyes. What an amazing experience. The kids were in awe. We scooted up the highway to Darwin and then it was on to the world-famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets for dinner. Bits and pieces of the Top End come together at Mindil – and the cuisine at these markets is one of the city’s must-have experiences. The full Nature’s Way drive is a 735km loop starting and finishing in Darwin. It takes in World Heritagelisted Kakadu, Nitmiluk and Litchfield national parks and the wildlife, wetlands, gorges, waterfalls and waterholes that the Top End is famous for. Choose a bite-sized chunk or take a week and experience it all like the Haydens did. It’s a classroom without walls for kids, and the memories you’ll create together will last a lifetime. Visit northernterritory.com/ TheHaydenWay for Matt’s tips on how your family can Do It the Hayden Way this school holidays.

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FAMILY ACTIVITIES IN KAKADU NATIONAL PARK

Spot crocs and Kakadu’s hundreds of species of birds on a wildlife cruise on Yellow Water Billabong. Take a free guided walk through Kakadu’s rock art galleries and learn about the Indigenous art from park rangers.

Grab your camera and capture Australia’s oldest Aboriginal rock paintings at Nourlangie and Ubirr. Slip into the crystal-clear rock pools at Maguk, one of Kakadu’s many secluded, safe natural swimming spots. Wander through the Bowali Visitor Centre to learn about Kakadu’s habitats and the creatures that live there.

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CAIRNS | GREAT BARRIER REEF

Just 45 minutes from Cairns by Fast Cat, Fitzroy Island is nestled on a slice of tropical island paradise, positioned where the reef and rainforest collide. The 4 1/2 star resort is the ideal location for discovering the Great Barrier Reef, come for the day or stay overnight.

Ph: + 61 (07) 4044 6700 E: stay@fitzroyisland.com W: www.fitzroyisland.com

Family Fun Package

Enjoy some Family Fun on Fitzroy Island with 3 nights in a One or Two Bedroom Ocean Suite. Book online using promo code ‘KIDS20’.

One Bedroom sleeps 4 guests. Two Bedoom sleeps up to 6. Based on 2 Adults & 2 Children. Children are 13 years and under. Subject to availability. Valid until 31/07/17. Book via www.fitzroyisland.com using the promo code.

CAPE

TRIBULATION

All weather, All ages from 3-103!

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL!

CANOPY TOURS

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junglesurfing.com.au

HOLIDAY PARKS Autumn is a great time to go camping, as the days get cooler, nothing beats sitting around a campfire.

contents 38 AMBER POULTON

Country singer Amber Poulton takes her family on a big adventure through the Northern Territory and the Kimberley Coast.

44 SYDNEY'S BEST CAMPING

Our guide to the best places to camp in Sydney and surrounds.

46 CROWN HOLIDAY PARKS

The cooler months bring cool camping deals at NSW Crown Holiday Parks.

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Did you know …? Camping and Holiday Parks

Camping in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie –

is everybody ready?

Tropical Cyclone Debbie and the wild storms that followed left a path of destruction in her wake across southern Queensland and northern NSW, so it’s not surprising that many families are wondering if it’s safe to book holidays yet. BIG4 Holiday Parks is keen to let everyone know that most of their properties in Queensland and northern NSW are open for business, including six in the region where the cyclone made landfall and a number affected by flood conditions as the storm travelled south through northern NSW. Unless otherwise stated here, all BIG4 parks in South East Queensland, the wider Rockhampton area, and northern NSW are trading as normal and are open for bookings.

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Queensland Status Update From north to south, these affected parks have reported the following status updates as at time of publishing: • BIG4 Adventure Whitsundays Resort (Airlie Beach) – Opens again 18 April • BIG4 Airlie Cove Resort and Caravan Park – Closed until further notice • BIG4 Capricorn Palms Holiday Village (Yeppoon) – Open • Discovery Parks – Rockhampton – Open BIG4 recommends checking Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and Queensland Government Disaster Management information for local road closures and conditions before travelling.

Northern NSW Status Update While all BIG4 parks in Northern NSW are open for business, BIG4 recommends checking myroadinfo.com.au for information about local NSW road closures and conditions before travelling. For more information: big4.com.au/cyclone-debbie-updates

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Discovery Parks Early Bird Offer

Destination NSW

If you’re daydreaming about your next holiday, even if it’s a little while off, lock in something to look forward to at one of Discovery Parks many holiday parks around Australia, and save 25 per cent. Just to whet your appetite, here’s a destination worth daydreaming about: Emerald Beach in Coffs Harbour. This holiday park, located just behind the sand dunes at Emerald Beach, roughly halfway along the Solitary Islands Coastal Walk, is moments from the beach and ‘Look At Me Headland’ where you’ll find lots of friendly kangaroos and wallabies, sunning themselves by the sea. The park has a fantastic waterpark, giant bouncing pillow and, during school holidays, a wide range of activities for kids, everything from cooking classes and nightly movies to surfing lessons. Best of all, a café that serves up a mean cappuccino and banana smoothies. More information: discoveryholidayparks.com.au

Kids Stay free at BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort

Winter savings in Kiama at Easts Beach Holiday Park.

Stay 7 nights or more at BIG4 Easts Beach Holiday Park from 25 April to 21 September 2017 and you’ll receive a huge 30 per cent discount! This amazing discount is valid in any of our great accommodation, ensuite or powered sites. Whether you want to relax and take a break, or check out the local attractions, it won’t be hard to spend at least a week here. eastsbeach.com.au

This July BIG4 Whitsunday Resort bring back their Kids Stay Free deal for the whole of the June/July school holidays. As always there will be a heap of family activities and loads of good old-fashioned fun from 23 June to 15 July, that every member of the family will enjoy, and stay tuned for news about their new water park, opening soon. For more information: adventurewhitsunday.com.au

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Breaking Free Like Brumbies Country music star Amber Joy Poulton and her family embarked on a three-month adventure across Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s west, trading songs for a site along the way.

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ast year, my husband Jared and I, and our two boys Koby (12) and Jonny (8) took our first really big family trip together. We took the boys out of school for a whole term (hooray home schooling!), and set off on a big adventure that took us all the way from South Australia through to the Northern Territory, turning left at Katherine and taking in most of Western Australia. Why? I can’t even remember why we decided to do this. Perhaps it was the very quick trip we took to Uluru last year that showed us just how much there is to see in our country. We realised if we were going to do a big trip, it’d be best before our eldest went to high school. With Jared, due long service leave, and my work as a singer enabling me to schedule things as I need, I guess that’s how it happened. We travelled in a Jayco Designer we called Joyce, a cosy 16-footer and took along two pop up tents to give the kids their own space to go to when they’d had enough of family time. On the road during those three months, we saw some amazing sights – too many to share. Here are just a few of our highlights.

Forests of termite mounds As we drove towards Katherine, the scenery took a change. Termite mounds appeared. BIG termite mounds. They started to creep into our landscape, and as we drove on, they even started to take on personalities, leaving me feeling oddly unsettled. Of course, they were a great source of entertainment for the kids.

Bitter Springs Along the way, we took recommendations from locals, one of which was to stop in Mataranka and head towards Bitter Springs, a 500m waterway fed by an underground spring that gently flows down a watercourse lined with cabbage palms.

Katherine Gorge Another recommendation that was a highlight was the beautiful Katherine Gorge. Here, we found

FROM TOP LEFT:

Amber and family at the Bungle Bungles. Discovery Parks Kununurra. Kununurra Lake. OPPOSITE:

Cable Beach, Broome.

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O ff to ex pl ore th

e Co ra l Co as t!

Wangi Falls, which should be on everyone’s bucket list. The falls end in a very large pool of water and as a family, we all went under the waterfall to feel the impact of the water hitting our heads, accompanied by shouts of happiness and exhilaration. I felt grateful that at 40, I could still experience something I’d never done before.

Emma Gorge At El Questro, we checked out Zebedee Springs, which was lovely but very busy so we took off to Emma Gorge. We went for a walk across rocks, clambered over some enormous boulders, with the promise of something spectacular at the top, and we weren’t disappointed.

A night at the rodeo LEFT TO RIGHT:

Snorkelling on the Coral Coast. Taking a dip at Wangi Falls. The pool at RAC Exmouth.

We met some lovely people from SA who were heading off to a Rodeo. To be honest, I’d never been to a Rodeo, and wasn’t sure it was my thing, but I’m a country music singer/songwriter, so surely, I had to go? It turned out to be a family night out that none of us will forget. The boys absolutely loved it, and the bull riding was a highlight for them.

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The Bungle Bungles The Bungle Bungles are part of the Purnululu National Park, and we’d heard that you couldn’t take a car, caravan or camper into the Park unless it was 4WD, so we decided to camp in the boys’ tents. Early the next morning we headed out to see The Domes and The Cathedral. The Domes really are so impressive – the colours are extraordinary.

Broome Leaving the Bungle Bungles, we set off for Broome. We drove through a few towns along the way, searched for dinosaur footprints, explored the lighthouse and learned about Broome’s pearl diving history.

Whales of Exmouth and Red Bluff We were overwhelmed by these giant mammals. They played with us, going from one side of the boat, breaching, giving us a wave and then going back under the boat, crossing to the other side of the boat and then popping their heads out. We loved Exmouth, thought Coral Bay was lovely and 14-Mile Beach at Warroora Station was heavenly, but it was at Red Bluff on Quobba Station that we found our highlight. Here we could just relax on the beach, go for a swim and end each day watching the most incredible sunsets followed by a bit of stargazing in the star-filled desert sky.

Setting up camp.

Rolling out the swag.

Park your preconceptions. If you’ve never thought of a holiday park in terms of beautiful accommodation, then you might have to think again. Many BIG4 Holiday Parks offer the sort of quality accommodation that you’d normally associate with an exclusive resort. Accommodation like spacious family cabins, stylish beach and riverside villas and features like sparkling lagoon pools.

Keeping hydrated.

All of this comes with the natural beauty, local attractions and friendliness that our parks are known for. It’s a holiday that’s less scheduled, more relaxed and more you. With 180 locations all over Australia and service you’ll want to come back for, maybe you should ask yourself the question. Isn’t it time?

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Let’s get connected!

BIG4.com.au Isn’t it time you visited?

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The joys of travelling as a family We really came together as a family on this road trip, laughing like we had never laughed before, mostly about the silliest things. It’s true that day-to-day life can take the life out of living, and getting away gives us the opportunity to cut loose and be silly, and for that to be completely acceptable. The other benefit was the potential to meet a lot of people on our travels. Sometimes you feel like a good chat and other times you just wanted to be with the family, but I can say, the friends we made on this trip have been both unexpected and treasured.

And the challenges As everyone promised, home schooling was a challenge. Getting the boys to do homework was tough. There were tears, protests and a few good old fashioned arguments. As we were travelling, the boys were also trying to find their groove, and to work out how to become more than just brothers. While they’ve always gotten along well, it took them a while to find a path to friendship, that once struck, continued to a point of annoying us with their happy noises (yes, even happy noises can eventually drive parents crazy). Even towards the end of our journey, the boys still enjoyed each other’s company. We noticed that when they met other children, they went their separate ways, and once it was just the two of them again, they’d connect once more. It was nice to watch.

Where we stayed We stayed in terrific spots that really helped make the trip a success. Here’s a recap of some of the Holiday Parks that hosted us during our adventures. Arriving in Alice Springs, we took in the BIG4 MacDonnell Ranges Holiday Park, where the kids did some major research on the water slide and pools. Upon arrival at BIG4 Katherine Holiday Park, we were met by our motorbike-mounted concierge who led us to our site and helped us reverse in. The highlight of the park was the Fig Tree Bistro, where

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Waterslide fu n at BI G4 M acDo nnell Ra nges I was invited to perform under the ‘Big Fig’ and to a crowd of 100+ country music lovers. Following a challenge with Quarantine when crossing into WA, everything was made better checking into our lake front accommodation at Discovery Parks – Lake Kununurra complete with a visit from resident croc George, sadly missing part of his jaw and a back leg. We had a very relaxing two-night stay at Discovery Parks - Port Hedland with another nice happy hour gig in their BBQ area overlooking the night lights at sunset. One of the best caravan parks we stayed at was the RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park, part of BIG4. The staff were super friendly and went out of their way to accommodate everyone’s needs.

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Learning about Broome’s pearl diving history. Discovery Parks Port Hedland. BIG4 Macdonnell Ranges. Fig tree at BIG4 Katherine.

THE PERFECT BEACH HOLIDAY DESTINATION! Our family friendly park has an array of accommodation to suit everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs from waterfront Beach Retreats and Villas to our Ensuite and Powered Sites. Relax and enjoy a swim or a game of beach cricket on our beautiful Easts Beach. The kids will love our 25m resort pool, toddlers wading pool and

childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playgrounds. Kids activities and movies in our holiday periods will keep the kids busy. Our holiday park is the ideal location from which to explore the south coast, with popular tourist attractions such as Jamberoo Action Park and the Minnamurra Rainforest just minutes away.

For further information please contact: BIG4 Easts Beach Holiday Park 30 Ocean Street (PO Box 10) Kiama NSW 2533 Freecall: 1800 674 444 P: 02 4232 2124 F: 02 4233 1009 E: holiday@eastsbeach.com.au www.eastsbeach.com.au

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The Out and About With Kids Guide to

Cheap and cheerful camping in Sydney Autumn is a great time to go camping, and camping is one of the best ways to explore Sydney’s hidden pockets of wilderness – on a budget. So, get kids off their digital devices and head to the closest national park for an autumn weekend getaway. There are a number of different campgrounds to choose from ranging from beachfront to wilderness, and many, right on Sydney’s doorstep. Here are our top picks for family-friendly campgrounds near Sydney.

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Euroka campground, Blue Mountains National Park – Greater Blue Mountains The Euroka campground, close to the beautiful Nepean River, near Glenbrook on the eastern side of Blue Mountains National Park, provides a truly authentic Australian camping experience. Try one of the many walking and cycling tracks or enjoy a barbecue or picnic lunch. There’s also a breathtaking lookout for those who prefer to take it easy and enjoy the surroundings.

Bents Basin campground, Bents Basin State Conservation Area – Greater Blue Mountains Bents Basin is an open, grassy campground bordered by trees on one side and the actual Basin on the other. It’s a large open area – perfect if you’re

keen to bring your caravan or trailer along. Once you’ve set up camp you can relax by the Basin, take a walk along the easy Caleys lookout track, go for a paddle in the water or try your hand at fishing. There are excellent facilities with a full camp kitchen, toilets and a hot shower – ideal for families who don’t want to leave any of the creature comforts at home.

Cattai campground, Cattai National Park – Hawkesbury River Cattai campground in Cattai National Park is a great place for a family weekend camping adventure. Kids will love the wideopen space that is great for bike riding, playing and running, plus the campground is right near the Hawkesbury River, meaning fishing, canoeing and kayaking opportunities are all nearby. There’s also the historic Cattai Homestead only a short walk from the campground if you’re keen to explore the history of the local area.

The Basin campground, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park – Northern Beaches The Basin campground is the only spot you can camp in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. It’s a large, grassy area that overlooks Pittwater, with great facilities including a picnic area, sheltered beach and an inland lagoon. Pitch your tent in a shady spot, enjoy a bike ride or swim in the lagoon and challenge the kids to spot the local fauna: wallabies and kookaburras.

Putty Beach campground, Bouddi National Park – Central Coast Putty Beach campground is the largest of Bouddi National Park’s camping areas.

Located near Killcare, the campground is easily accessed from Gosford and Sydney. The campground sits just steps from the Putty Beach and offers activities aplenty. Bushwalk through the eucalypts or along one of the coastal tracks, visit the interesting rock platforms in the area, say hello to the resident brush turkeys and enjoy a spot of fishing.

