Sydney Life

Theatre Review: ERTH’s Prehistoric Aquarium

September 24, 2017 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

Dive into the past and get up close with the mysterious creatures of the deep who roamed our oceans eons ago with ERTH’s Prehistoric Aquarium.

We love ERTH’s creative and educational productions. You can see my review of ERTH’s Dinosaur Zoo here. An Australian company, founded in Victoria and now based in Sydney’s Inner West, ERTH’s works are globally relevant, with local influences and themes. They specialise in eye-popping visual effects including giant puppetry, stilt-walkers, inflatable environments, aerial and flying creatures.

ERTH’s current touring show, Prehistoric Aquarium, immerses the audience in a giant fishbowl at the bottom of the ocean and back in time, where they meet some of the world’s most amazing prehistoric marine reptiles.

Through clever puppetry and special effects, the audience is able to dive into the giant aquarium and meet creatures up close in a delightful and educational show that introduces kids to palaeontology at the same time as filling them with wonder and delight.

Two thoroughly entertaining narrators take the audience on a voyage through the beginnings of life as single cell creatures, to the first apex predator and onwards through various geological periods and the creatures who ruled the ocean during those times.

We met prehistoric marine animals (NOT DINOSAURS, let’s be very clear, dinosaurs did not swim underwater) such as the Dickinsonia Rex, who was the first complex life form that developed the ability to move, and for whom the first fossil recorded was found right here in Australia.

The showstopper was the plesiosaur, whose enormous size drew “wows” from adults and kids alike.

What we enjoyed about the show

The narrators have a perfect balance of educational and entertaining commentary. The adults and kids BOTH learned a lot about these prehistoric creatures in a show that was as fun as it was packed with facts. It’s an absolute MUST for kids who are keen on dinosaurs (yes, even though they are not ACTUALLY dinosaurs!).

While being incredibly educational, the show is also interactive which makes kids not even realise they are learning. At the start of each performance a small group of kids are selected from the audience to participate in the show. The lucky kids chosen following the narrator through the “aquarium” and get up close to the creatures.

For kids left remaining in the audience, it is still interactive, with plenty of opportunities to respond to the narrators as well as get close to the creatures as they soar overhead within hands reach.

The majority of creatures mentioned (possibly even all of them!) had strong links to Australia, with their fossils being found in locations such as Coober Pedy. It really helped localise the experience for the audience and help the kids imagine what their own city might have looked like millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

We also found the show to be highly engaging and interesting for the adults as well as kids. Let’s be honest, if you’re paying money and sitting through a show, even if it’s really for your kids, you want to enjoy it too!

Suitable for kids ages 5+

I would highly agree with the age suggestion. There were scary bits as well as a lot of language that is hard for younger kids to follow.

If you arrive early, kids will enjoy Stringdom, the new free creative play area that is inside the Sydney Opera House these school holidays.

After the show, grab a casual sandwich or hot meal like pasta from the Portside Sydney cafe inside the Opera House (they have a Kid’s Lunch Box for $12.50 that includes a wrap, donut, fruit, juice or water) or duck down to Opera Bar and Opera Kitchen for food with a view. Both have kid-friendly meals.

ERTH’s Prehistoric Aquarium is showing at the Sydney Opera House September 23 – October 8, 2017.

Saturday, 23 September at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Sunday, 24 September at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Wednesday, 27 September at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Thursday, 28 September at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Friday, 29 September at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Saturday, 30 September at 10.30am and 1.30pm

Sunday, 1 October at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Wednesday, 4 October at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Thursday, 5 October at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Friday, 6 October at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Saturday, 7 October at 10.30am and 1.30pm
Sunday, 8 October at 10.30am and 1.30pm

Buy your tickets online

Show time is one hour.

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point, Sydney

We received tickets to the show courtesy of the Sydney Opera House. All opinions are my own.

Sydney School Holiday Activities: The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket

September 7, 2017 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 1 Comment

Looking for school holiday fun in Sydney? Take the kids to see a show the whole family will enjoy – and yes, I mean the adults, too. During the September school holidays catch a hilarious new show, The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket at Monkey Baa Theatre Company in Darling Harbour.

The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket is a work by Irish theatre company Barnstorm, and is presented in Australia thanks to Monkey Baa, the preeminent Australian children’s theatre company.

