Kids on the coast

I had miraculously found friends from home who had also made the pilgrimage and we strained our neck and smile muscles watching explosions of red, orange, purple and green in an awesome display of pure celebration.

Swept up in the throng of excitement, there was just one thing missing: my nine-year-old daughter Amber was somewhere above me, celebrating the turning calendar with her dad on a flight back from San Francisco.

A few short hours later my neck strained again to mark the moment her plane touched down and soon after we were hugging and swapping stories of snow boarding cousins, American accents and in-flight movies. It didn’t take long to start planning our next few days together and after a day to recoup from jet-lag we were off and running.

Of course there are many ‘must-do’s’ in Sydney with kids: from a walk around the Opera House to the Oceanworld at Manly and from Taronga Zoo to the Powerhouse Museum. ‘Been there, done that’, and this time we were looking for something outside the square. Sydney Olympic Park was just the ticket.

It was here the 2000 Olympics were held and the precinct plays host to numerous sporting events. We had heard the Aquatic Centre also had a wonderful indoor water park, and since it was raining heavily, this seemed like a good option. A little deeper investigation and we found a ticket on any public transport on a Sunday costs only $2.50 each and this includes trains, buses and ferries.

There’s a ferry terminal right at Sydney Park so we plied our way through the waters upstream from Circular Quay arriving at the Park about half an hour later. This is where plans went slightly awry: you would think there would be regular public transport options from the ferry dock to the main stadiums but that wasn’t the case so we found ourselves walking the 2km in pouring rain making up games to keep our spirits high.

The Aquatic Centre was worth the effort. For only $6.80 for adults and $5.50 for children (4-15), we donned our togs and took off through water climbing frames, inflatables, a whirlpool rapid and a huge enclosed water slide. Every few minutes a crowd gathered under a huge bucket which unceremoniously dumped on the waiting squealers below.

Thumbs up for Sydney Aquatic Centre; just take a different type of public transport!

Day two it was still raining and a ferry ride to Manly was not appealing. When you come from a country area, where most activities are outside, it’s hard to remember what city people do for entertainment, but I remembered how I used to love the theatre! Amber had never seen a major production and we decided to splurge and attend the record-breaking Wicked at the Capitol Theatre.

Even with my wallet severely damaged, seeing Amber poised at the edge of her seat as the stage came alive with a mechanical dragon, and REAL performers entrancing her with every word was worth every dollar. When she chose to spend her own money and buy the CD of the musical, it validated the decision and the next few days were spent repetitiously learning all the words as we drove!

As we woke the next morning to more rain our planned few days in the Blue Mountains looked bleak. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Only 1.5 hours drive from the centre of the city, the Blue Mountains are a magical destination in almost any weather. First stop was Scenic World in Katoomba where the Skyway spans between two cliffs and a hair-raising 415m railway plummets down the mountainside.

We arrived just as the mist cleared and saw the Three Sisters rock formation peeping from the haze with an ethereal, Lord of the Rings, feel. Below us, through the glass bottom cable car, Katoomba Falls disappeared into nothingness.

Beauty aside, it was the steepest railway in the world that struck a cord with Amber. The ride is over before you know it and much of your stomach remains at the top. The rainforest at the bottom is exemplary and a history about mining, a mine entrance and self guided audio tour are features I hadn’t expected, making this attraction far more than just a thrill.

Ensconced in our caravan park that night, we reminisced about the day and looked forward to the next. We had chosen to stay at Jenolan Caravan Park which is the nearest camp spot to the famous Jenolan Caves. Owners Aiden and Benita could not have been more welcoming and the council pool right next door, skate park next to that, and cabins make it a fabulous family friendly resting place.

What can I say about Jenolan Caves, except I think we saved the best to last. I had pictured one or two caves with a visitors’ centre and guided walks. What we discovered, as we rounded the last bend and drove through the hillside, was a huge Swiss-chalet-like hotel and mini-village rising from the chasm.

This extensive cave system was first discovered by Europeans in 1838 making it one of Australia’s oldest tourist attractions. Yes, there were guided cave tours to each of the 11 show caves, but that wasn’t all. During NSW school holiday periods Jenolan Caves runs special tours just for kids and they don’t need to be accompanied. Amber decided the Junior Explorers was right up her alley and I didn’t want Amber to have all the fun, so I followed behind.
 
Guide Ann is one of Australia’s leading experts in platypus fossils and also works at the Australian Museum. We met her and the other young explorers, clipped our miner’s helmets, turned on the lights and entered the labyrinth for a three-hour exploration. Each child was given a clipboard with a mud-map of the cave system and their mission was to name the caves and create a legend of features as we went. ‘Bone Cave’ led to ‘Thumb Cave’ on Amber’s map and she diligently drew stalactites and ‘mites as she went.

Along the way Ann told stories of the original explorers of the cave and we even sat cross-legged on the cave floor for a round of the ‘memory game’ matching up photos of the explorers and learning their stories. When it was time to turn around, it was the kids’ turns to lead the way using their maps!
Innovative programs abound at Jenolan Caves and this was but one.

Adventure caving (crawling through tight spaces with a helmet) is a great way to bond with your teen, or if they want a little independence, the caves have just introduced 2.5 hour ‘Pushing the boundaries’ and ‘Breaking the boundaries’ tours just for teens. For those from 6-12 (in addition to the Junior Explorers) the Stones and Bones tour investigates fossils and the Animal Discovery follows the lives of creatures within the caves.

As we flopped into bed that evening (after cooling off at the swimming pool next door), it was hard to imagine our holiday had taken less time than a long weekend. The next day we would unexpectedly head home, but we had racked up enough memories to keep us reminiscing for a long time. Even more than that, the rain in Sydney had forced us to think outside the square, and we wouldn’t have changed it for the world!

For more information:

Jenolan Caravan Park: 02 6336 0344 or www.jenolancaravanpark.com.au

Jenolan Caves: 1300 763 311 or www.jenolancaves.org.au

Scenic World: 1300 SKYWAY or www.scenicworld.com.au

Wicked: 1300 723 038 or www.wickedthemusical.com.au

Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre: 02 9752 3666 or www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au