Freemans campground, Munmorah State Conservation Area – Central Coast Freemans campground, in the heart of Munmorah State Conservation Area is nestled in bushland, with ample space for caravans and trailers as well as tent camping. The long, sandy stretch of Birdie Beach is just a short walk from the

campground and fantastic fishing and surfing spots as well as bushwalks are all close at hand. If you’re there during the winter months, you might just see whales as they make their way along the coast.

Bonnie Vale campground, Royal National Park – Sydney South Bonnie Vale campground in Royal National Park is a family-friendly campground located between Bundeena and Maianbar at the park’s north end. This popular riverside campground is known for its large sand spit, which makes it a great swimming spot. Go fishing at nearby Jibbon Beach, enjoy a barbecue by the sea or hike along Royal National Park’s long list of walking tracks. On weekends, you can even hire a kayak and paddle along the Hacking River. AUTUMN 2017 outandaboutwithkids.com.au

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COOLER WEATHER CABIN DEALS WITH CROWN As the days start to get cooler we say hello to one of the most exciting seasons to go on a caravan and camping adventure. Crisp cool nights connecting with family and friends around a campfire, toasting marshmallows and laughing as they sizzle in the dancing flames and exploring nearby nature trails in New South Wales’ beautiful autumnal landscapes. The sticky, hot weather of Summer is a distant memory and an exciting feel in the air has arrived with the seasonal change – just perfect for a coastal or country holiday experience. With 36 holiday parks in locations throughout NSW to enjoy, the NSW Crown Holiday Parks group offers plenty of options to unwind in these cooler months without breaking the budget. If you prefer the comforts of home over traditional camping, take advantage of the Crown Holiday Parks ‘cooler weather’ cabin promotion with deals under $100 per night from 26 April to 30 June 2017. While caravanning and camping are a great way to experience NSW’s beautiful coastline and inland lakes, snuggling down in comfortable, wellequipped cabin is an option preferred by many. Who says you can’t enjoy star-studded skies or brisk natural landscapes and then retreat indoors to relax in the warmth with a steaming hot cocoa? This time of year is also one of the best times for outdoor activities like fishing, swimming and hiking. The weather is not so cool (and the water is still warm) so you can still have fun with the added bonus of fewer flies and pesky insects that the hotter months bring in droves.

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Go North • Think surfing, sand and stunning views located in cozy, coastal pockets. northcoastholidayparks. com.au

Go South • Picture wild national parks and secluded unspoilt beaches – whale watchers are never disappointed! southcoastparks.com.au

Go Inland • Experience incredible giant inland dams and reconnect with nature through incredible walks and hiking trails like the famous Hume and Hovell walking track which passes through our park at Burrinjuck Waters. inlandwaters.com.au

Out & About with kids Ad 2017.indd 2

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Menjangan Dynasty Resort, Bali Location Menjangan Dynasty Resort, Beach Camp and Dive Centre is an eco-resort that sits on the north-western most point of Bali looking out over the West Bali National Park, reached from Denpasar on a 4.5-hour drive that winds through the mountains. Black volcanic beaches line the northern coastline, which is dotted here and there with sleepy villages. The landscape rises quite sharply behind the shore, and in the lush green rainforest on the lower slopes of the mountains, walking trails lead to hidden waterfalls. In the far distance, you can see the towering Mt Ruang in East Java, and across the bay look out for a few Asian deer in the shallows at the edge of the mangroves. Accommodation This eco-friendly resort has luxury tented accommodation, with striking communal spaces crafted in bamboo and ‘alang-alang’ thatched roofs. Beyond the grand-looking reception area, an inviting infinity pool looks out over the bay and the lowland forests of the West Bali National Park. Rooms are decorated in period Africansafari style, with a minibar concealed inside an old chest and bedside lamps that look like lanterns. Two-bedroom family suite-tents are also available which include a large living area and balcony.

OAWK TIP: You have the option of air conditioning or simply rolling the sides of the tent up to feel the breeze. Why we stayed there We were keen to explore Bali’s ‘undiscovered north’, and being within close proximity to Menjangan Island, a marine protected area, my son and I were also expecting to find some pretty amazing diving on the nearby coral reefs.

Activities Bali Hai Diving Adventures head up the dive shop and water activities here, providing guided snorkelling and scuba diving day trips. There are also stand up paddle boards and kayaks available for use free of charge. The resort has a beautiful spa, the Pasir Putih Spa by Ambiente, where you can get a bit of pampering at very reasonable prices. Choose from a mani/pedi treatment, a facial or a relaxing massage overlooking the bay. OAWK TIP: Book yourself a massage before you head out exploring and you’ll return to a fragrant massage room and a petal-strewn bath on your return. Explore Guests can enjoy a guided snorkelling and diving trip to Menjangan Island, a 30-minute boat ride from the resort, where you’ll find lots of pretty coral gardens, teeming with marine life (including the odd turtle) and ridiculously clear water. The water is so warm it’s like taking a bath, however scuba divers are greeted with pleasantly cooler waters at about 10 to 15 metres on a vertical coral reef wall covered in soft and hard corals and enormous gorgonian fans. Nearby, a visit to Atlas Pearl Farm is

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worthwhile, an eco-pearling company that specialises in white and silver South Sea pearls. Also check out Hatten Winery (that’s right, Bali has a winery), 34 hectares of succulent grapes which are grown in partnership with local land owners – and it’s not a bad drop. The drive through the mountains in itself is worth the trip north. Once free of the busy streets of Denpasar, the road winds through rice fields before climbing high into lush green mountains. The views back to the coast and the plains below are quite spectacular. A halfway-point to the resort is reached high in the mountains overlooking Lake Tamblingan to our right and Lake Buyan to our left. There’s a string of cafés with tables and chairs placed on the edge of the precipice, so we can sip our Bali coffee slowly and take in the view. Not far from here a walking trail leads through a coffee plantation to Munduk Waterfall, a great place to stretch our legs and cool down before continuing the journey north.

Food and Beverage The Pasir Putih Beach Club is housed in a grand bamboo construction that opens onto the beach, with a high vaulted ceiling and thatched roof, looking out over the white sandy beach, dotted with bamboo cabanas and bean bags. French chef Philippe L’Obry has put together a menu that includes local favourites such as satay, rendang and nasi goreng, as well as some rather fine Western dishes including an excellent Australian beef fillet with herbed mash, and a choice of local seafood.

Menjangan Dynasty Resort, Beach Camp and Dive Centre. Desa Pejarakan – Gerokgak, Buleleng, North West Bali Sales & Reservations +62 361 753300 menjangandynasty.com info@menjangandynasty.com

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Palace of the Lost City, Sun City, South Africa

Location Nestled on the southern edge of Pilanesberg National Park, the Palace of the Lost City is part of the opulent (and enormous) Sun City resort complex. It is themed around a mythical African kingdom, with grandiose architecture, stunning botanic gardens and plenty of family-friendly activities. Charter flights are available from both Cape Town and Johannesburg, and Jo’burg is an easy 2.5-hour drive from Sun City. Accommodation The Palace of the Lost City has 338 spacious suites, all with TVs, safes, air-conditioning and Wi-Fi, as well as sweeping views across the golf course, swimming pool or surrounding lush gardens. The Superior Luxury Family Rooms are ideal for those travelling with young ones, with king-size beds and convertible sofas, as well as ensuite bathrooms. Why we stayed there The Palace of the Lost City combines luxury with an abundance of leisure activities and quintessential African safari experiences that made it an ideal base for our South African holiday. It allowed us plenty of time to kickback poolside and enjoy the perks of a resort, without missing out on the wildlife encounters that make Africa such an enchanting destination.

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OAWK TIP: Pilanesberg is malaria-free so there’s no need to take preventative medication. Activities The Palace of the Lost City has plenty of activities to keep young and old entertained, from hiking trails through the gardens to a postcard-perfect lagoon at the Valley of the Waves, free to guests. Our kids loved riding the gentle, machine-generated waves

in tubes and zipping down the water slides, while I could relax on the man-made beach. For those looking for more of an adrenalin rush, there’s also the Waterworld lake where bumper boats, parasailing and jet-skiing lessons are available. If you’re travelling with kids aged 5-12 years and want some couple-time, Camp Kwena will keep them entertained with fully supervised programs, together with a professional babysitting service. Or they can jump aboard the Stimela Train which loops around Sun City, passing by its walk-through

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aviary and the antelope which graze on the resort’s private wildlife preserve. For teenagers, there’s also the Kowabonga Club – a supervised evening disco where they can hang out with others their age from around the world. OAWK TIP: Travelling with a golf fanatic? The Lost City Golf Course is an 18-hole 72 par beauty, designed by South African pro Gary Player (it’s even got Nile crocodiles at its 13th hole water hazard). Explore Sun City’s location on the edge of Pilanesberg National Park is one of its biggest draws, so don’t miss the opportunity to spot the ‘Big 5’ (Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Rhino and Elephant) on a late afternoon or early morning safari. The thrill of seeing African big game in the wild is one of those experiences you just never forget. But to top it all off was getting a bird’s eye view of this landscape on an early morning hot-air balloon ride, floating above as the day’s first rays of light illuminate the plains and

ending with a full English breakfast (and wine) at one of the park’s private lodges. OAWK TIP: Keep in mind that kids need to be at least 1.2m tall to join a hotair balloon safari. Food and Beverage From hearty steaks in The Grill Room to refined French cuisine at Plume or a light snack at the Palace Pool Deck, The Palace of the Lost City has an wide choice of restaurants. Perhaps the most impressive venue is the Crystal Court with pretty water features and surrounding gardens, and an international menu to suit all tastes. Parents can sneak out for a romantic dinner at The King’s Tower which has elevated views across the resort gardens, or grab a nightcap at the colonial-inspired Tusk Bar. OAWK TIP: A hearty buffet breakfast is included in room rates to fuel you for an action-packed day.

Palace of the Lost City Sun City, South Africa Call Toll Free from Australia: 1800 618 441 sun-city-south-africa.com/palace-of-the-lost-city

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One&Only Cape Town, South Africa Location With magnificent views across Cape Town’s harbour or towards the flat-topped summit of Table Mountain in the heart of the V&A Waterfront, One&Only Cape Town provides 5-star luxury without compromising on family fun. It’s a short taxi ride from Cape Town International Airport and a stone’s throw from the city centre, with great dining experiences, an exclusive ambiance and a few perks for kids that set it apart. Accommodation One&Only Cape Town’s spacious rooms feature contemporary design, luxurious amenities and a few distinctly African touches in their furnishings. Their twobedroom family suites are ideal for those travelling with big kids, with two queen beds in one room and a king-size bed in the other, providing plenty of privacy for all. Private balconies, his-and-hers bathrooms with rain showers and egg-shaped baths, together with a dining and lounge area complete the package. Activities The resort is a stand-out for families, with its fantastic KidsOnly club, fully supervised from early to late by friendly, multi-lingual staff. Kids will be right at home in their dedicated clubhouse, equipped with movies, video games and craft activities, as well as with an outdoor play area where a jungle gym, tree house and trike race track await. Meanwhile, mums can take some time out in their Spa Island sanctuary, set on its own island in the heart of the resort where hot-stone massages, body exfoliations and exclusive thermal suites are available. Bond with your teen with a Jet Setters Mini Manicure and Pedicure, just one of many treatments geared towards younger guests, or spend the afternoon on a sun lounger or Ibizan-inspired cabana beside the palmfringed pool. Food & Beverage From modern South African cuisine to Mediterranean and Asian fusion, One&Only’s restaurants boast celebrity chefs and Michelin stars within gorgeous settings. Sample some African game,

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drawing on the Cape’s culinary heritage at the first urban restaurant of celebrated South African chef Reuben Riffel or feast on fresh South African seafood with a Japanese twist at Nobu. The resort has also created a special KidsOnly menu which features nutritious ‘brain food’ to keep them active throughout the day and buffet breakfast options geared specifically towards young tastes. The highlight for families will probably be indulging in a fondue lunch on your own private island at One&Only’s poolside restaurant, Isola. OAWK TIP: Give yourself plenty of time over the breakfast buffet – the offerings are extraordinary. Explore One&Only is on the doorstep of the V&A Waterfront – Cape Town’s most popular entertainment district. Waterfront restaurants and cafés combine with a gourmet Food Market inside the historic

Pumphouse building, while buskers entertain throughout the week. There are plenty of tour operators based here where you can book everything from Robben Island trips to a harbour cruise on Tommy the Tugboat, and the impressive Two Oceans Aquarium is right alongside One&Only resort. Get up close to Cape fur seals and African penguins at the aquarium, then take in the views across V&A from the Cape Wheel. No trip to Cape Town is complete without riding the cable car, just a short taxi trip from V&A, up to the top of Table Mountain for sweeping views across the city. Or delve into the world of natural history and science at the family-friendly Iziko South African Museum, inside the beautiful Company Gardens. OAWK TIP: From clothing to electronics, nappies and medication, you can find anything you need at the V&A Waterfront’s shopping mall and with 10 Rand to the dollar, the value is excellent.

One&Only Cape Town V&A Waterfront, Dock Rd, Cape Town, South Africa. Call +27 21 431 5888 oneandonlyresorts.com reservations@oneandonlycapetown.com

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AT QUESTACON

25 MARCH â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 23 JULY 2O17

contents 56 AUSTRALIAN ALPS

What's new for families in the Australian mountain resorts.

62 YUMI STYNES

Yumi Stynes shares childhood snow highlights and melt downs.

The easy way to give your toddlers their first snow experience.

68 NEW ZEALAND

A guide to family-friendly skiing on the North and South Island.

Perisher

SPECIAL

64 CORIN FOREST

THE 2017 AUSSIE SKI SEASON

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S K I S EA S O N

t’s already snowing in some of the Aussie ski resorts and it’s looking like it will be a bumber season this year. Everything you need to know about what’s new for families in Australia and New Zealand’s mountain resorts is right here.

Thredbo Thredbo celebrates its 60th Anniversary this year, so you can expect to see plenty of celebrations. The chairlifts started running in 1957, thanks to the vision of two passionate skiers named Tony Sponar and Charles Anton, who chose Thredbo for its variety of good vertical terrain. Celebrations include the installation of a commemorative ‘2037’ bell at the top of the highest lifted point in Australia, the top of Karel’s T-Bar, which skiers can use to announce to the whole of Thredbo Valley that they have reached the top of the Mountain. This year Thredbo will also introduce some on mountain ‘Kids Only’ play and adventure zones around Cruiser and Friendly Flats, themed around mascots Sid Koala and Wally Wombat, as well as a new Winter Disc Golf course – just like a game of golf, but played with a flying disc.

trails each morning. The Skitube has also undergone a major upgrade with a $2.1 million dollar investment ensuring a smoother ride up the mountain. If you’re planning to take the family skiing in the Northern Hemisphere later this year, it pays to invest in a Epic Australia Pass this season. For $799 you get unlimited skiing in Perisher, as well as access to Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in Lake Tahoe, California; and Stowe Mountain in Vermont.

ABOVE:

The kids hit the slopes at Thredbo OPPOSITE AND BELOW

Ski School in Perisher Valley.

Perisher Recently crowned ‘Australia’s Best Ski Resort’ at the World Ski Awards in Austria, Perisher is renowned for having the best and most consistent snow in Australia. This year it’ll be even better, with new snow groomers providing perfectly groomed ‘corduroy’

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SKI S EA SO N

ABOVE:

Twilight sessions at Mt Buller LEFT:

Mt Buller’s Snowfactory ensures snow whatever the weather.