What can you expect from the show? The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket is a story about friendship, told through a day in the life of two friends.

Henry and Bucket are best friends. Like all friendships, their have their ups and downs, battles and reconciliations and shared adventures. Sometimes things go badly and the pair have a falling out. What can they do to fix the problem and make their friendship work?

Through Henry and Bucket’s relationship the audience can explore what it means to be someone’s friend, and how to fix it when things go wrong. Told with humour, poetry and visual antics, The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket is a show that will reinforce the importance of friendship for viewers of all ages.

Monkey Baa are Australia’s widest-reaching touring company, having conducted over 25 national tours to 135 regional and remote communities across every state and territory of Australia, 3 international tours and over 2,500 performances, and engaged with 1.3 million young people.

Make a day of it
Monkey Baa usually has free craft activities and books inside the foyer for kids to enjoy prior to the show.

You can also get lunch at a nearby cafe or bring your own to picnic on the grass if the day is fine.

The Darling Quarter Playground is right outside the theatre, a great spot for kids of all ages although it can get very busy so keep a close eye on kids.

Getting there
Catch the train to Town Hall and walk down to the theatre or, if you’re driving, park at the Darling Quarter Car Park (weekend rates are excellent).

The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket

Dates: 25 – 30 September, 2017
Location: Lendlease Darling Quarter Theatre, Terrace 3, 1-25 Harbour St, Sydney

Times: 10.30am & 12.30pm, Sat 30^th 12.30pm performance only

Relaxed performance: 28 September, 12.30pm

Suitable for ages 4+

Duration 45 minutes

Tickets (no booking fees) $29 (adult/child), $104 (family of four), $125 (family of five) $19 (relaxed performance)

https://www.monkeybaa.com.au/shows/bockety-world-henry-bucket/

This post is a collaboration with Monkey Baa. All opinions are my own. I genuinely love attending shows at Monkey Baa and always find them to be the highest quality and really entertaining.

Sydney School Holiday Activities: Thai-riffic! at the Lendlease Darling Quarter Theatre

June 5, 2017 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 4 Comments

The Sydney winter school holidays are always the hardest holidays to entertain kids. With a strong possibility of cold days needing to be spent indoors, I always recommend families book into at least one activity where possible so there is a guarantee of a fun day out where no one is freezing.

During the Sydney June school holidays, I highly suggest taking kids to see Thai-riffic! presented by Monkey Baa Theatre Company. The show is an adaptation of the Oliver Phommavanh book by the same name.

The show faithfully brings the beloved Thai-riffic! book to life, along with the humour and pathos that made the book a classic story of growing up and trying to fit in.

Thai-riffic! is very much a tale of the challenges many kids face when growing up: the search for acceptance, struggling with cultural identity and learning to love yourself for who you really are.

Sick of being his father’s curry guinea pig, Lengy longs to eat pizza and transform his image from the kid who lives in a Thai restaurant to a cool and popular Aussie teen.

At school, Lengy tries to hide his Thai background in order to fit in. However he finds that his past can’t be escaped when his teacher sets a group assignment that focuses on culture, and Lengy’s best friend decides to become Thai for a day for the project! Through a series of hilarious incidents Lengy comes to the realisation that being Thai is actually pretty awesome after all.

Thai-riffic!, a production by The Theatre Division is presented by Monkey Baa Theatre Company at the fully accessible Lendlease Darling Quarter Theatre.

Make a day of it
Monkey Baa usually has free craft activities and books inside the foyer for kids to enjoy prior to the show.

You can also get lunch at a nearby cafe or bring your own to picnic on the grass if the day is fine.

The Darling Quarter Playground is right outside the theatre, a great spot for kids of all ages although it can get very busy so keep a close eye on kids.

Getting there
Catch the train to Town Hall and walk down to the theatre or, if you’re driving, park at the Darling Quarter Car Park (weekend rates are excellent).

Thai-Riffic!
Dates: 4 – 8 July, 2017
Times: 10.30am & 12.30pm
Relaxed performance: Thursday 6 July, 12.30pm
Suitable for ages 7 – 14
Duration 60 minutes
Tickets (no booking fees) $29 (adult/child), $104 (family of four), $125 (family of five) $19 (relaxed performance)
monkeybaa.com.au/shows/thai-riffic

This post is a collaboration with Monkey Baa. All opinions are my own. I genuinely love attending shows at Monkey Baa and always find them to be the highest quality and really entertaining.

