November 2019 - Adventure, baby!

Month: November 2019

Inside the Children’s Library & Family Spaces at the State Library of NSW

November 15, 2019 / Indoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Inside the Children’s Library & Family Spaces at the State Library of NSW

Step inside the new Children’s Library and family spaces at the State Library of NSW. The library opened its new spaces to the public on Saturday 12 October, designed to give young readers and their families a place to read, play and rest in the busy CBD.

Children’s Library

The Children’s Library is a maze-like space located within the Bashir Reading Room, on lower ground 1 floor in the Macquarie Street building. The Children’s Library is brimming with Australia’s best children’s books, as well as international classics.

Kids can read a book in a little nook or lie down on the floor if they choose. If they look up at the ceiling they will see an array of books attached to the roof that appear to be flying overhead.

The books in the Children’s Library are suitable for younger readers up to the age of 16. The books stay in the library so are available for anyone to read.

No library card is required to browse these books. Prams and bags are allowed inside. If kids need to eat, take them to the verandah area outside the reading room or on the ground level.

John B Fairfax Learning Centre

This fantastic room is located on the ground floor of the Mitchell Building, next to the Family Space.

Designed to inspire curiosity, creativity and critical thinking, the John B Fairfax Learning Centre is a space for kids K-12, their teachers and families to enjoy a hands-on, digitally rich learning environment.

Enter through a hidden door, through a four-metre tunnel filled with historic artefacts embedded in the walls, through to a light-filled space dominated by two huge arched windows.

The learning centre offers so many activities for kids to do, including dress-ups, colouring in and crafts, books to read, blocks to play with, magnetic word games and digital screens where you can design your own galaxy.

Family Room

Located on the ground floor of the Mitchell Building, the Family Room is a space dedicated to the library’s youngest guests and their carers. The room is designed for kids under five years of age with books, puppets, dress ups, games and activities.

The Family Room is open 9am-5pm weekdays and 10am-5pm weekends.

Kids Activity Trail

Pick up a free Kids Activity Trail and explore the library!

https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/5365_follow_the_trail_19_web.pdf

Meet Scout, the chat-bot

Scout is Australia’s first chat-bot, designed to get kids reading. A fun, interactive robot, Scout uses a conversational interface to help children discover books matched to their interests and general reading ability, suggesting a list of up to five books they will enjoy reading in The Children’s Library.

Scout is located on the ground floor of the State Library’s Macquarie Street Building.

School holidays and special events

The library runs activities year-round, including special family days and workshops for various age groups. Check their website for upcoming events.

State Library of NSW
Corner of Macquarie Street and
Shakespeare Place, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: +61 2 9273 1414
sl.nsw.gov.au

More things to do in Sydney

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Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney.

Find the best high teas in Sydney.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney.

Cool down at one of these free water parks in Sydney.

Find the best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Sydney.

Get a list of the best playgrounds in Sydney.

Find the best ice cream and gelato in Sydney

Things to do in the Blue Mountains.

The Canopy Treehouses: Unique Hotels In Cairns

November 11, 2019 / Australia, Cairns, Queensland, Travel, Tropical North Queensland / 0 comment

The Canopy Treehouses, Cairns

Stay in a treehouse nestled in the rainforest and get up close to Australian wildlife at the Canopy Treehouses in the Cairns Highlands, Queensland, Australia.

The Canopy Treehouses offers six extremely private treehouses set in 100 acres of rainforest, teeming with wildlife.

In the rainforest, visitors can find wildlife such as cassowaries, rare Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroos, endangered green possums, platypus, turtles, red-legged pademelon, wallabies, coppery brushtail possums, northern bandicoots and birds including Victoria’s riflebirds, king parrots, spotted catbirds, honeyeaters and finches.

The eco-friendly treehouses are perched high in the rainforest canopy on the banks of the Ithaca River.

There are three different accommodation options.

We stayed in one of the five self-contained timber and glass treehouses. Each treehouse has two bedrooms (one on the lower level and one in the “attic”), fully self-contained kitchen, spa bath and balcony with a BBQ and hammock. Other amenities include washing machine and dryer, telephone, DVD and TV. Each treehouse sleeps two to six people.

The bedrooms contain either a queen or two single beds, perfect for families.