Falls Creek Former ski lodge elk at falls, has introduced new apartment-style accommodation this year, with 2-bedroom self contained units ideal for families with a King bedroom and a bunk room for the kids as well as 2 and 3-bedroom apartments, for larger families. All utilise Scandinavian influenced timber feature walls, ‘designer’ tiled bathrooms, and ‘burnt’ cypress lined interiors to add a warmth and softness to the all new hallways, new king and king single beds with luxurious linen throughout. Attached is Elk Restaurant and bar, one of the most popular après ski spots in the heart of Falls Creek, famous for its foot-long toastie. Last winter resort guests and mountain staff consumed more than two kilometres of Toasties at elk and an ambitious target of three kilometres is the aim of the restaurant this winter that officially opened last weekend. Available for eat-in or take away between 7am and 11am.

Mt Buller New to Mt Buller this year are Twilight Sessions weekend with Twilight Sessions on Bourke Street and tobogganing in the Village Snowplay Park on both Saturday and Sunday, a great option for families and beginners to learn how to ski when the slopes are

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SKI ASPEN SNOWMASS

BEST EVER DEALS TO SKI ASPEN

NOT LE A AV IL ABRT! O S IN-RE

SKI10 Adults US$575* Child/Teen (7-17) US$365* SKI30 Adults US$690* Child/Teen (7-17) US$390* SKI 30 Unlimited 30 day lift pass. Includes 2 days of skiing in Thredbo! Plus a 10% dining discount at on-mountain Aspen Snowmass restaurants. KIDS SKI FREE (7-12 years) with purchase of equipment rental*. *Valid 1 Jan to 31 Mar 2018. Must be purchased in conjunction with discounted accommodation packages. Kids Ski Free – receive free lifts for same amount of days as ski rental purchase, minimum 2 days. Converted at current exchange rate (as at 4 April SKI10 Adults AU$766 Child/Teen AU$487, SKI30 Adults AU$920 Child/Teen AU$520). Early booking and other conditions apply to all offers.

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Melbourne May 20 Up to 40% Off Luxury Aspen Hotels & Apartments Brisbane May 27 BOOK NOW for great fares Sydney May 28 to Aspen with American! www.skiexpo.com.au Contact us for a FREE World’s Best Ski Holidays brochure

Call 1300 754 754

email ski@travelplan.com.au visit www.travelplan.com.au

Offices in Sydney and Melbourne. ATAS Accreditation No: A10479.

SKI S EA SO N

less crowded. Families can arrive later (less rush and hassle), resort entry is cheaper and make an evening of it including snowplay, skiing and dinner in the village. A lively program of afternoon entertainment including live music, films and more will make midwinter weekends better than ever and keep the village buzzing. A reduced resort entry fee is available from 3pm and the car park shuttles will run until 9.30pm. Also new to Mt Buller is ‘Snowfactory’, which can continuously produce snow 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at temperatures well above freezing. In fact, it is capable of generating up to 220 cubic metres of snow daily at up to 15 degrees Celsius.

Hotham This ski season Hotham has introduced Hotham365, an all new, all season indoor ski/snowboard slope, so you can hone your mountain skills all year round in preparation for the winter season. It’s also possibly the longest run you’ll ever experience. Half hour sessions cost $59 for up to four people, including equipment hire.

Getting to the Slopes. NorthEast Coachlines has increased services to the Victorian mountain resorts this year, with transfers available from Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney to Mt Buller, Hotham Alpine Resort along with Falls Creek. There are great family fares on offer plus free Wi-Fi and USB charge points on all coaches. northeastcoachlines.com FallsBus has also added extra transfer services, offering premium coaches featuring free Wi-Fi, USB charge points along with rest rooms on board, with family return fares starting at $399 ex Melbourne. If you’re visiting from Perth, Brisbane or Adelaide consider their Bus’n’Bed package deals, include 4-star hotel accommodation at Melbourne Airport with transfers to Falls Creek. fallsbus.com.au

TOP LEFT:

elk at falls’ famous foot-long toastie TOP AND RIGHT:

TOP: On top of the world at Thredbo RIGHT: Fun in the snow at Perisher FAR RIGHT

elk at falls, Falls Creek. .

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The Australian Institute of Sport. The AIS. Australia’s premier elite sporting precinct. Only minutes from Canberra’s CBD with plenty of free parking. AIS Visitor Centre Everyone’s welcome. Pop in and purchase exclusive merchandise at the AIS Shop and enjoy great coffee & café-style food at GG espresso. AIS Tours Go behind the scenes on an award-winning guided AIS Tour. Challenge yourself in Sportex, offering fun and interactive sporting exhibits. Daily 10am, 11.30am, 1pm & 2.30pm. Fees apply. AIS Aquatic & Fitness Centre Dive into our world-class swimming pool or try out our fully equipped gym. Visitors welcome. Fees apply.

Leverrier Street, Canberra, ACT Phone: (02) 6214 1010

@ExperienceAIS

ASC 34415

/ExperienceAIS

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SURVIVING THE SNOW Yumi Stynes reminisces about her own childhood snow disasters, and those she’s since had with her kids.

YUMI STYNES Yumi Stynes is a writer, broadcaster, keen traveller and mother to three daughters and one son. At the moment she’s completing her first cookbook ‘Zero F**ks Cooking’ – aimed at very busy people such as herself, she hosts a national afternoon radio show on the KIIS network, and is experimenting with virtual reality storytelling. Despite having several snow-related melt downs, Yumi and her family still love a trip to the Snowy Mountains.

hen I was a kid, snow had magical qualities. The light on the slopes was clear, like it is just after you get new glasses. The air was clean and cold and every inhalation was a lungful of excitement. I loved it. But it always seemed that without fail, when visiting the snow-covered mountains, some catastrophe would strike. One time it was the first day of a ski holiday when I got a bloody nose at the top of Thredbo. Not a polite little nose bleed, but a violent, unstoppable, gushing geyser that meant I had to ditch the day’s skiing and blindly snow-plough while weeping in disappointment, all the way to the bottom, leaving a trail of blood and snot on the ice. For the rest of the week I skied past the trail as it turned brown. Another time I had a little-kid tantrum at Falls Creek, sat down bawling in the snow and refused to go on, which any parent will tell you is pretty standard behaviour for a kid. I remember looking around for somewhere to sleep, wondering –“Is it that hard to build an igloo?” – as I had no intention of skiing any further, or in fact moving, ever again. My biggest snow melt-down occurred when this photo was taken. I was on a hiking trip through Tasmania with my Dad at the start of April, 1983. We were expecting Autumn weather, which in Tassie usually means a lot of rain.

It can also mean a lot of snow, but nobody thought to mention that. On Day 1 of the hike we had the option to pitch our tent near a picturesque creek or walk on another couple more kilometres to a Ranger’s hut. Rain seemed likely, so we hiked on. LUCKY, because in the night a storm arrived and when we awoke the next morning, the ranger’s hut was buried under a foot of snow. The melt-down didn’t arrive then – I was dead

Sh ortly be fo re m y fir st ever sn ow me lt- do w n

Th e kid s che ck out wh at sno tas tes lik e...

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S K I S EA S O N

World’s easiest slow-roasted beef short ribs recipe excited! But the snow meant we couldn’t hike any further and so instead of continuing on to Cradle Mountain, after three days of snow, we ended up turning back.

Sometimes it’s not just the kids who cry. Last time I went to Mt Buller I was a full-grown adult and I cried about food. I’m obsessed with food and had been psyched about cooking these beef short ribs that I’d ordered from a meat wholesaler, put in an esky and driven frozen up the mountains. Knowing I’d be out all day, I put them in the oven at breakfast and fancied myself SO CLEVER and SO ORGANISED. The idea was that we’d walk through the door all snowy and exhausted at 5:30pm to the amazing aroma of juicy, slow-cooked ribs and the whole family would sit down to a well-planned, delicious, sophisticated meal. The problem was, I hadn’t defrosted them completely before putting them in the oven and the meat seized. I didn’t even know this actually happened in real life, but going from very cold to quite hot makes the meat so tough as to be inedible. It was like trying to chew on ET’s fingers. “Sad” doesn’t begin to describe it.

God, I love the snow though. One autumn I was working as a chef in Melbourne and the cold snap arrived early. I heard the slopes calling to me. Visions of snow dumping down came while I was lying in bed, shivering. It was intoxicating. I made up my mind to find work on the Victorian Alps, spend the winter working as a cook, snowboarding every spare minute. I was so serious that I spent all my savings on a snowboard, boots, and a lift pass. Two weeks into the season I found out I’d been chosen to work for Channel [V] and that was it. (I’d auditioned a month earlier and thought I’d

• 2.5kg Beef short ribs • salt and pepper • olive oil • 100g tomato sauce • 100g bbq sauce • 2 cloves crushed garlic • 1tbs brown sugar • 2tbs paprika

METHOD

FIRST THING IN THE MORNING: • Make sure the beef ribs are at room temperature by leaving them out of the fridge for 1.5 hours before cooking. • Pre-heat the oven to 110 degrees. Line a high-sided baking dish with baking paper.

• Arrange the beef ribs in the so they fit tightly. Massage with salt, pepper and olive oil, then cover well with foil. • Go out for a ski. EVENING: • In 7-8 hours, check the ribs. • They should be looking good, soft, even. • Remove foil and drain off the juices. If you can be bothered, skim the fat and discard. • Mix up the sauce ingredients with the stock and reduce, then brush over the ribs and bake for another 40mins at 170 degrees. • Serve with peas, mashed potato and a few slices of ripe tomato.

never hear from them again.) It was a no-brainer – I had to leave and start this new life – swapping chef work for TV work. But for five years after that I used to dream about the snow and yearn for it and wonder if I hadn’t made a terrible mistake. Of course, I have been back. Eventually. A work trip got me there and I brought along my two daughters. After shooting most of the day I picked them up from ski school to ski them home. This was a where it started to go wrong. They couldn’t ski. I mean, one lesson does not make up for a lifetime on solid ground. One kid stood up on her skis and started sliding off downhill, crying out “MUM! Mummy!” and looking back at me with terrified eyes. The other was still crouched on her skis when she started sliding backwards downhill, screaming. I had to choose which kid to chase because they were going in completely opposite directions. Good heavens! (I may have sworn.) If this was some sort of Mum Test, I failed. AUTUMN 2017 outandaboutwithkids.com.au

SNOWY START

Got kids wanting their first snow play experience? The answer may lie closer than you think.

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S K I S EA S O N

s winter approaches, my parenting brain is distinctly torn. Its upbeat side thinks: “I’ve got a two year old who has never played in snow, wouldn’t it be fun to take him tobogganing this year?” Fair enough, until my brain’s practical side counters with a strong rebuttal: “But think of all the packing. Then the driving all that way, the cold, the wet and the expense. Is that all worth it if he’s had enough after an hour or two?” Happily, a third alternative intervenes in the form of Corin Forest. Just 45 minutes from the centre of Canberra, it’s the closest snow option to Sydney. As a longtime local I know what I’ll be getting, and it’s not the glamour of vast swathes of snow and mountains bathed in fresh powder. Instead, I’ve signed on for something quite different: a short drive, a serene bush location, and a cheap, stress-free way to take a couple of first timers tobogganing in real snow. With our test subjects in tow, we bundle in to the car for our pre-booked late morning session. Leaving the centre of Canberra, we choose the winding, visually pleasing bush route via the Cotter River. It’s a popular spot for BBQs, picnics, and swimming (although in the case of the latter at least, certainly not in winter). Shortly after, we bypass Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. This is a tempting stop, as it’s a chance to show the kids koalas, kangaroos, emus and even platypus in their natural environment – but that’s for another day. For now, it’s another 15 kilometres and just one right turn onto Corin Road before we arrive at Corin Forest. But as the road climbs slightly higher through the bush and there’s no sign of snow, I start to doubt myself. Have I missed it? Surely that’s not possible – there’s nothing to distract me other than eucalypts. Finally, to the right a gravel car park appears, and in

the distance, a distinct patch of the white stuff. It’s true: if you choose Corin Forest expecting rolling hills swathed in fresh powder, you’ll be disappointed. But I’m expecting what’s been promised: a snow area for beginners to try skiing (via a magic carpet lift) and a neighbouring, separate snowplow area for tobogganing. It’s small, but as a first snow play experience for a two and four-year old, it’s exactly what I’m after. All they want is a toboggan, a slab of white stuff, and a chance to race up and down the hill until their teeth start chattering. As we’ve come on a weekday, we share the slope with only a handful of others. The kids quickly make friends, and my four-year-old guest starts racing alongside a girl his own age. And my two year old? After tromping happily down the bush track in his op-shop snowsuit to the portable clothing hire unit, he enjoys being outfitted in a tiny pair of snow boots. He also loves walking up the muddy path to the snow play area, where we flash the wristbands that entitle us to our toboggans. He sits down happily on the plastic toboggan, but just as I’m ready to start pulling him up the hill he touches the snow with his gloveless hand and loses it. Cue crying, writhing and protests in the way only two year olds can truly master. I’m immediately glad I haven’t forked out a couple of thousand of dollars to take him for a long weekend in the ‘serious’ snow. Ignoring his protests, I persevere and carry him to the top, feeling grateful it’s a tiny AUTUMN 2017 outandaboutwithkids.com.au

SKI S EA SO N

slope by anyone’s imagination. We sit down together on the toboggan, point ourselves down the slope and I jiggle us forward for launch. It’s short but it’s awesome, and my toddler is clearly hooked. Until, that is, he realises he has to sit on the toboggan again to get pulled back up for round two. (Cue more crying.) After a few rounds, we get a system going. I teach him how to hold the side of the toboggan and keep his hands out of the snow, and he kindly ‘allows’ me to haul him up the hill. From that moment, it’s game on. For 90 minutes, we follow a tried and tested formula. Step one: snuggle together on the toboggan and slide down the hill, accompanied by squeals of laughter. Step two: pause for half a second at the bottom before calls of “More” and “Again” begin. Step three: lug toboggan uphill with toddler riding happily like Lady Muck. This repeats ad infinitum until my legs are burning. Occasionally, after pausing for breath to admire the scenery or spot a kangaroo in the distance, I look across in envy at my friend, whose four year old is pulling his own toboggan up the incline. I remind myself how good this experience will be for my cardio fitness, and think, “Hmmm, I wonder if I can get him to do that next year?” Because, even before we leave the slope to enjoy gigantic marshmallows by the fire in Corin Forest’s rustic café, I know I’ll be back.

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TIPS

FOR SNOW PLAY AT CORIN FOREST: • If timing allows, the lunchtime session is ideal. You’ll get the most sun, and still be able to book an extra session afterwards if you have a child keen for more (our four year old tobogganer lasted 1.5 sessions). Take a break in between to warm up inside over lunch. • Weekdays are far less crowded than weekends – even a Monday or Friday will be far quieter than Saturday or Sunday if you can swing it. If you are coming on a weekend, be sure to book. • Rentals of both clothes (kids and

adults) and toboggans, are available. • For the best of both worlds, drive in via the Cotter River (prettier), and return via the Tuggeranong Parkway (faster). If they have the energy, older kids will love a stop at Kambah Adventure Playground on the way back into the centre of Canberra; it’s just off the Parkway. • The website has details of pricing and session times, but it’s also useful to check their Facebook page which is regularly updated with the current weather conditions throughout winter. corin.com.au

swimwear with built-in reusable swim nappies

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GRAND OPENING OFFER! BEST AVAILABLE RATE PLUS* • 1000 Wyndham Rewards Points • 20% discount on F&B during stay • 1 x voucher for 2 cocktails and canapés at Infiniti Bar • Fruit plate upon arrival

BOOK NOW & QUOTE “OUT & ABOUT WITH KIDS” Call: +66 (0)-76-562-000 or email info@wyndhamgrandphuket.com *Terms and Conditions apply. Subject to availability. Minimum night stay and blackout dates may apply. On sale for bookings and travel from 1st April 2017 to 31st December 2017. All inclusions listed are subject to availability and may be substituted at the properties discretion. Visit www.wyndhamgrandphuket.com for more details on the property. Wine is excluded from this offer

AUTUMN 2017 outandaboutwithkids.com.au

THE 2017 KIWI SKI SEASON

S K I S EA S O N

his year the New Zealand ski season starts on 17 June and usually goes well into September. There’s plenty happening accross the Ditch, with major developments including a new lift in Cardrona and the redevelopment of Happy Valley at Mt Ruapehu, and more snow-making across most resorts.