Vivid at Taronga Zoo 2017, Sydney

May 26, 2017 / Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Vivid at Taronga Zoo is back! One of our fave family nights of the year, it’s also our top pick for taking kids to see to see the lights at the annual Vivid festival of lights in Sydney.

While you do pay an entrance fee for Vivid at Taronga Zoo, the timed and ticked sessions mean that the crowds are way less and it’s much better managed than the other areas of the festival.

In line with Taronga Zoo’s focus on conservation, this year’s light show, “Lights for the Wild”, aims to entertain, but also educate the public on 10 of the special animals they are trying to save from extinction in the next 10 years. Each light installation and sculpture tells an important story about conservation.

“Lights for the Wild” is a spectacularly interactive and immersive event. The sculptures have been especially designed to interact with a state-of-the-art wristband worn by visitors, making for a very special evening where you can become the light the wild needs (more on the wristbands below).

Our favourites this year included the new buzzing bees, the chameleon from last year that now is even more interactive (you can use your wrist band to activate it!) and a giant interactive Port Jackson Shark that “swallowed” us.

Everything you need to know about Vivid at Taronga Zoo 2017

Getting there
While you can catch the ferry, we prefer to drive and park there for $9 after 4pm. We never have any problems finding parking or with traffic either getting there or going back home again.

Pick your session
There are two sessions each night: the more kid-friendly 5:30pm-7:30pm slot and 7:30pm-9:30pm.

Buy tickets in advance
Buy your tickets from the Taronga Zoo website.
Prices: Adult $21.95 + booking fee, Child (4-15 years) $16.95 + booking fee, Child (under 4) are free.

A limited number of Blue Pass tickets are available each night and include a round trip on the Sky Safari. The Blue Passes cost the same as the regular tickets so I suggest getting them if possible. The Sky Safari DOES NOT STOP, it runs along a loop from the top of the pack back to where it started from.

While I saw a lot of people heading straight to the sky safari when they entered, I suggest seeing the other lights first to get ahead of the crowds, and taking the Sky Safari last before you go home when there is no queue.

Make a day of it
If you plan to visit the Zoo during the day before your evening Vivid outing, either buy the tickets online in advance at the same time as your Vivid tickets, or you can buy your Zoo day entry tickets at the Zoo ticket desk on arrival to enjoy a 30% discount off General Admission prices*

Please note: Taronga Zoo closes at 4.30pm and Vivid Sydney at Taronga Zoo commences at 5.30pm. If you are staying on you will be asked to come up to the main entry plaza to get ready for the beginning of your Vivid Sydney at Taronga Zoo experience. There is a cafe in the main entry plaza and plenty for the kids to enjoy while you’re waiting for the Vivid lights to turn on.

The Zoo Admission ticket is only valid for use on the same day as your Vivid ticket.

Pack food
While there are cafes open with basic food if you don’t have time to do this, we always like to bring our own.

Get there early
This is really my mantra for anything we go to! Arrive well before the lights go on at 5:30pm so you get in ahead of most of the people in your timed session. The lights are projected onto the entrance well before 5:30pm so if you arrive early you can watch this screening and then head through, check out the sculptures that are placed before the ticketed gate, and be first in line when 5:30pm strikes and the doors open.

Watch the show at the entrance
The front entry wall has a spectacular light show projected onto it that many of the kids say is always the highlight of their evening. We often watch the show at the beginning before heading in, and then linger longer as we are existing. The wall comes to life with animals and colour, all moving over the entrance gates. Well worth watching the entire show cycle through at least once.

Collect your wrist band
This year, all visitors get a very high tech wristband that changes colour over the course of the light trail through the zoo. When you approach sculptures the colour on the wristband changes.

Follow the trail
The trail winds throughout Taronga Zoo on a circular path. It is completely stroller and wheelchair accessible. The multimedia light sculptures are dotted along the path.

Recycle Your Wristband
The interactive wristbands are recyclable, but they need to be sent to a specific facility for this to happen. On your way out, drop your wristband into the dedicated bin in the top plaza (the location can be found on the Vivid map). Wristbands are free to all paid ticket holders. Additional wristbands can be bought on site for $5 each.