Each treehouse is built on stilts, with the washing machine and dryer located on the ground level, where you can park your car under the treehouse, Up the first flight of stairs is the first floor , which contains the bathroom, living area, kitchen and bedroom.

The second bedroom can be reached by walking up another flight of stairs into a kind of garret room. Note that the second bedroom doesn’t have a complete wall (the wall is balcony height so you can look into the living area) or door so might not be suitable for smaller kids or two couples.

The treehouses are thoughtfully stocked with kitchen and laundry supplies, to make your stay that bit more comfortable.

If you need a bigger treehouse, the Bower House is the three bedroom treehouse, located on top of a ridge on the backing onto the rainforest, with valley and rolling green countryside views.

As well as the standard features of the other Treehouses, the Bower House has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, (one including a double spa).

The third accommodation option is the Rainforest Unit which is attached to the main building, looking across the lawn to the rainforest. It has two bedrooms with a queen and single beds and is located at ground level, providing assisted wheelchair access.

Guests can take a walk around the beautiful rainforest and enjoy the serenity of the bush. We particularly enjoyed the river with its abundant turtle population.

We were lucky enough the next morning to meet one of the resident cassowaries as well as the pademelons at dusk.

The Canopy Treehouses is located 90 minutes drive from Cairns.

Check out things to do in Cairns.

Find things to do in the Atherton Tablelands.

Read about things to do in Cairns.

Swim at Mossman Gorge.

Visit the Daintree Rainforest.

Catch a ride to Fitzroy Island Resort.

Swim on the Great Barrier Reef at the Frankland Islands.

The Canopy Treehouses
Hogan Road, Tarzali, Queensland, Australia.
Phone : +61 7 4096 5364
Email : stay@canopytreehouses.com.au
Online :canopytreehouses.com.au

Step back in time at Paronella Park, Cairns, Tropical North Queensland

November 8, 2019 / Australia, Cairns, Queensland, Travel, Tropical North Queensland / 0 comment

Step back in time at Paronella Park

Paronella Park is a heritage-listed tourist attraction. It is located 120km south of Cairns at Mena Creek, in Tropical North Queensland, Australia.

The park has a special story that has to be heard to be truly understood for the visinary project that it was, when its founder, José Paronella, embarked on his dream to build a castle in the 1930s.

When Paronella Park opened to the public in 1935 it was a true marvel for the day, with a hydro electric generator, castle, tennis courts, bridges, waterfalls and a tunnel, surrounded in a range of 7,500 tropical plants, that have since become a lush rainforest.

Paronella Park has been the winner of multiple Queensland tourism awards, is State and National Heritage listed and is a National Trust listed property.

The park is privately owned by Mark and Judy Evans, who bought the park in 1993 and have been slowly bringing it back to life with renovations and events.

To visit Paronella Park is to step back in time and marvel at the ingenuity and determination shown by one man, who had a dream.

On arrival at Paronella Park, visitors are taken on a 45 minute storytelling tour of the highlights of the park. At the end of the tour, visitors are free to roam the grounds and feed the fish and turtles who live in the lake.

At night, Paronella Park shines brightest when the String Family performs original compositions against the magically lit cafe building. Check the website for the String Family’s performance schedule. This inspiring performance is part of the night tour.

Getting to Paronella Park

Self drive

paronellapark.com.au/getting-here/self-drive

Coach tours from Cairns

paronellapark.com.au/getting-here/coach-tours-from-cairns

Where to stay

paronellapark.com.au/getting-here/where-to-stay

Paronella Park
1671 Innisfail Japoon Rd, Mena Creek
Hours: Daily, 9:30am-7:30pm. Closed Christmas Day.
Online: paronellapark.com.au
Get Directions.

Tips for visiting Josephine Falls, Cairns, Tropical North Queensland

November 6, 2019 / Australia, Cairns, Queensland, Travel, Tropical North Queensland / 0 comment

Tips for visiting Josephine Falls, Cairns

Josephine Falls is a tiered cascade waterfall located in Wooroonan, Cairns, in Tropical North Queensland.

The falls are an hours drive south of Cairns, in the foothills of Queensland’s highest mountain range, Bartle Frere.