The Remarkables, Queenstown This season The Remarkables ski resort is bigger than ever. With return transport provided for Outward Bound skiers/riders, and the base building removed, The Remarkables accessible terrain has gone up from 265.5 to 385 hectares. Additional snow guns have also been installed at the Curvey Basin Trail covering all the runs now accessed by the new chairlift installed last season. Good news for beginners too, with the double conveyor lift on the learner’s slope now enclosed in a Slinky-style transparent tube so that skiers travelling up to the top of slope will be sheltered from the weather. NZski.com

Coronet Peak, Queenstown During the month of July, Coronet Peak is adding an extra night to its popular Friday and Saturday night skiing experience with the addition of a midweek session on Wednesday evenings. Night skiers will also have access to two new floodlit trails. Running off the side of the M1 trail Duncan’s Dance, a rolling terraced run, and the Pro Am run alongside

the lower Coronet Express will be lit up for 2017 night skiing adding to the many runs on offer. There’s also more snowmaking and new terrain for kids this year near The Meadows Express Chair. A new kids fun zone is being created, complete with tunnel and bank turns. NZski.com

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Mt Hutt Mt Hutt boasts 21 new hectares of skiable terrain as the boundary at the South West face has been extended, and more snowmaking with the installation of new automated snow cannons at the upper mountain and modified terrain to improve snow coverage on higher runs. NZski.com

Cardrona The biggest development in Cardrona this winter is the new McDougall’s Express Chondola. The ‘chondola’ is a combination of eight-person gondola cabins and six-seater chairs and will replace the old McDougall’s Quad Chair. It is the first cabin-style lift on any ski area in New Zealand and has the capacity to take 2550 skiers and boarders to the top of the mountain per hour. Cardrona’s Ski Kindy has also had significant investment this year, with a $1 million dollar expansion, also incorporating the Kids’ Snow Sports School. Cardrona.com

Mt Ruapehu Big news on New Zealand’s North Island, with Mt Ruapehu’s Happy Valley transformed into a Snow Park, complete with ‘carpet’ style surface lifts, new access elavators and a longer ski season thanks to new high tech snowmaking gear. The Snow Park will also feature a dedicated snow play zone with its own covered surface lift well away from the skiing and boarding public so the little ones are safe while tobogganing and building snowmen.

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Turoa die-hards won’t miss out on the new snowmaking with seven additional snow guns joining the fleet and Whakapapa snow-lovers can look forward to almost double the snowmaking capacity this winter. This will provide early-season snow in Tennant’s Valley, Rockgarden and Turtle Run, complementing the new Doppelmayr ‘Delta Quad’ chairlift which will replace the Waterfall T-Bar. Mtruapehu.com

S K I S EA S O N

HAKAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW FAMILY NZ SKI TOURS

f you want a really special family ski experience in New Zealand, your best option is a guided tour. Haka Tours has introduced fully guided, fully hosted family tours in Queenstown and Wanaka, which include all transport, lessons and gear. Two guided tours were trialed last year and proved to be such a success that there are 16 departures planned this year. We asked tour guide Katie Dodd to explain exactly what makes a guided tour such a good option for families.

What are the advantages of taking a guided tour as opposed to just hitting the slopes? The benefits are huge. You can sit back and let me drive you to all the best ski fields, help you with your ski and snowboard equipment to make sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fit for purpose and let me take care of all the logistics. I know the mountains like the back of my hand so can take you to the best terrain suited to your familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skill level and preferences. If the adults want some time out, I can take care of the kids and make sure they are entertained on the slopes. And for the expert skiers and snowboarders, I am able to help maximise your day on every mountain we explore. At the end of a fun day, I then drive you back to our accommodation and make sure all dinner reservations are taken care of.

Are the tours suitable for beginners or better for advanced skiers? It is genuinely suited for all ski levels from kids first learning to ski to the parents who may have skied extensively all over

the world. Because I am your dedicated Tour Manager, I will assess your skill level to make sure your time on the snow is as enjoyable as possible!

Does it take a certain type of personality to cope with guiding a family? It helps to love kids, which I do, but ultimately having fun on the slopes entertaining our customers is far from being a chore so all it takes is a love of the snow, a people oriented person and a huge amount of energy!

What comments have you had from kids or parents about the Haka tours? The comments we get are that we make it so easy and that the parents can sit back and enjoy their holiday as opposed to having to worry about all the details and logistics whilst getting time away from the kids when needed. More information: nzsnowtours.com Aus Free Phone: 1800 542 662

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SKI S EA SO N

10 REASONS TO SKI ASPEN SNOWMASS

he Aspen Snowmass SKI10 and SKI30 passes are back for the 2017/18 season, and kids up to 12 years old ski for free, with the purchase of kids’ ski rentals. Here are 10 great reasons to book a family ski holiday at Aspen Snowmass.

Four Mountains, 1 Lift Ticket. Over 330 trails, 41 lifts and terrain to suit every level of skier/rider from mellow rolling slopes to extreme back bowl skiing.

Your instructor is your friend. The resort has more than 1200 highly trained professionals that help build confidence, technique and show you the best terrain on each mountain.

State of the Art Children’s Facilities. In Snowmass: the Treehouse (a state licensed child care facility). At Buttermilk: the new Hideout, an innovative centre that pairs with famous kid-friendly trails and terrain.

Ease of Transfer. No need for a rental car with free shuttle service between all four mountains. Free overnight storage and transfer for your equipment when renting with Four Mountain Sports.

Jam-packed Events Schedule. Aspen Snowmass has a lineup of live music and concerts that

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would make many major US cities enivous, such as Audi FIS World Cup, X Games and the Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series.

Best Après Ski & Nightlife. The fun doesn’t stop when the lifts close. Enjoy Aspen’s legendary après ski scene with hotspots that include: Ajax Tavern and 39 Degrees at the Sky Hotel. The Little Nell, Limelight Lounge and Belly Up Aspen all include an impressive live music line-up throughout the year.

Elevated Dining. Foodies around the world know Aspen has a top-flight dining scene on and off the mountain.

Ski-In/Ski-Out. Snowmass boasts over 95 per cent skiin/ski-out lodging options, which makes Snowmass an ideal base for any winter vacation.

Alpine Alternatives: Snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, shopping, day spas, horse drawn carriage and much more.

Arts, Culture and History. Take a free history tour with the Aspen Historical Society or visit the new Aspen Art Museum just two blocks from the base of Aspen Mountain.

ISLANDS As the days get colder – and shorter – don’t we all love to daydream about a tropical island holiday?

contents 74 OZONE

Learn all about Outrigger Resorts’ new ocean conservation program.

82 AULANI

We get the low-down on Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii.

84 CAPTAIN COOK CRUISES FIJI

Explore Fiji’s remote outer Lau Islands on an 11-day cruise with Captain Cook Cruises Fiji.

Outriggerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sustainable Island Resorts 74

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IS LA ND S

here’s nothing better than an island holiday, lazing on white sandy beaches shaded by palm trees, splashing about in the warm sparkling water and snorkeling on the fringing coral reefs. Spending time on an island really gives you an appreciation for our oceans, and the need to look after the coral reefs and the marine creatures that call them home – so that they’re still around in a few years time for us to come back and visit again. Most island resorts understand this and do their bit to look after the coral reefs in their part of the world. One great example is Outrigger Resorts OZONE program. This global conservation initiative is all about protecting and preserving the health of the sea and coral that surrounds each of their nine beachfront Outrigger resorts. The initiative was launched on World Oceans Month in June 2015, with a goal of planting and growing an entire football field worth of coral by 2025. The OZONE program is activated at each Outrigger Resort property through various local partnerships with government, private industry and conservation organisations, with year-round efforts to protect the environment and educate guests as to how they can contribute. In Oahu in Hawaii, both the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort and the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort have partnered with the Waikiki Aquarium to encourage guests to learn about protecting Hawaii’s sea life and reef systems. The Waikiki

Aquarium is located just a few minutes away from both resorts and is open daily with exhibits, events, educational classes, and volunteer programs for all ages. The resorts also offer an Eco-Adventure Package, available until 31 December 2017, which includes tickets to Waikiki Aquarium, a Snorkel Eco-Adventure Sail Tour, reef-friendly sunscreen, swim goggles, a mesh dive bag to help collect trash found in the ocean and a 2017 OZONE Ocean Life calendar. At Castaway Island in Fiji guests can participate in the Mamaunuca Environment Society (MES) coral planting program, which replants living coral in reef systems around the island that have suffered stress or damage. MES is a cooperative effort between the government and private industry as they work to monitor and maintain the health of Fiji’s surrounding marine ecosystems while also engaging the local community and visitors in ocean conservation. The Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort has partnered with Best Dives Maldives to put in place a coral planting program to regenerate the beautiful reefs surrounding Konotta Island. The resort’s resident marine biologist, Caterina Fattori holds workshops for guests of all ages to learn about coral reef caretaking and invites guests to take part in an on-site coral restoration project. She also spearheads efforts for creating new coral beds with reusable steel rods, where concrete tablets seeded with new coral, are placed.

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ISLANDS

Hawaiian Hotels we adore With such an enormous range of familyfriendly hotels and resorts in Hawaii, it can be difficult to choose the right one for you. You can’t really go far wrong, but here are a few of our favourites.

Join in the fun at Aston Kids Clubs on Maui. Guests staying at any Aston hotel or condominium resort on Maui can take advantage of Camp Kaanapali, hosted at Aston Kaanapali Shores. Camp Kaanapali includes a wide variety of Hawaiian cultural and educational activities including Hula dancing, ukulele lessons, beach exploration, lei making, kite making/flying, scavenger hunts, cooking, arts and crafts. astonhotels.com/ aston-family-vacations/aston-kidsclubs

Pack in the Action at Embassy Suites Waikiki This all-suite hotel is located right in the heart of Waikiki’s shopping, dining and entertainment district, so it’s a great choice if you want to really pack in as many attractions as possible. Nearby you’ll find attractions including Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Aquarium, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, numerous parks and museums and of course a wide range of outdoors activities, everything from surfing and SUPing to horse riding and mountain biking. Embassysuiteswaikiki.com

An authentic experience at Kaanapali Beach Hotel Kaanapali Beach Hotel is one of Hawaii’s most authentic and sustainable resorts. The hotel has long respected the need to protect natural resources, with a recycling program in place for more than 23 years, it now uses 60 per cent less electricity per room than Maui’s 15 largest hotels. This is the place to come to learn about Hawaiian culture, with Hawaiian music every night, free ukulele, hula, and lei-making classes and even the art of pineapple cutting. Kbhmaui.com

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HOTELS FOR Hotels as diverse as our guests ÂŽ From family-friendly suites to stylish hotels, from extensive resort amenities to incredible locations with fun activities for everyone, we offer the perfect fit for any type of family visiting Hawaii. Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it time to vacation better together? Sign up for exclusive A-List Insider member deals and instant perks for your next stay. aqua-aston.com | +1.808.564.7603

ISLANDS

Fiji has a new adventure park Kula Eco Park, in Sigatoka on Fiji’s Coral Coast, has been transformed into the Kula WILD Adventure Park. The extensively renovated theme park now features Fiji's only rollercoaster forest canopy zip rail ride – the Kula Krazy Canopy Flier – and the country’s only hillside water slide, the 110m Kula Splash Mountain Jungle Slide. A short walk from the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort which runs a free shuttle bus to the park, it also has a children's splash pool, and Fiji’s largest marine display, with a turtle reef pool displaying hatchling turtles, stingrays, marine and tropical fish aquariums. The park gives kids the chance to interact with and take pictures of some of the rarest animals in the world. With more than a kilometre of wooden walkways and bridges, you can experience Fiji’s unique plants and animals with walk-through

enclosures displaying parrots, iguanas, fruit bats and raptors. The park, funded by gate receipts and donations, is Fiji's only official breeding centre for endangered Fiji wildlife and visitors help support the breeding programs and the free environmental education classes provided by the park for Fiji’s school children. Fijiwild.com

Fiji Family Luxury at Nanuku Fiji’s Nanuku Auberge Resort has introduced a new family program, with new family-centric activities, and until March 2018, packages inviting children 12 years and under to stay, eat and play for free. The offer includes a family ‘Food Safari’ with a guided tour of the region’s local markets sourcing fresh Fijian produce, crabs, prawns, fruit and vegetables to take back to the resort where chefs will prepare all ingredients for a sumptuous family dinner. Of course, all stays include the services of a dedicated villa mama and Nanuku buddy, and for families with children aged 0-4 years a dedicated nanny. Nanuku.aubergeresorts.com

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The World’s Best Kept Secret PACIFIC RESORT RAROTONGA Muri Beach, Rarotonga, 4 Star With daily scheduled activities, Pacific Resort Rarotonga’s Beach Hut & complimentary Kids Club has everything you need to entertain the little ones. Children aged 6-12 can join in the fun, learning traditional dances, basket weaving, exploring the lagoon’s hidden secrets and discovering the nearby Motus (islets). All the while leaving you to lounge on the beach to soak up the sun.

15+

PACIFIC RESORT HOTEL GROUP Cook Islands leading boutique resort operator www.pacificresort.com

IS LA ND S

Fiji’s first Marriott opens in Momi Bay Marriot Hotels has opened its first hotel in Fiji in Momi Bay, on the western coast of Viti Levu, a rather untouched part of the big island. With 114 Bure Villas, it’s the only resort on Fiji’s main island which features 22 over-water Bure Villas with decks from which guests can dive directly into the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Interconnecting Deluxe Rooms are ideal for families and the resort's Turtles Kids Club has plenty of activities to keep kids busy and happy all day. And while the kids are at kids club, the grown-ups can indulge in a spa treatment at Quan Spa or maybe just float in the adults-only infinity pool, or enjoy a cocktail at the swim-up bar. Fijimarriott.com

A Kids’ Club with a difference in the Cooks At the Pacific Resort Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, kids get to take part in a great range of interactive cultural activities, including octopus hunts, crab races, basket weaving, coconut husking, and they can even learn how to make those beautiful floral head ‘eis’ the locals wear for special occasions. Kids can also grab a kayak and explore Muri lagoon or take a guided snorkeling cruise to the marine conservation area, thriving with marine species including giant clams and giant trevally. Pacificresort.com

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Aloha Aulani D

isney or Hawaii? Why not do both with Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa in Ko Olina, all the magic of Disney and the ‘aloha’ and real tradition of Hawaii. The resort is located on a white sand beach on a gorgeous piece of coast on the island of O‘ahu. And surprise! Aulani is not a theme park, but a 5-star resort.

Five star all the way The Aulani experience begins with a dedicated Disney Airport Transfer, closely followed by a seamless check-in, complete with an enticing kids’ lounge ready to house travel-weary children. Family suites have two bedrooms, full kitchen, laundry and all the 5-star inclusions, and of course, Disney Channel on the TV.