The light trail takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours to complete. The whole trail is extremely stroller and wheelchair accessible.

There are family-friendly and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms available for use at the entrance at throughout the trail (please check the map).

Catch Vivid at Taronga Zoo from May 26th to June 17, 2017.

Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies

April 22, 2017 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

“I can see a fairy!” the children scream as a pair of wingers flutter through the trees. We are sitting on a picnic blanket in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden waiting for the performance of Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies: Adventure to Bubble Land to begin. The stage is the lawn in front of us, a fitting location for a production about the adventures of fairies.

The fairies flutter to the “stage” and the show kicks off with catchy songs sung by gorgeously costumed and very talented fairies. The children are captivated seeing their dreams come to life before them – real fairies in a real garden! The adults relax and enjoy their children’s joy.

This is a “theatre” where there’s no need to hush your little one or beg them to sit still in a seat. Dancing is allowed, interaction encouraged. This production is a dream come true not just for kids but for their parents, too. With age appropriate content, gentle music and a relaxed environment, this is a show for families to truly enjoy themselves.

Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies: Adventure to Bubble Land arrived in Sydney for the Easter holidays fresh from a sell out tour in London’s Kew Garden. Created by the award winning artistic director of the Australian Shakespeare Company, Glenn Elston, Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies was imagined especially for a young audience after years of experience creating theatre in magical garden settings.

The storyline for the show is simple: the adventurous Tinkerbell happens upon the fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Travelling from the Dream Land, the cheeky Mustardseed, fluttery Moth, daring Cobweb and sweet Peasblossom all go on a magical quest with Tinkerbell to find her wings, learning about the different worlds they are from along the way.

Plenty of upbeat songs and dances pepper the show, with simple actions the young audience are able to follow. The fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream drop in and out of Shakespearean language which lends a poetic tone to the dialogue, but amazingly in a way that the children were still able to understand and be engaged by what was going on in front of them. I would call this a young child’s first introduction to Shakespeare!

There is no set seating for this performance, just a large space to throw down a picnic blanket to enjoy the show. After about half an hour of singing and dancing, the fairies encourage the children to join them on a seperate part of the lawn where bubble machines are set up.

There is much bubble-popping and dancing by the children, followed by forming small groups to assist the fairies in their quest to find Tinkerbell’s wings. How lovely for kids to join in the action rather than being forced to sit for an entire performance! It was not at all surprising to read afterwards that the show was developed with early learning experts to ensure it truly engages and inspires young minds and bodies.

After the show the fairies returned to meet their fans and have a photo opp. These talented young performers gave an enchanting performance that many of these children will remember for a long time to come.

Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies: Adventure to Bubble Land
The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney
Dates: Sunday 9 to Sunday 30 April
Times: 10am & 12.30pm (No Shows Good Friday/Easter Monday)
No Shows (Monday 24 – Friday 28 April)
Prices: $25 for weekday/Sunday performances; $30 Saturdays
Group price 4 tickets $90 weekday/Sundays & Saturday $110
Bookings: shakespeareaustralia.com.au and ticketmaster.com.au
Cash and card sales available at the on-site box office unless sold
out, box office opens one hour prior to each performance.

We were provided with tickets for reviewing purposes. All opinions my own. Additional images courtesy of Shakespeareaustralia.com.au.

A Day at the Sydney Royal Easter Show

April 10, 2017 / Animal Experiences, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

It’s our third year bringing Cheese to the Sydney Royal Easter Show, and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been since I was a kid. It’s a highlight day for us every year and previously I’ve written my tips for the show with a little kid.

This year I wanted to share how we spend our day at the show.

9:15am: Park in P8. I wish we could manage the public transport because it’s included in the ticket price, but it’s just too hard from the area where we live. The $25 parking fee is a necessary evil for our day at the show, and it always makes me happy at the end of the day when I have a super tired kid to know we can just jump in the car and get home quickly.

9:20am: We already have our tickets (buy them in advance for a bit of a discount) so we head in. We try to get into the Woolworths Dome to use the bathrooms but discover everything is still closed! It’s the first year we’ve been too early to get into anything.