There is a viewing platform overlooking the cascades and the top pool, where swimming is prohibited. The bottom swimming hole, however, is a large, crystal-clear, pool with a natural rockslide.

To get to Josephine Falls, take the 600m walk from the carpark. The walk is wheelchair and pram accessible up to the viewing platform, however there are steep stairs that lead down to the swimming hole.

At the bottom of the stairs there is a very small area with built-in benches for sitting on, however most visitors choose to walk from here across the rocks to eat their picnic lunch or take a dip in the water.

There are modern, clean toilets in the carpark and picnic tables, both of which are also wheelchair accessible.

Walking Tracks

There are three walking tracks at Josephine Falls. The main one is the Josephine Falls walking track (Grade: easy), distance: 1.2 km return. Allow around 30 minutes if you aren’t planning to stop at the falls.

There are two other walks that start at Josephine Falls: Bartle Frere trail to Broken Nose (Grade: difficult), distance: 10 km return (allow about 8 hours return time) and Bartle Frere trail – Josephine Falls to Atherton Tablelands (Grade: difficult), distance: 15 km one way (allow about 2 days walking time).

Picnic and other facilities

Take your own food and water to Josephine Falls. There are picnic tables, a shelter shed, a coin-operated electric barbecue and toilets available in the area adjacent to the carpark.

Things to know before you go

*Heavy rainfall can cause rapid rises in creek levels and currents.
*There is no mobile reception at the falls.
*Be extremely careful as there have been numerous injuries and even deaths at the falls. It will take at least an hour for emergency services to arrive if something goes wrong.
*For your safety, swimming in the top section of the falls is prohibited.

Essentials to bring

• a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and insect repellent
• sturdy, reliable footwear
• drinking water

Safety tips for visiting Josephine Falls

*Never jump or dive into water—there may be submerged objects.
*Leave the water immediately if it changes colour or the water levels rise—these are signs of flash flooding.
*Take care around steep slopes and rock faces along the track, and at lookouts.
*Supervise children closely.
*Stay on the track and take care on uneven surfaces, especially in wet conditions.
*Protect yourself from the sun. Wear sunscreen, a hat and a long sleeved shirt, even on cloudy days.
*Treat all water before drinking.

Looking after the park

*Stay on walking tracks / boardwalks to prevent injuries and also protect native plants.
*Take all litter with you when you leave.
*Do not disturb any native plants or animals – do not feed the animals or leave food scraps behind.
*Domestic animals are not permitted.

How to get to Josephine Falls

Josephine Falls is about an hour and 15 minutes south of Cairns. Take the Bruce Highway/Highway 1 south for around 75km until you reach the town of Miriwinni. Take the Mount Bartle Frere turnoff. Josephine Falls is signposted from here.

More information about Josephine Falls

Josephine Falls is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. It is free to enter the park and visit the waterfall.

Read more about visiting Josephine Falls.

Lab Kitchen Five Dock: Kid-Friendly Cafes in Sydney

November 1, 2019 / Five Dock, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Lab Kitchen Five Dock

Lab Kitchen Five Dock serves up delicious, seasonal, modern Western-Eastern dishes at a reasonable price – and has a massive backyard filled with play equipment and toys for kids. What more could you ask for?

This is a top cafe that we will be returning for, for the food alone. Lab Kitchen has a large menu with breakfast served till 3pm and lunch from 11am, plus coffee, smoothies, fresh juice and even Bing-Soo (Korean style shaved ice). The majority of seating is outside under cover and is dog-friendly, so you will find a lot of families with their human and fur kids here.

We chose: Vegetarian Plate (haloumi, smashed avo, asparagus, roasted tomato, portabello mushroom, Persian feta, hash browns, sautéed spinach, bread of choice and eggs of choice, $22), Eggs Benedict (homemade crumpets, poached egg, spinach, hollandaise, smoked salmon, $16.90), the “Whatever” from the kids’ menu (five nuggets and chips, $8.90).

The food was served quickly and was fresh, hot and absolutely delicious. The portions were generous and items well cooked with fresh produce. The crumpets were homemade!

The massive backyard is a huge drawcard for families. Kids are free to wander and play with the equipment or bring toys back to their table. There are plenty of high chairs to use for littles and a decent kids menu with fun names that will give you a giggle.