Water, water everywhere Making the most of the warm tropical

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days and balmy nights, Aulani had us exploring Waikolohe Valley, the green space between the towers and the vast network of interconnecting pools. We swam in every pool, snorkelled with tropical fish, meandered down the lazy river in tubes, slid down a pitch-black water slide to be spat out laughing at the other end, did aquarobics with Goofy and leaped off the pontoons into the azure tropical ocean. We also visited the spa to spend lazy hours exploring each therapeutic water experience, before blissing out with an indulgent spa treatment.

Speaking of spas The resort has two award-winning spas: Laniwai Spa with more than 100 treatments including a family spa treatment and access to the 464.5 square metre hydrology garden; and for older kids, the dedicated kids/teen spa Painted Sky

©Disney, A Disney Resort and Spa

IS LA ND S

for manicures, Disney princess makeovers or just to pop in for a healthy frozen dessert.

Food, glorious food We started our day with a Disney Character Breakfast, met Mickey and Minnie and learned how to dance the hula with Aunty from Aunty’s Beach House. The kids and I loved every delicious bite of the tropical fruits, Hawaiian local breakfast treats and American staples, including signature ‘Mickey’ waffles. There are so many eateries and restaurants to choose from and each offers fantastic children’s menus. We dined on gorgeous salads, fabulous fries, fresh ocean fish and Mexican delights.

Evening magic After sunset cocktails, there’s an evening performance of the signature show, Aulani Starlit Hui. Get there early so the kids can enjoy making leis with Aunty and take part in the other experiences there. Wonderful and talented performers told Hawaiian telling stories in the language of song and dance. No Disney show would be complete without the appearance of beloved characters and Mickey and Minnie took the lead in a parade that had our kids racing to the front of the stage to get close to their idols, and check out ‘Stitch’ up close. Another evening, we sat by the fire pit and Uncle told us enthralling tales during Mo‘olelo Storytelling. What a perfect way to end a magical Hawaiian Disney day.

Aulani is a holiday for all the family Aulani is magic. Immerse yourself in Hawaiian culture with the bonus of the fabulous Disney essence and attention to detail everywhere. From sun up to sunset and beyond, your whole family will love every second of your Disney experience at Aulani. Contact your local travel agent to book your dream Aulani holiday

INSIDER

TIPS

• Head there outside US summer school break (particularly July and August) if possible. • Be sure not to miss the fun of the Disney Character Breakfast. • In the morning book the kids in to Aunty’s Beach House, the supervised activities club for kids from 3-12 years old. The club is open from 9am to 9pm. Snacks are free and meals can be pre-ordered if the kids stay over lunch or dinnertime. Your kids may never want to leave, as they will be having so much fun climbing around the playground, hitting the video games, dressing up from the full closet of character costumes, and joining in the incredible Disney activities. And seriously, best of all, it’s FREE! • There are character meetings and greetings all day. Minnie and Mickey are there on holiday too, so you will only see them dressed in their Hawaiian holiday gear.

Fact Box Find out more about Aulani resorts.disney.go.com/aulani-hawaii-resort/ Get there with Hawaiian Airlines hawaiianairlines.com

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Fiji’s cruisy side… exploring Fiji’s remote Lau Islands

Remember that family holiday you went on when the kids spent the entire week in the pool? A cruise around Fiji’s remote Lau Islands with Captain Cook Cruises Fiji, on board the MV Reef Endeavour is a bit like that, only the pool is a whole lot bigger and every morning this floating resort is in another part of paradise. But seriously, a week at sea on a small boat with kids? Is there enough to keep them occupied? You’d be surprised. Here are just 10 of the activities that’ll definitely have them entertained every single day.

Go snorkelling

Every day, twice a day – there’s an opportunity to snorkel on a different coral reef. The reefs are all spectacular and every time you stick your head in the water you’ll see a fish you’ve never seen before. It helps kids develop a healthy curiosity into the natural world.

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Try SCUBA

Visit a village school

Some kids are ready for that extra challenge and scuba diving delivers. In Fiji kids can try scuba diving from the age of 10 upwards. As well as being a fantastic experience in itself – swimming underwater along the edge of a coral reef – it develops a new competence which gives all kids a boost of self-confidence.

Kids are naturally interested in what other kids are up to and a visit to a local school in a remote Pacific island offers a great insight into what can be achieved by a single teacher, a blackboard, some books and a room full of kids all of different ages. It’ll make them appreciate the facilities of their own school all the more.

IS LA ND S

Try giving

That’s right – giving. Take some of your kids’ stuff with you – things they no longer wear, or don’t use, or simply don’t need and give them to these remote village kids who do need them. They’ll be grateful for any clothes, school supplies, books (which help them learn English), toys and sports equipment – like footballs or a cricket set. You’ll be surprised how good it feels just to give, and you’ll make friends for life with the village kids.

Play with the locals

It doesn’t take much for kids to bond: some dance music, a football or just chasing and splashing around on the beach. If you live on a remote island where it can be weeks between visits, having someone new to play with once in a while is really quite special.

What’s SUP?

Enjoy the Lovo and Meke.

Every day there’s at least one visit to a remote beach where the kids can knock themselves out, only literally of course, with SUPS and kayaks and generally splashing around in the warm, clear waters of that large tranquil pool called the Pacific Ocean.

Every kid enjoys a good cookout and alfresco dinner. The Fijian lovo feast includes a great variety of meat and fish (and local veggies – though these seem to be often overlooked by the kids), cooked in the traditional covered pit. Served as a buffet and followed by performances of the local warriors and Pacific maidens the Lovo and Meke evening is always a highlight that is fondly remembered.

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ISLANDS

Crab racing

Somersaults

combine the lonesome, but prolific Fijian hermit crab and the Aussie love of competitive sport and you come up with crab racing – even more fun after a couple of bowls of kava. Like Gru’s Minions, these crazy crabs seem to have a mind of their own and often hurtle towards the finish line only to stop dead just two inches short for no reason at all. You can repeat the race any number of times over with completely random results. (And rest assured that no crabs are harmed during the making of this entertainment and all get safely returned back to one beach or another). Though there is a pool on board, the pool that’s overboard is much more fun. When the ship is anchored at a lagoon and the Fijian sun is high overhead the ‘pool’ is declared ‘open’ by the captain. Kids of all ages – some in their 70s – can’t resist the pull of that deep blue water and sometimes there are more people off the ship than on it – including the staff. And it’s usually the youngest that have the most creative method of exiting the ship.

Saying farewell

Though the final farewell is often a tearful event the following morning, the Gala Dinner on the last evening provides the final opportunity for one big last group hug. There’s dinner and dancing, performances by staff and guests together – little Aussie warriors joining the big Fijian warriors for a final Meke. By now everyone is on first name terms and the kids have all become lifelong buddies, already overtly and covertly plotting and planning to persuade their parents of the merits of the next Captain Cook Cruise. So yes. There’s so much to do you need more than one trip to fit it all in.

More Info There are daily flights to Nadi from all of Australia’s Eastern Seaboard capital cities, with either Fiji Airways, Qantas, Jetstar or Virgin Australia. Captain Cook Cruises Fiji depart from Port Denarau. Find out more: captaincookcruisesfiji.com

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contents 88 SANCTUARY COVE

Carla Grossetti takes her boys to Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort.

94 TAIWAN

Find out why Taiwan is great for teens and tweens.

98 THAILAND HOMESTAYS

How to have a truly authentic village experience in Thailand.

102 SIMPLY SOLOMONS

Discovering the simple life in the Solomon Islands.

108 MACAO

Marie Barbieri goes in search of Macao's kid-friendly attractions.

112 PARIS WITH BABIES

Sue White discovers that Paris is more baby-friendly than she thought.

EAT. LOVE. STAY. Carla Grossetti finds a luxury family escape at Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort is a wonderful antidote to a busy city existence.

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t's minutes after we've arrived via luxury limousine from the airport to Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast and my family and I are sitting down to sample the decadent high coffee experience at The Fireplace. The sunlight is dancing across the lawn, highlighting patches of colour in the garden before a feathery duvet of clouds is pulled back to reveal a widescreen of blue sky. As we are shown to our table, overlooking a courtyard and fountain, my husband turns to us, and whispers: “Everyone … act normal.” My husband and sons are huge fans of The Simpsons and the quote is from an early episode where Homer takes his family to Mr Burns' mansion for a picnic, begging them to maintain some semblance of normality. As luck would have it, my sons Fin, 13, and Marley, 12, are hungry and although they laugh like hyenas at the prospect of 'keeping it together' they do us proud. The High Coffee was inspired by the resort's philosophy of connection and celebration, which fits in with my family's 'no screens at the table' policy. As well as enjoying rounds of afternoon sandwiches and espresso-inspired sweets, we sit and chatter about how we want the holiday to pan out. While the boys and I want to cram as much action into the itinerary as possible – golf, tennis, yoga, swims – my over-worked husband wants to master the art of doing nothing much at all. In the interest of finding that balance between

serenity and excitement, we agree to excuse the boys from the table as they are chomping on the bit to experience the many pleasures right on our doorstep. “Would you like another couple of espresso martinis?” asks the waiter. Indeed we would. We soon catch a glimpse of our two rambunctious boys skittering off in the distance, tumbling down the lawn into the manmade lagoon, where they send a Frisbee scudding along the surface of the water. Before having children, my husband and I backpacked around the world together for a decade. I remark that I never

OPPOSITE:

Beach Lagoon Pool. ABOVE FROM TOP:

Giant chess set. A new take on high tea High Coffee.

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thought I was a resort sort of person … until we stayed in one about a decade ago. 's “What's not to like?” asks the Sa nc tu ar y Co ve Husband. “We don't have to cook water y have n or clean. We don't have to drive anywhere, or sit in traffic and we can be as active or inert as we like,” he says. After downing a few double espressos, we don our bathing suits, eager to feel the squeak of sand beneath our feet, press pause and refresh in the manmade lagoon. At first, our children seem to be missing in action until I hear the muffled strains of the Jaws soundtrack from underneath a giant beanbag: it seems they are on a stealth mission, stalking us while cloaked under a cloud of puffy purple canvas, where they have created an air pocket. There's nothing left to do but to ambush them. I swim under the water behind them, grab their legs and revel in sound of FROM TOP LEFT: their happy high-pitched squeals of delight. Breakfast buffet. It's this fluid kind of action, minus any touristy toThe boys hit the tennis do list, that allows us to just let each day unfold and courts. slip into our own rhythm in and around the sprawling Terrace Pool manicured gardens of Sanctuary Cove. Boating on the Coomera Disconnecting is made easy here as we enjoy the River.

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option to play giant chess, Foosball, table tennis, puttputt golf and a game of Marco Polo. We also join a yoga and meditation classs, swim laps at the adjacent Country Club pool and spend a lot of quality family time flopping around in the warm water on those giant floating beanbags playing classic catch, cricket and Frisbee. When it comes to location, Sanctuary Cove is prime real estate. With Marina Village and the Country Club just a short walk or golf buggy ride away, we don't need to leave the resort to eat, drink or shop. The fact that Sanctuary Cove opened 26 years ago and has not lost its wow factor, still makes it a magnet for the rich and famous. Sanctuary Cove is perched on the edge of a canal, where the annual boat show is held, and so is very convenient if you want to grab some snacks from the supermarket or ogle the super yachts. We gain an insight into how the other half live when we hotfoot it down the walkway leading from the resort and jump on board the historic Kilke. The boat, a former school ferry, is one of the oldest commercial vessels still operating in Queensland according to skipper Neil Warburton, a retired schoolteacher who bought the boat a few years ago with wife Margit. “Kilke

means 'mother hen' in the local Aboriginal dialect and Coomera means 'water' … fitting for a boat that used to ferry schoolkids to and fro”, says Neil, who entertains passengers with a few old-school showboat tunes while pootling up the river. Neil's commentary is interrupted by the deafening roar of three tinnies being driven by teenagers who seem to know the curves of the Coomera very well. “They're known as the 'tinny kids' and they are always racing up and down the river”, says Neil, as we continue to chug slowly past waterfront mansions. When it's time to return, with happily dishevelled holiday hair to Sanctuary Cove, we leave our children pin-balling around the Games Room and gain access to the adults-only Club Lounge, where we enjoy predinner drinks and light snacks. On our last night at Sanctuary Cove, we feed the children down at the Cove Tavern in the Marina Village before enjoying a bit of Gold Coast glitz in the form of a very PG magic show performed by Matt Hollywood. The abridged performance, exclusive for resort guests, sees the slick performer roaming through the audience performing card tricks that easily outwit the crowds.

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After the show, we do our own “Now you See Us; Now you Don't” leaving the children (both cricket tragics) watching the Big Bash as we enjoy dinner at The Fireplace, where an enormous wood-fired furnace is the centerpiece of the open kitchen. After enjoying all the smokey flavours of seafood, meat and vegetables cooked over the open grill, we pad back to our suite Th e Firep lace is defin and entice the children to join ite ly fo r us for a swim in the rain. We fo odie fam ilie s have the pool to ourselves and are absorbed by the stars above and the cooling drops of rain. It's a seductive family snapshot and one that will remain imprinted in my mind: the four of us swimming together and laughing in the rain as a storm crackles in the distance. It's our FROM TOP LEFT: kind of normal. Federation Bedroom. The writer was a guest of InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort.

Beach Cricket at the Beach Lagoon Pool The Fireplace Restaurant.

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from robot cafés to tea-infused noodles. Taiwan will bring out your inner-child, as Deborah Dickson-Smith discovered on a recent trip with her daughter.

s we wait for our meals in Taipei’s Kobitos Secret Garden, a restaurant themed around a strange Japanese cartoon, we’re entertained by a large computer screen that we can add our faces to, and watch our little Kobitoscharacters dance and sing. The kids are beside themselves, laughing and madly Snapchatting their singing Kobitos-selves. It strikes me that there really is nothing like this in Australia, and this is the third or fourth themed restaurant we’ve been to in Taiwan – each of them as much fun as this one. Reason enough to bring the kids here on holiday, but there’s more. Taiwan is literally bursting its borders with kid-friendly attractions. I’m travelling with a couple of friends and our (mostly) teenage kids. I’m the only one who’s been to Taiwan before, but I remember it somewhat differently. Our Taiwanese exploration starts in Taichung, an hour’s drive from the capital Taipei on the northern tip of Taiwan, and the first stop sets the tone for the week. Rainbow Village, something you’re unlikely to see anywhere else, a tiny tumbledown village, every inch of it painted in vibrant colours, even the doorsteps and footpaths leading out to the surrounding park. It’s one of the last of Chiang Kai Shek’s veteran housing projects, saved from demolition by its determined owner, who taught himself to paint and turned it into a tourist attraction. Because it’s time for 11s’s, we head next for cake and ice cream in Taichung City, first to Miyahara’s multi-storey cake shop and café, housed in an old Chinese medicine dispensary, then to their ice cream parlour, a converted bank where the kids can eat their amazing ice cream sundaes at the old teller counters. Lunch is at our first themed restaurant of the trip, but it’s more than a restaurant. King of Carton is almost a paper theme park, where everything is made of paper. There’s a paper zoo as you walk in, paper versions of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Big Ben. After we make our own paper windmill, we dine on shabu shabu, cooked in paper woks, sitting on paper chairs. In the evening, a different theme follows, as

OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

Robot collection at Robot Station. Cappucino at Kobitos Secret Garden. Taichung's Rainbow Village. ABOVE FROM TOP

Dinner at Rilakkuma Cafe. Making a lantern at King of Carton.