9:30am: The Animal Walk is a fave of ours so we head there first, and line up at the first animal pavilion waiting for the doors to open. We stroll past the sheep and into the chicken pavilion where we make a beeline for the freshly hatched chicks in the incubator. Cheese wants to pat a chick, but it doesn’t open until 10am so we tell her we will come back and keep going.

9:45am: In the goat pavilion we stop to watch the goats being judged. “Why is one better than another” Asks Cheese. “Why did that one win?” We have no idea about the intricacies of goat judging so we do what any good parent does and ask her, “Why do YOU think that one won over the rest?”.

9:50am: In the pig pavilion we are a few minutes early to pat the baby pigs. The benefit of being early – it’s so empty everywhere! The downside – nothing’s open! We wait for the pigs since it’s only 10 minutes.

10am: Pat a pig time! We sit down and a herd of piglets charge towards us in search of food.They like to nibble on shoes and bare toes, so be quick with your feet.

10:15am: We enter the Woolworths Food Farm pavilion. It’s one of Cheese’s favourite places at the show. We spend the next hour and 15 minutes grinding wheat, shaping dough, watching pies back, “pollinating” flowers, climbing into the giant tractor and playing with the farm toys. She doesn’t want to leave. I buy a cored apple in a coil ($2) and a pear smoothie ($4) for us to share.

11:30am: It’s off to meet the in laws for lunch near the Woolworth Fresh Food Dome. They’ve managed to grab a prime table in the shade while they were waiting for us, which is a massive score. We all have the same meal for lunch – a cheese toastie and flavoured milk ($5) and corn on the cob ($5). Alec buys a $5 coffee then moans about the price.

12:15pm: Cheese gets restless so we head off to explore more and leave her dad chatting with the grandparents. We head into the Woolworths Fresh Food pavilion to check out the fruit and vege displays. Cheese can’t quite believe that they’re all made from food and you can eat them.

12:30pm: We walk into the Home, Garden & Lifestyle pavilion next door. Cheese climbs into a police car with glee then makes a beeline for the Artline stall where we stock up with textas each year. It takes a good 15 minutes to get her to finish her drawing so we can leave. We keep walking through the new Pet Pavilion next door but we can’t see much. The cats are behind a high barrier and a net. Better for the cats’ stress levels I’m sure, but hard for us to see anything.

1:15pm: We exit the pavilion and I see what I think is a great photo opp with balloons and the ferris wheel in the background. I beg Cheese to stand in a spot while I take photos and she counters me with a bargain: “I’ll stand in front of the balloons if you let me have one.” I say OK without checking the price, then spend the rest of the day hauling around a $20 BB8 balloon that attacks people we walk past thanks to the strong breeze.

1:30pm: We head back to the Pat a Chick station in the chicken pavilion and line up. There’s lots of lining up this year as it seems like every Sydneysider also thought today would be an excellent day for the show. The chicken display is put on by Steggles and they ply us with merchandise. It’s a bit awkward being vegetarian and just wanting to pat a chicken, not eat one.

1:45pm: We finally make it to the front of the line and meet the chicks. They’re only three days old and cheeping like mad. I hope we don’t freak them out too much. The photographer is super kind and not only takes a really lovely photo on her own camera that gets emailed to us and sent to their print station for free printing but also takes one on my camera too. You can never have enough photos with everyone in them.

2pm: Lining up again, this time at the Farmyard Nursery. The line moves quickly though and we are in the nursery buying a $1 cup of animal feed before too long. The pavilion is absolutely jam packed with people – so many it’s literally impossible to move without running into people, sheep, goats or chickens. The big goats are aggressive and freak Cheese out. We run interference for her so she can feed the smaller animals that don’t headbutt.

Cheese just wants to hug everything – no goat or chicken is free from her hugs this year, even though I’m sure they wish they were.

2:30pm: We keep going on the animal walk through the dairy pavilion and to the horses. We see cute calves, cows being blowdried and and majestic horses being led past.

3pm: It’s showbags time! The pavilion is teaming with people and I pick up Cheese so she can see the displays above the heads. I know it’s a better idea to get the showbags first and then dump them in a locker for the day, but the anticipation of the show bags being at the end of the day is just too much fun to do it any other way. We have a two showbag rule each year. Cheese likes the character bags and chooses two very expensive bags filled with various types of plastic and paper: The Littlest Pet Shop ($28) and the Tokidoki bag ($26).