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ABOVE FROM LEFT:

Taichung's Robot Station Café. Lotus Wake Park. Leofoo Safari and Theme Park.

we learn how to make pearl tea – in the tea house that started the worldwide craze for tea with bubbles – Chun Shui Tang Cultural Tea House. The following day we head for Lihapoland, a theme park and water park, so the kids can scare themselves crazy on the thrill rides all day before dining at another themed restaurant, Robot Station. The café is half museum, half funky café. We’re surrounded by robot memorabilia, everything from Forbidden Planet’s Robbie the Robot to Wall-E, and we’re served milkshakes in robot-shaped jars and sandwiches in metal lunchboxes. Each day brings a new surprise and our next is no different as we head south to Kaohsiung, a 2.5-hour drive, stopping on the way for, of all things, a lesson in pineapple agriculture. Taiwan is famous for its pineapples (more than Queensland it would appear) and even more so for its pineapple cakes, which we learn how to bake a little later.

More Info China Airlines fly from Brisbane and Sydney to Taipei daily, and from Melbourne three times per week.

Where to stay Taiwan has some really funky hotels, including the Red Dot Hotel in Yaoyan which has a slide from the second floor down to reception, and Home Hotel, a beautifully designed boutique hotel in Taipei. Taichung: Red Dot Hotel reddot-hotel.com Kaohsiung: Grand Hi LI Hotel grand-hilai.com Taipei: Home Hotel homehotel.com.tw

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ro lls at Ice cream an d bread lls at ro nt d ra ea au br st d Re Ic e crToeailemt an t. an ur ta To ile t Res

In the centre of Kaohsiung, a complex of old warehouses has been converted into artists’ studios, the next stop on our Taiwan adventure. There are creative outlets of all sorts here, everything from jewellery and watercolours, to sculpture and illustrated ‘zines. As we swing between culture and adrenalin hits, the next day we head for Taroko Park, for a spin round the Suzuka Circuit in go karts before heading to Lotus Wake Park to try our hand at wake boarding (with mixed results). The man-made lagoon here is extremely pretty, surrounded by colourful temples – apparently to balance its Feng Shui. The following day, more pop culture as we head first to Robot Factory, a factory and museum, where we get a lesson in robotics and even play with a few robots before meeting some live critters at Leofoo Safari and Theme Park. This is a real treat as we enter an enclosure to feed a family of lemurs – King Julian himself – before driving around the safari-style zoo spotting rhinos, zebras and bison. Next up on our Taiwanese adventure, a day of tea and cake, as we hop on a gondola and head into the hills behind Taipei city to Maokong, where we learn all about tea: how it’s grown, how it’s correctly brewed and poured, before heading back into town make pineapple cakes. Lunch today is tea-themed, or rather tea-infused, as we’re served tea-infused noodles and dumplings at the Dragon Inn high in the hills, looking out over tea plantations, Taipei City in the far distance. Dinner tonight is another theme, in fact, another Japanese character, Rilakkuma Café, where we din eon Rilakkuma-shaped rice dishes and cakes. But it’s lunch on the final two days of our trip that top the lot. One, at the famous Toilet Restaurant, where we sit on toilets, eat out of toilet-shaped bowls and sip out of urinals, and the other, at Kobitos Secret Garden, featuring the all-singing, all dancing Japanese fairies, which look rather like evil Telly Tubbies. It’s been a crazy mix of traditional and pop culture, which the teens and their tea-loving mothers have all thoroughly enjoyed, especially those crazy restaurants.

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Sampling the Simpler Life in

Thailand For a truly Thai experience, you have venture beyond the resorts of Phuket and Koh Samui, as Deborah Dickson-Smith recently discovered.

ome stay accommodation in Thailand is becoming more and more popular – in fact demand is growing across South East Asia, and it’s not just because it’s cheap. Taking advantage of accommodation like this is a great way to experience what Thai village life is really like, farremoved – but often not far away – from the bright lights of Phuket, Koh Samui, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Having left behind a funky new hotel in Laguna Phuket, we make our way to Bang Rong Pier headed to Koh Lao, not really knowing what to expect of our first homestay experience. The pier is a short taxi ride away from Laguna, but it’s a different world. We jump on the high-speed boat waiting for us and travel back in time. Our host, ‘Uncle Bao’ meets us Manoh Pier on Koh Lao and takes us into town – town being a few officiallooking buildings (school, police station and mosque) and a row of shops surrounded by rice fields. An hour or so later we join the Mr and Mrs Bao for lunch in the family kitchen, village life is explained to us and Bao suggests a few outings. This is a Muslim

household and in fact, we learn over lunch that 98 per cent of villagers here are Muslim. After lunch, we go for a little tour of the island, an orientation, so we can work out our plan for the week. We head first to a small fishing village, then to a quiet sandy beach lined with cafes and a few souvenir shops and on to an over-water village, built around a long jetty that stretches through mangroves. We’re then shown around one of the rubber plantations that dot the island, competing for space only with rice fields. Rubber is still collected in a coconut husk tacked to the trunk of each tree, the same method used for over 100 years, with the diagonal tracks in each trunk refreshed every morning. Coconuts are next on our agenda, as we visit a small coconut plantation take our pick of fallen coconuts and have one served to us with a bamboo straw. As we circumnavigate this small island we get glimpses of the tall limestone islands of Phang Na Bay which we’re heading out to explore tomorrow, but for now, there’s nothing to do but relax until dinnertime. The kids go in search of the goats they spied on arrival and I head for the nearest hammock.

o re la xe s in O ur ho st M rs Ba he r ki tche n

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r Ko h oLaho o me Ou Ou hom r Ko h La stes aytay

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RIGHT FROM TOP:

My coconut water is prepared. Island hopping in Phang Na One of the friendly locals. Crab eating macaques in Phang Na Bay.

Over dinner we learn a bit more about Uncle Bao’s village, and about Uncle Bao himself. Bao has been running this homestay for over 25 years, having struck upon the idea while trying to protect his previous livelihood: fishing. It was around then that the large commercial fishing trawlers came into the bay and took away the villagers’ livelihoods virtually overnight. Bao tried petitioning local government to have the boats stopped, to no avail, and so took his fight to Bangkok. It was there he struck upon the idea of recruiting university students to help, and invited groups of students to his village, to see for themselves what was happening, and fight the fight for him in the nation’s capital. His strategy proved successful in two ways: the commercial fishing boats were eventually prohibited from fishing these waters; and along the way, Bao had discovered a new income stream, homestay accommodation. Homestays were established in villages all over the island, fishermen returned to work and the villagers were all so grateful they voted Uncle Bao in as their local member of parliament. Which brings us here, to this quiet little alcohol-free island, now a thriving tourism destination, far away from the madding crowds of Phuket and Krabi. Where we can spend our days lounging in a hammock on the veranda, maybe go to the beach, wander aimlessly through rice fields and rubber plantations, or take an island-hopping tour of Phang Na Bay. We opt for an island hopping tour the next day, accompanied by Uncle Bao, on a long tail boat skippered by his brother-in-law. We explore a few limestone islands, some with caves and dripping stalactites, some with white sandy beaches and at least one populated with a large family of crab-eating macaques who scramble over the rocks to check us out more closely. It’s an insight into Thai village life that the kids enjoy a lot more than I had imagined, (especially the goats and monkeys), and they’ve learned a lot about what life is like outside their suburban bubble, even where the rubber comes from to make flip flops and the tyres on their pushbikes.

Stay Mr Bao’s Homestay and Bungalows. 32 Moo 1 Koh Yao Noi, Phang Na. Email: dusit999@hotmail.com

Getting There Thai Airways flies twice daily from Sydney to Bangkok and daily from Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Connections to Phuket are pretty fast and efficient. Ferry transfer to Koh Lao is from Bang Rong Pier.

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Simply

Solomons The Solomons have an authenticity you won’t find elsewhere. Life here is simple.

hough they might seem poor in the trappings of our everyday existence, no TVs, no computers and no tablets, their islands are rich in natural beauty. It’s a place that will touch your heart, where the friendly Solomon Islanders will welcome you to with open arms. If you are looking to disconnect and reconnect then this is the place for you. Translation, not much internet. Snorkelling replaces iPads, watching the fish under your bungalow making TV forgotten, exploring Skull Island and other head hunting history better than any computer game. You can get a taster of traditional Solomon Islands life in the capital Honiara, with a visit to Lumtohopo Village, a short drive from the centre of town, where you’ll be shown how villagers cook with hot stones

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and bamboo utensils, how to weave roofing from palm leaves and given a coconut to sip through a bamboo straw.

Get to Gizo The best places to explore the authenticity of the Solomons however, are outside of the bustling capital Honiara. Head over to the Western province on a short internal flight to visit the small towns of Gizo and Munda each with their own natural rhythm. Even the inflight entertainment is authentic: you’ll be glued to the window as you head over the tin roofs of Guadalcanal’s scattered villages, over the turquoise ocean, with its shallow fringing reefs, and then the restful greens of the vibrant jungle landscapes. Fatboys Resort in Gizo provides a classic example of

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Learn about traditional Solomons life at Lumtohopo Village. Local kids cooling off at the jetty in Munda. Snorkelling under the jetty at Fatboys Resort in Gizo. Heading over to Kennedy Island in one of Fatboys' hobby craft vessels.

OAWK

TIPS the multitude of simple Solomons pleasures to enjoy as a family. The resort’s restaurant, bar and ‘day room’ sit out over the lagoon so you can get excited about swimming in the warm, clear waters even whilst you eat your breakfast. You can snorkel around and under the jetty, check out the iridescent giant clams and sea anemones stuffed full of clown fish. Try your hand at stand-up paddle or paddle a kayak along the water’s edge to the next resort and soak up your peaceful surroundings. If you want to venture further afield take one of the motorised hobby craft vessels and set out across the lagoon to Kennedy Island – named after the rather famous John F. Kennedy, who was rescued here during World War II after the patrol boat he was skippering was rammed by a Japanese Destroyer. The

island is uninhabited but you’ll find a large picnic area surrounded by palm trees and the island is circled by a white sandy beach. There’s a small shrine to Kennedy on the island, built by local Eroni Kumana, who helped in the famous rescue. The snorkelling here is amazing: big boulder corals decorated with Christmas tree worms, the fragile reefs brimming with colourful little inhabitants and big territorial damsels and graceful batfish. Nearby, the appropriately named Sandy Bar is also worthy of a little expedition in the hobby craft. A coral reef runs the full length of one side of this low sandy island and it’s the perfect place to ‘wine down’ and enjoy the sunset. Back at Fatboys, enjoy a family game of pool or watch the reef sharks just off the wharf vying for

• The power outlets and voltage are the same in the Solomons as Australia. No power adaptors needed. • Whilst not common in the western provinces, mosquito born disease is a feature of the Solomon Islands. See your doctor first for the appropriate information and be sensible with mozzie protection. • Pidgin is the common language between all cultural groups and English is taught in school. You will be able to communicate with every one you meet, with most speaking good English.

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scraps as chef fillets the freshly caught fish, soon to be served as your family dinner. With 992 islands, and 300 inhabited, the waterways here are the islands’ highways. Everywhere you visit, you’re surrounded by seas so blue and transparent that the coral reefs and sea life are visible as you skim on your way to the next destination.

Marvellous Munda Munda is another place of simple pleasures that makes a great base for some of the many tours in the Western Province. You don’t have to travel far to meet the locals in Munda, you’ll find them most days just outside the entrance of Agnes Gateway Hotel, where the market is located. The market is busiest on Fridays, when villagers from the outer islands come to sell their produce, honing in on this small centre in their dugout canoes. Munda is one of the best place to explore some of the World War II artefacts scattered throughout the whole Solomon’s archipelago. Visit the two antiaircraft guns now silent in a quiet stretch of jungle along the side of Munda’s massive airstrip – itself a relic of the war that was fought in the skies and on the seas of the Pacific. Nearby Peter Joseph War Museum has an array of guns, shells, bullets, helmets, mess tins and a string of dog tags, a poignant reminder of the human cost of such conflict. The museum is named after the first dog tag found in this collection. But then there’s Alfie’s jeep, assembled

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Th e ch ief 's gran ds on pic ks ou t some be te l nu ts fo r us llllofof emmon onesesststufuffefeddfufu Anne ! ! sh sh nfi w nfi clo cl ow

A entirely (except for the distributor cap) from bits of American army JEEPs (Just Enough Essential Parts) that Alfie found scattered throughout the jungle and in the disposal pits where the Allies buried the ‘useless’ gear they chose to leave behind. Of course, many of the Solomon’s World War II relics lie submerged. Some in the depths of Iron Bottom Sound, named for the hundred or so Allied and Japanese ships of every type that line the seabed. But there are many relics even at snorkelable depths. You can snorkel over fighter planes lying just below the surface sitting upright and completely intact atop a pretty reef – there’s one very close to Fatboys Resort in fact.

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The Honeymoon Suite at Fatboys Resort. Pretty coral reefs surround the islands near Munda. Fatboys Resort, Gizo Wildcat fighter plane near Gizo.

Imagine flying over the wreck of a Wildcat fighter plane sitting intact in a bright sunny 9m of water or exploring the wreck of a freighter over 100m long...

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Alfie and his WWII JEEP. Watching the sunset at Agnes Gateway Hotel. Learn about the Solomons' head hunting days with a trip to Skull Island.

Where To Stay

The term wreck diving always conjures up images of dark, deep and dangerous silhouettes of maritime disaster, but many of the wrecks in the Solomon’s are accessible snorkelling. Imagine flying over a Wildcat fighter plane sitting intact in a bright sunny 9m of water, or exploring the wreck of a freighter over 100m long – now looking more like a reef. There are plenty of natural coral reefs too, teeming with either shoals of colourful reef fish or, like Barry’s Breakfast in Munda with big schools of barracuda and silver Jacks.

Skull Island Another boat trip from Munda that will intrigue the kids is to Skull Island which provides a glimpse into the archipelago’s dark past of inter-island tribal warfare. There are three stone statues here too: tribute to the three goddesses of the sea who would be implored to whisk up the sea to foil the attacks of marauding invaders. One thing you’ll learn when you take a guided tour like this, is that the Solomon

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Islanders are fantastic storytellers – and they don’t let the truth get in the way of a good yarn, so you may hear a few different versions of the same story – depending on who’s available to guide you on the day. The tour usually includes a swim and snorkel on one of the many nearby deserted islands and a spot of beachcombing for World War II paraphernalia still being washed up from local wrecks. Munda’s not short of grown-up entertainment either, such as a sunset barbecue cruise with a glass or two of the local Sol brew, or the reasonably priced New Zealand and Aussie wines. Those feeling in the mood can even ‘kick on’ and head down to Munda’s Kava Bar – the local nightspot which on weekends runs until the early hours. So, if you’re over commercial tourism and ready to swap a crowded theme park for a simple, south Pacific archipelago in its natural state – this is the place, simply Solomons.

Gizo. Fatboys Resort is a small complex of one and two-bedroom waterfront bungalows, located a 15-minute boat ride away from the airport, surrounded by white sandy beaches and coral gardens. Munda. Agnes Gateway Hotel is a 5-minute walk from the airport and overlooks a beautiful turquoise lagoon. Titiru Eco Lodge, Rendova Island. New over water family bungalows are due to be finished in August this year. Honiara. Heritage Park Hotel is 4-star hotel with fine dining and swimming pool.

Getting There Solomon Airlines fly to Honiara four times weekly from Brisbane. It’s a short 3-hour trip with full on board service.

More Information visitsolomons.com.sb

MAYHAM AND MAGIC IN Macao is renowned for its UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites and enclaves, its fine dining and casinos. But Macao for families? Absolutely! says MARIE BARBIERI.

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asking 60km west of Hong Kong on the Pearl River Delta, Macao is an exotic fusion of Portuguese and Chinese culture and cuisine. Its settlements are living, breathing paintings of centuries-old colonial buildings, sitting alongside incense-hazed temples. The Macao peninsula (adjoining Mainland China) is connected to Coloane and Taipa by bridges. Here, on reclaimed land is the florescent Cotai Strip: casino central (stay with me, parents…). But Macao is no longer just synonymous with casinos. Today, it offers a plethora of child-focused attractions. Head to the Sands Cotai Theatre to see the awardwinning Monkey King show. Based on Chinese folklore, it features death-defying acrobats, magicians and dancers. And at the recently opened Studio City, The House of Magic will have you all gasp at and question everything on stage. The highlight is the mind-bending trickery of illusionist, Franz Harary. Look up at the Golden Reel: a figure-of-eight Ferris wheel with themed cabins suspended at 130 metres between towers. Yeah, you got it – you’ll be badgered to go on that. Within The Venetian hotel complex is Kung Fu Panda Adventure Ice World with the DreamWorks All-Stars. It’s a captivating ice sculpture exhibition, where kids meet their favourite characters.

5 GREAT PLACES TO EAT WITH

KIDS 1

Lord Stow’s Bakery in Coloane offers the delicious Portuguese egg tart (a healthy variation of the British custard pie).

Set in a grand ballroom within Sands Cotai Central, Po’s Kung Fu Feast buffet breakfast offers dishes themed with character names, while DreamWorks characters perform on stage.

3 OPPOSITE

Macau's own kung-fu panda. ABOVE FROM LEFT

500m Lazy River at galaxy Macau. The ruins of St Paul. Lord Stow's Bakery. NEXT PAGE:

Macao Science Center. Waterslides at Galaxy Macau.

For families with discerning palates, Antonio in Taipa Village offers authentic Portuguese dishes. A jovial serenading guitarist will have the whole family singing along. Order the Portuguese-style crêpes Suzette.

Café Litoral at Taipa’s old village serves up Macanese recipes handed down through generations. Their African chicken is succulent.

Restaurante Espaco Lisboa in Coloane is a charming two-storey house with a rustic Lisbon décor and ambience. The codfish cakes are a must.

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Getting there Cathay Pacific flies from most Australian capital cities to Hong Kong cathaypacific.com From the airport, take the onehour TurboJET ferry to Macao. turbojet.com

Where to stay

5 THINGS TO DO FOR

FREE

It’s okay, parents, you can pretend this is for the kids. The Grand Prix Museum houses winning racing cars, an archive of race films, photos and other memorabilia.

Visit the Giant Panda Pavilion. At Coloane’s Seac Pai Van Park, meet the giant pandas in their specially built, air-conditioned pavilion, with grassy slopes and pool. Under 12s get in free.

Explore the Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt at the Ruins of St Paul. Behind the bas relief façade is a tomb believed to be that of Father Alexander Valignano, the founder of the onceadjoining St Paul’s College.

The bright green Taipa Houses are museums showcasing Macao’s people and culture. Set before the lotus-filled ponds adjoining Carmo Garden – it’s the prettiest setting.

Explore Hac Sá Beach in Coloane. While you’re there, dine at Miramar restaurant. Let the kids’ Portuguese scrambled egg go down before being let loose on the play castle!

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The Macao Science Center is a cutting-edge museum and planetarium with various galleries offering hands-on exhibitions. Here, kids study prototypes and robots, test their sporting skills, and can become an astronaut, or a detective analysing DNA for ‘Who dunnit?’ mysteries. Walk or cycle through the sleepy fishing village of Coloane, home of the original Lord Stow’s Bakery. Down quaint cobblestone streets, dried fish hang from walls. Haberdasheries and tiny antique shops trade quirky paraphernalia. Babies’ cots and communal washing lines sit before pintsized houses in ceramic mosaic-tiled squares, from which oranges and incense sticks ward off evil spirits beneath giant banyan trees. And circular windows peep from the lemon and white-painted walls of the Chapel of St Francis Xavier (originally built to enshrine a bone of the saint). Macao is an effervescent cauldron of colours and cultures. Sure, it may be the region’s casino capital, but its family-friendly attractions are the real winner for all.

• The Parisian Macao’s family rooms include a children’s bedroom, child-size lounge chairs, movies and toy box. parisianmacao.com • The Sheraton Grand Macao offers two-bedroom family suites, featuring a customdesigned children’s room with craft table, DVD player, XBOX, and child-sized slippers, bathrobes and toiletries. sheratongrandmacao.com • Grand Coloane Resort has a kids’ club, and offers a free stay with breakfast for under 18s. Under 5s dine for free during their stay. grandcoloane.com • The Venetian’s split-level Famiglia Suites feature designated kids’ bedrooms and furniture. Within the hotel is the Qube play zone offering a world of computer games, climbing frames and slides. venetianmacao.com • The St Regis offers a special Kids’ Afternoon Tea experience. Treats include fairy cakes, piggy buns and chocolate brownie fingers (yes, it’ll get messy). stregismacao.com

More info www.macautourism.gov.mo

FOR MORE INFORMATION & THE LATEST SPECIALS TO MACAO

visitmacao.com.au For answers to any questions you or a traveller may have OR to order Guide Books, Maps and Itineraries contact our ofďŹ ce on;

Macao Government Tourism Office Australia

Level 17, Town Hall House, 456 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000 phone: (02) 9264 1488 or email: macao@worldtradetravel.com

@visitmacao

Oui

Paris Sue White finds the romance of Paris is still apparent, even with a baby on board.

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hether you’re a loved-up honeymooner, solo traveller or new parent, you’ll no doubt have felt the allure of Paris, and if you’re travelling here with a baby there’s good news. Babies seem to shatter the ‘aloof Parisian’ stereotype: expect lots of goo-gooing and gaagaaing from the locals. Yes, there are downsides: you’ll move slowly due to baby sleeps, and the parks, while gorgeous, aren’t ‘stretch out on the grass’ relaxing like London’s spacious parks (it’s more like “play here on this specific piece of equipment”). Still, there are plenty of opportunities for Paris plus a baby to equal “c’est magnifique” family memories.

The right approach While you can still tackle the big-ticket sites like The Eiffel Tower, the combination of queuing plus a baby doesn’t always make a relaxing experience. Instead, perfect the art of wandering: it’s a prime Parisian joy and should be a large part of a baby-friendly holiday here.

Jardin du Luxembourg and the Latin Quarter On the left bank of the Seine, strolling the cobbled streets and taking in the beauty of the Latin Quarter is a must do. Even better, the Latin Quarter is

conveniently close to the urban oasis of Jardin du Luxembourg. While older kids will love sailing toy boats on a pond or taking a pony or carousel ride, babies have some good options too. First, take in a puppet show at the Theatre des Marionnettes du Jardin du Luxembourg (40min on Wed, Sat, Sun with extra days on occasion. Cost: € 6). No bookings: just turn up 30 minutes before. While waiting, the playground opposite suits kids of all ages, including babies. (Free for under 15 months, adults € 1.20). After the theatre, there’s a wading pool and

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So many cafés to choose from in Montmartre. Montmartre's hilly cobbled streets and many stairs are not suited to prams.

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sandpit area between here and the Rue de Vaugirard entrance – a lovely place to stop and play.

Les Berges, Tuileries and Musee du Louvre

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The carousel at Tulieres. Tulieres Gardens. Cobbled streets of Montmartre. Puppets at the Theatre Jardin. Organ grinder in Jardin du Luxembourg.

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Les Berges refers to a stretch of the Seine that’s been converted to a cultural precinct with loads of free activities each weekend. Think outdoor checkers games, free beach chairs, and a fabulous local vibe (Don’t bother with this on weekdays as it’s deserted.) Les Berges is very close to the Louvre, which in turn is handily located next to Jardin des Tuileries. Far smaller than Jardin du Luxembourg, you’ll find another carousel here (much better for babies) and a nice little playground for a lunch stop. If it’s summer, you’re now an easy train ride from Piscine Josephine Baker – a swimming pool floating on the Seine (alight at Pyramides metro stop). It’s crazily popular, with queues along the hot riverbank, but a memorable slice of Parisian life. Tag team so one adult queues while the other sits with bub in the shade of the riverside bars next door.

Paris essentials TRANSPORT

SLEEPING

• There are various options from Charles de Gaulle airport into town but the easiest with bags and a baby is a private shuttle. Try Shuttle-Inter. If you’re coming from London on the (awesome) Eurostar, you’ll arrive at Paris de Nord station, where a taxi can zip you to your hotel. Book in advance (three months is maximum) for the best prices.

• It’s nice to stay near the action. Booking.com lists dozens in the Latin Quarter (great for easy outings on foot between day sleeps). Airbnb is popular in Paris, or try its family-friendly equivalent, kidandcoe.com.

• Taxis are handy for getting around outside peak hour. In theory, they should require baby seats, but drivers often don’t seem to care (or have one).

Canal St Martin All the cool (grown up) kids hang out at Canal St Martin, a 4.5 km stretch in Paris’s tenth arrondissement. While it’s not the Paris of tourist brochures, it’s a lovely leafy walk with plenty of eating and drinking stops. If your baby isn’t crawling, you could even make like the bobo (‘bourgeois bohemians’) who hang out here and drink a beer by the water’s edge.

Montmartre Gorgeous Montmartre is the Paris of the movie Amélie and endless romantic fantasies. However, the hilly, cobbled streets and numerous steep staircases make it a bad combination for prams. Take a baby carrier instead, jump in a taxi and head to the top of Sacre Coeur, where a gorgeous green hill in front of yet another carousel offer yet more baby friendly play time. With a carrier, no pram and no particular purpose, Montmartre is a wonderful place for an excursion for travellers all ages.

• The metro is convenient and cheap (buy a carnet – € 14.50 for 10 trips). The killer is the stairs. Still, it’s (just) doable with a pram and two adults, or one adult willing to ask for help. If you’re alone with a baby locals will often volunteer; if not, ask. Remember European prams are tiny: Parisians will look at your big Aussie pram with bemusement. Either way, prams don’t fit through the main gate, so hit the buzzer and say “Le Porte” and “bébé” and you’ll be buzzed through. Oddly, this means you’ll often travel for free as there’s nowhere to validate your ticket. • Buses are way more accessible, but take time to figure out. Lines 28, 38, 68 and 96 are all scenic and useful for tourists. Beware: Pedestrian crossings exist but cars don’t stop. Apparently they should, but mostly, they don’t.

EATING • There’s no shortage of good food in Paris, but food on the run is slightly trickier. If eating out, choose the “plat de jour” – a set entrée/main/dessert that may arrive faster. • While babies are usually welcomed in restaurants, high chairs are rare and prams are often hard to squish into Paris’s small, atmospheric cafés. Picnics are a good option, but remember you can’t sit on the grass in many Parisian parks. Good supermarkets include Monoprix, while delis also offer gorgeous picnic fodder.

RESOURCES • City Walks Paris (Bloomsbury). 50 adventures on foot. These gorgeous cards fit in your handbag – just choose an area and stroll for an hour or two following the itinerary and map. Lonely Planet’s Make My Day, Paris. The handy ‘flip’ panels calculate travel times between activities so you can mix and match sensibly.

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of (me) time…

OPPOSITE:

Taj Lake Palace. Poolside in the Whitsundays. BELOW:

Monique 's fabulous girls' trip to India.

MEET MONIQUE In the course of a fabulously full career in travel, this mum has been fortunate to have access to many of the world’s top destinations. Monique and her family, including two teenage boys, have experienced international cities, skiing, golf, resort beaches, and even shopping, together. Her advice and tips on ‘the good things in life’ are shared on her own luxury (family) travel site theurbanmum.com.au … and, as a coffee devotee, she knows where to find the best, around the globe!

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nce upon a time opulence and glitz was my idea of luxury – 1990’s I am looking at you! Now my notion of lavishness is the glorious glitter of time. Ask any mother and I’ll take bets that top of their wish list won’t be a new handbag; it will be time – to see friends, sleep in, follow their own interests, travel – all luxurious pursuits. Confession; I have been leaving my kids so I can travel with friends, every year for ten years – and I love it. Time away – taken in small bites – stirs a sense of self, never to be confused with selfish. Actually, leaving the kids at home requires mammoth amount of organisation - coupled with a dose of guilt.

Actually, leaving the kids at home requires a mammoth amount of organisation – coupled with a dose of guilt. The first time the thrust of plane engines lifted me away from home and my babies, I sobbed buckets. However as I landed in Rome for a sister’s wedding I began to relax; a week later I returned to my family invigorated and determined – that circumstances allowing I would make a break for it once a year. (Note: in the interest of equality my partner also takes time out – with his mates – on the annual pursuit of green ‘golf’ pastures). So where should you go to find a little ‘me’ time? Perhaps it’s your first foray into travel sans kids; or you have just a snippet of time; or you can let loose and go further afield – whatever your situation there is a destination.

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th e Sh erat on Af te rn oo n te a at g Ho ng K on

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:

Sydney Harbour view from Voyager of the Seas. Club Lounge cocktails at the Sheraton Hong Kong. Sisters having fun in Hong Kong... sans kids.

Luxury (me) time tips • Pre-arrange airport pick up (allows peace of mind and saves precious time). • Aim for an evening arrival – straight to bed and into the local time zone leaves more time to explore. • Beat jet lag, book in a beauty treatment • Start a ‘cash kitty’ to pay for meals, tips and transfers.

Short and Sweet Just over two hours after we depart a grey day in Sydney – azure waters sparkle obligingly for our Whitsunday arrival, destination Airlie Beach. Our Q Rental holiday house – chosen for the luxury of a bedroom (and ensuite) each. A mini-break routine is quickly established: long morning walks punctuated with coffee at a waterside café, yoga class or massage, lying by the pool with magazine in hand, afternoon naps – then sundresses donned and reservations made for dinner (no-one wants to cook). Press repeat and days pass in a blur of girlfriend time.

Far Flung Adventure Life conspires in mysterious ways: coffee with a friend leads to a girls’ trip to India. Ten days of cultural inspiration (hands down the best time to see the Taj Mahal is at dawn), celebrity spotting – Sir Bob Geldof dining at an adjoining table, shopping for incredible textiles, sunsets over Udaipur viewed from Taj Lake Palace, sipping tea on wide colonial verandahs, rainbow hued saris, heady scents of tropical climes and the throng of metropolitan populations. A valuable discovery of self, with new friends.

Five Star Time I arrive late, yet my airport transfer makes the journey across Hong Kong in record time – which is

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Monique’s (me) time Getaways just as well because I am impatient to begin a week of ‘sister time’. Home might be where the heart is, however my preferred place to sleep is a five-star hotel. Luxuriating in bed – without little bodies strewn amongst the high thread count fine cotton sheets – is a priceless joy. I urge you to do as we do – opt for the Sheraton Executive Floors. After we shop til we drop, hike kilometres of wilderness, sample as many culinary offerings as we can squeeze in – we welcome the convivial atmosphere that heralds the evening private lounge cocktails, take advantage of complimentary garment pressing (and lavender pillows, bedtime honey milk, turn-down gifts), dawdle over three-course breakfasts – we feel pampered (and safe) in a large city. With my return home from each trip, what lingers is the re-discovery of ‘me’, unencumbered by day to day routine – and that’s a luxury most of us can find time for…

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Accessible Hamilton Island Julie Jones finds Hamilton Island a lot more accessible than she imagined.

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TIP: Download the Hamilton Island app on arrival for information and contacts for entertainment, dining and activities around the island. More information: hamiltonisland.com.au

s a parent, you know you’ve hit the holiday jackpot when your family starts campaigning to come back before the holiday’s even over. Ironically Hamilton Island was a difficult sell when I originally suggested it as a possible destination. My husband’s concerns around the island being too commercial and inaccessible to wheelchairs proved unfounded. Being a bigger island, it gave us scope to explore many activities and although a hilly, we managed well with my son BJ’s wheelchair. On arrival, the smiles spread in a domino-effect. My daughter was in awe of the turquoise waters and excited to see stand-up paddle boarding included in our stay. My son was overjoyed at hooking his wheelchair on the back of a golf-buggy and riding shot-gun with his dad. And as parents we were happy to embrace the relaxed island vibe and revel in the kids’ excitement. We were off to a good start. Prior to children, my husband and I had many relaxing island holidays in Australia and overseas. We did little but lie on the beach and go diving. Early into parenthood we realised those days were long behind us. An island holiday, particularly for my energy-filled son BJ, needs to have a range of activities to fulfil his desire to be busy. In contrast, AJ our daughter likes a slower pace. Hamilton Island ticked those boxes for both kids. Hamilton Island is a National Park with only 30 per cent of the island developed. Exploring the island

MEET JULIE

on an ATV tour appealed to our motor-loving BJ and provided access to areas which weren’t achievable with a wheelchair. Our guides Jason and Jordan strapped BJ’s wheelchair into the back of the lead ATV which was handy for the stops at the various look-outs along the way. After exploring the island by ATV we were keen to set sail. Some sail the Whitsundays in a yacht but we settled on a full day dinghy hire. With the wind in our hair and a seafood platter packed in an esky, we were happy to enjoy the freedom of dropping anchor at nearby Henning Island. The kids’ imaginations and

Julie travelled the world with her parents when she was a child and developed a life-long love for travel along the way. When Julie's son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 5 months, she determined to continue enjoying her love for travel and pass that passion on to her children. She shares the family's travels, tips and experiences at Have Wheelchair Will Travel.

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adventurous spirits were inspired by a day of feeling marooned on a deserted island. In stark contrast to the simplicity of hiring a dinghy, our experience flying in two helicopters to Whitehaven Beach was a day of extravagance. For a couple of hours I felt like a Hollywood A-lister. After admiring the beauty of the Whitsunday Islands from the air we landed on the pristine white silica sand of Whitehaven. We then looked on as the pilots expertly set up a picnic. They swiftly popped up beach umbrellas, lay down picnic rugs and unpacked champagne, cool drinks, cheese and fruit, then vanished behind the trees, leaving us to enjoy our time as a family. It was a heady feeling having one of the world’s most famous and beautiful beaches to ourselves. Although we booked tours and ventured beyond Hamilton Island, there’s no need to. There’s plenty of activities to enjoy at the resort. Catseye Beach is home to Hamilton Island’s water sports. Using one of the island’s beach wheelchairs BJ explored the beach and had easy access to the water. Being a keen stand-up paddle boarder AJ was quick to strap on a life jacket and paddle out to the edge of the reef. On her return, she excitedly reported

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There’s a range of options including hotel accommodation in the Reef View Hotel, selfcatering apartments and the ultra-luxurious Qualia Resort. We stayed in a two-bedroom apartment for most of our stay, preferring the option of selfcatering some of our meals to save money. We had the bonus of a buggy being included in our apartment package.

spotting several turtles in the clear waters leaving me envious, both of the ease she can SUP and her wildlife encounter. Catamarans and kayaks are popular with families and lessons are available at an additional cost. We loved the beach but the swim-up bar in the large resort pool was a novelty for the kids, especially when they found they could order raspberry slushies and mango mocktails. A week wasn’t long enough for all the activities on Hamilton Island but we managed a couple of visits to the go-kart track which saw my husband and BJ trying to beat the times of the celebrities on the wall of fame. We had fun at the bowling alley, took part in a golf-cart rally, visited the animals at Wild Life Hamilton and enjoyed a sunset sail on a catamaran. As we drove to the airport for our flight home AJ used the list of activities we hadn’t managed to fit into our stay as justification for a return trip to Hamilton.

The Reef View Hotel has spacious and fully accessible accommodation for guests with mobility restrictions. Guests staying in the hotel can hire a buggy or use the accessible bus shuttle service which operates around the island.

Eating Out Hamilton has a variety of dining options including take-away, fine dining and self-catering. There’s a supermarket on the island and guests can do an online order for delivery from the IGA on the mainland. Some accommodation bookings qualify for kids under 12 years to eat free when dining with their parents at participating restaurants.

Create new family memories in the Whitsundays,

in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef!

Finding it hard to pick that perfect family holiday for everyone? Here in the Whitsundays, we thrive in family fun! Your kids will be wideeyed with wonder – with fun places to stay and a huge range of things to do. It’s not just about the kids though… imagine being on a tropical island resort (complete with a kids club) where the adults can relax and unwind indulging in cocktails with a view like no other. Check out our Top 11 fun family activities that will keep your family busy and entertained, while at the same time relaxed and happy. 1. Take a day trip like no other to Australia’s number 1 beach Whitehaven Beach! Along the journey experience the thrills of the fast day boats – Ocean Rafting, Thunder Cat or Whitsunday Bullet. You will also get to explore our underwater world finding turtles, our Maori wrasse friends George & Elvis and of course Nemo. Your final destination Whitehaven Beach & Hill Inlet will leave you with the BEST family holiday pictures. 2. Visit the Animal Park at BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort and help feed the resident chickens, goats, ducks, piglets, lambs and calves every day! There will be a brand new waterpark, the BIGGEST in Australia to be finished by June 2017. 3. Go croc spotting in the wild on the Proserpine River and learn more about the Goorganga wetlands with Whitsunday Crocodile Safari.

4. Enjoy breakfast with the koalas at WILD LIFE Hamilton Island Park Café. Bacon, eggs and hash browns taste much better when eaten up close and personal to these furry Aussie friends! 5. Snorkel, swim and splash amidst thousands of colourful coral and fish at a day out on the Great Barrier Reef with Cruise Whitsundays. 6. Feel like sailing around 74 islands? Set out for an adventure like no other with your Eco Pirates helping the captain navigate the Whitsunday tropical waters on the timber tallship Derwent Hunter. 7. Explore beautiful Bowen’s free waterpark located adjacent to the Herbert Street intersection on Santa Barbara Parade, with a ‘zero depth’ play area and facilities for all ages. You’ll also find uncrowded beaches, whether you try stand up paddle boarding in the calm waters, snorkel straight off the beach or enjoy a game of footy! On the way home cool off at Cedar Creek Falls just 25 minutes from Airlie Beach.

For more family fun inspiration visit

www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au

8. Feel the rush of Formula 1 go-cart action in Hamilton Island’s Palm Valley. Take the wheel on the exhilarating outdoor track, reaching speeds of up to 45 kilometres per hour. 9. Encounter 6 different turtle species in the waterways all year round or watch the laying and hatching of their eggs in Bowen. Don’t forget to watch the playful whales, a common sight around the Whitsundays from June to October. 10. For the more adventurous water lovers, make your family holiday a sailing holiday. Skipper yourself on your own bareboat where each day you can pick your own island to explore. Not confident to crew yourself? You can choose from a large range of overnight crewed sailing trips. 11. Nothing says family holiday quite like camping on a remote tropical island. No need to bring your camping equipment Whitsunday Island Camping Connections will look after you, you can arrange all your food provisions with Whitsunday Provisioning. Be sure to hire a kayak or a stand up paddle board.

TODDLER TR AVEL WITH SUE W HI T E

 Public transport Sometimes a great outing for a toddler is as simple as a bus, train or... ferry.

Our Toddler Travel columnist, Sue White, is a journalist, travel writer, founder of babieswhotravel.com and mum to an energetic, well travelled toddler. She’s also the moderator of a Facebook community where travel-keen parents talk tips and tricks for family travel: facebook.com/groups/ KidsWhoTravel (all welcome).

RIGHT

Sydney Harbour staycation. FAR RIGHT

Lunch on Manly Ferry.

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et’s face it – as parents of toddlers, we are highly motivated about choosing the right kind of holiday experience. Get it wrong, and everyone pays: a cranky toddler is hardly anyone’s preferred travel companion. My son is lucky: he’s already seen and done a lot in his first two years of life. But it took me a while to realise sometimes it’s the parts of travel I see as purely functional that make a toddler’s holiday great. Take public transport. If you, like me, have a vehicle-obsessed toddler, there’s almost no better holiday than one involving constantly getting off and on trains, planes or boats. Fun for the toddler, sure, but what about the adults? Sydney is the perfect destination to put this theory into practice: there are plenty of public transport trips that come with a view or end at a beach or idyllic picnic spot. Recently, I tested the idea of putting Sydney’s public transport front and centre of a few toddler-targeted daytrips. What I learned should be applicable to many cities around the world:

Tip 1: Bigger isn’t always better For our first Sydney public transport jaunt, we took the bus then a train to Circular Quay. What could be better? There are ferries and cruise ships to ogle; the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House loom nearby; and there’s no shortage of people to check out.

Ahh, the people. In the excitement of my ‘genius’ plan I forgot that for a toddler, crowds are usually more overwhelming than interesting. “Too many people” my son says, promptly lifting his arms up to be carried. Darn. I also realised that the things I like about Circular Quay (mostly, the views) were less impressive to a two-year-old than the promised train journey home. “Go on train again now?” he asks, three minutes after arriving for our afternoon stroll.

Tip 2: To bike or not to bike? Walking to and from bus stops, train stations and ferry stops with a toddler can be slow, to put it politely. Toddlers at the younger end of the spectrum will do better with a pram as backup, but there comes a point where it’s tempting to ditch the pram for a more active experience and take a bike instead. As all parents know, toddlers love bikes and trikes – until they don’t. The problem is, that ‘don’t’ might come three quarters of the way through your outing (a win), or just far enough from home that you can no longer turn around without throwing the rest of your plans into disarray. On our most recent designated ‘bike and ride’ public transport day I spent at least eighty per cent of our potential bike riding time carrying the bike while my toddler ran, walked, dawdled or asked to be carried. On other days, it’s been a winner. I’ll leave you to wrestle with that one!

Ho w long be fo re yo ur to dd ler gi ve s up on th e bik e?

TODDLER TR AVEL WITH SUE W HI T E

Tip 3: Planning pays Like many major cities, Sydney now makes using public transport simpler for those who buy a pass. In London it’s the Oyster. In Melbourne it’s the Myki. In Sydney, it’s the Opal, and every traveller over four needs one (under fours are free). While you can still buy single tickets on some (but not all) Sydney buses, the tap on tap off Opal will streamline your travel experience significantly; it works on buses, trains and ferries. You can even buy in advance online so you’re good to go on arrival. When planning a route, don’t forget to factor in the patience levels of your toddler. Even my super keen public transport traveller wanted his ferry ride to be faster. (Conversely, he complains if a bus journey is too short. Clearly for him, buses and trains are where the fun lies.)

TIP 4: Find their motivator I quickly learned that for my toddler, using a bus ride or a train ride as a motivator was a good enough inducement to leave a beach, a playground or, basically, anywhere. Yours may not be so transport obsessed, but for me, this was a great piece of information I quickly learned to exploit. “Walk a bit faster, then we can go on the bus,” is actually a phrase that is effective in my household.

TIP 5: Snacks, always

Fer ries have plen ty of space for toddlers to run aro und saf ely

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In my mind, if a toddler wants food while we are on a bus, train or ferry, the whole passenger cohort will be happier if they get it. Hence, I travel with fruit, crackers and a few other ‘go to’ food items on every trip. Food and drink are allowed on trains and ferries (so long as you take your rubbish with you) but not on buses, so make sure your toddler is snacked-up before boarding.

FROM TOP LEFT:

Enjoying a day on the harbour. Making use of the extra space at the front of the bus.

TH E LA ST WOR D

Jerry Schwartz So… where do travel industry professionals take their kids on holiday? In this new section, we ask them exactly that, starting with Dr Jerry Schwartz, director of the Schwartz Family Company which owns 11 hotels including the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley and the Fairmont Resort in the Blue Mountains. His most ambitious hotel project to date will debut later this year when Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour opens – the first new international 5-star hotel in Sydney this millennium. Australia’s largest private hotel owner came late to fatherhood, but he and wife Debbie made up for their late start with three children – son Dane and twin girls Amber and Lara – in three years. Jerry has always been a ‘big kid’ at heart and has transformed two of his hotels – the Fairmont in the Blue Mountains and Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley – into two of Australia’s leading family resorts. He’s added miniature trains, merry go rounds, exciting kids’ clubs and has even turned events such as the Hunter Valley Wine Festival (held at the Crowne Plaza in May) into family-friendly affairs.

Describe your ideal family holiday… Obviously, I like family stays at the Fairmont because it is such a beautiful place, but I also love taking the family on cruises leaving from Sydney because there’s no waiting at airports or difficulty with transport. Just catch a cab to the cruise terminal, and then fun all the way. Our latest cruise adventure has been a seven day cruise on Harmony of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale, but that was just with my wife, Debbie, and six year old son Dane. He was an excellent long-haul traveller because he brought with him all his favourite things.

Your fondest family holiday memory is… Well, not quite family holiday, but the ideal bonding story. I was part of a delegation to Fiji who were organising a medical program to sanitise the water to help reduce infant morbidity and mortality. My son Dane agreed to come with me on the condition that we went to the water park in Denarau, so we missed one day of school and went for a long weekend. He was a sensation at some of our meetings, sitting quietly taking it all in, then a sensation the following week back at school when he gave a presentation about the project and his holiday. It was a really rewarding trip for both of us.

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What makes a great family hotel/resort… When the kids coerce their parents to go back year after year – then you know you’ve created a good family resort. One size doesn’t fit all, and the facilities must cater for a wide age range, which is what we do at hotels like the Fairmont and Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley.

Every family should experience… Camping. They will need to learn to work together as a team. Not everything is perfect, but the end result can be memorable, and it also helps you appreciate the comforts of home. Unfortunately, my wife Debbie fully appreciates the comforts of home, so isn’t a ‘happy camper’, reflecting what we say in the hospitality industry: that people go on holidays to experience even better facilities than what they are used to at home.

My top tip for travelling with kids is... Preparation. When the children were younger it was a huge effort to get them prepared, but on our recent trip to the USA to take a cruise, six year old Dane prepared himself. He actually wrote out a list of items to take. This included blank paper, drawing pencils, a rubber and a sharpener. He wanted his books to read with me, but most important was his iPad, loaded with all his games. He actually wanted to bring two iPads, in case the battery ran out in the first. The result? A very contented child – and very contented parents.

Reconnect with your family at NANUKU AUBERGE RESORT FIJI

aking Fiji’s luxury resort offering to levels previously unseen, Nanuku Auberge Resort offers the perfect venue for families looking to truly reconnect while on holiday in the ‘land of smiles’. Nestled in the very heart of Fiji’s cultural and soft adventure homeland on the shores of pristine Beqa Lagoon in Pacific Harbour, Nanuku Auberge Resort’s expansive beachfront residences offer the perfect family accommodation solution with huge air-conditioned living and entertaining areas, luxurious ensuites complete with spa baths, private yoga bures and plunge pools. Guest offerings extend to a dedicated spa, yoga classes and resident fitness instructor and one of the best organised children’s programs in Fiji with free access to the resort’s ‘Kids Adventure Park’ and a wide range of age appropriate, environmentally oriented activities for older children. *Conditions apply. For terms, conditions and more information call toll free on 1800 791501, email nan.reservations@aubergeresorts.com or visit http://nanuku.aubergeresorts.com.

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