3:30pm We sit down at the dog pavilion for some rest. Cheese empties out her showbags to play with while we watch the dogs being judged. It’s a blissful half hour watching shiny dogs trotting past. We need more food so delve into the snacks that I had brought with us – pistachios and Vita-weats with Vegemite, and drink our water that we brought in refillable bottles. It’s crazy hot so I buy us a Gaytime ($4) and chocolate Paddle Pop ($3) to share.

4pm: We are all shattered and decide to hobble back to the car. My Fitbit tells me I did about 11K steps but honesty it feels like more! We’ve spent the whole day here and I still feel like there is more to see than we were able to get around to.

4:15pm In the car we are happy we forked out the $25 for an easy trip home. Cheese says, “That was the best day I’ve ever had!” which makes the sore feet, empty wallet and crowd navigating all worth it.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is on at Sydney Olympic Park until Wednesday, April 18, 2017.

1 Showground Rd, Sydney Olympic Park
Online

We received media passes to attend the Sydney Royal Easter Show. All opinions are my own.

Diary of a Wombat by Monkey Baa Theatre Company

April 4, 2017 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

A mischievous wombat called Mothball has stolen our hearts. While we have known Mothball for years through the multi award-winning picture book, Diary of a Wombat, seeing her live before us on stage really makes this iconic wombat a real, three-dimensional character that we can dream of cuddling, tickling and rousing on for her naughty behaviour.

Monkey Baa Theatre Company has lovingly brought Mothball to life in their new production Diary of a Wombat, which is based on the book of the same name by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley.

If you’re new to the story, Diary of a Wombat is the perfect way for kids to meet Mothball, the naughtiest wombat in Australia. She’s a bit bored of her daily routine, so goes on a little adventure to find food and shelter, creating absolute chaos for the humans who happen to live nearby.

The show follows the same simple storyline as the book. Each day of the week, Mothball destroys doormats, bins and washing lines in her search for happiness. Through her busy schedule of sleeping, scratching and generally disturbing the peace, Mothball discovers that humans will do pretty much anything for a big of peace and quiet!

This gorgeous production is everything a performance for kids should be. It has a quiet poetry about it, with almost no dialogue and the only sound for the most part being the exquisite live cello that joins the characters on stage.

There are moments of quiet, joy, chaos and humour – a wide range of emotions beautifully communicated through the expressive wombat puppet paired with its emotive cello accompaniment.

According to my five-year-old reviewer, “The show is really funny. I like when she scratched and dug a hole in the door, and when she turned around and you could see her bum.” There you have it, from the mouths of babes: this show is a winner for the little kid theatre set.

Diary of a Wombat was created by Monkey Baa Director, Eva Di Cesare, with a team of artists including Puppetry and Movement Director, Alice Osborne (the Puppetry & Movement Director on War Horse 2012/13), Designer Imogen Ross (Hitler’s Daughter) and accomplished composer/cellist, Oonagh Sherrard.

You can catch Diary of a Wombat on its national tour, where it will be performed in 59 venues. Get all the tour dates online.

If you’re in Sydney, the show is playing during the school holidays at the Lendlease Darling Quarter Theatre: 18 – 24 April / 27 May

Time: 10.30am & 12.30pm
Relaxed performance 20 April, 12.30pm
Suitable for ages 3+
Duration: 45 minutes
Tickets: (no booking fees)
$29 (adult/child), $104 (family of four), $125 (family of five), $25 each (groups 10+) $19 (relaxed performance)

Get more info on Diary of a Wombat

Produced in conjunction with the Monkey Baa Theatre Company. We genuinely love this company and the performance. Show stills thanks to Heidrun Lohr.

Sydney’s Best Beaches: Clifton Gardens Beach, Baths & Playground, Mosman

March 28, 2017 / Beaches, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 2 Comments

Yet another stunning beach in Sydney! Clifton Gardens is a suburb in Mosman, on Sydney’s north shore. The beach is where the suburb meets the sea, and it’s a gorgeous little secret that the locals have kept well for years.

Clifton Gardens Mosman

Clifton Gardens Reserve features a gorgeous, sheltered beach, including a section with a shark net. There are minimal waves, making it perfect for kids. Large trees offer plenty of shade and there are BBQs available as well as picnic tables with shelter. As well as having plenty of facilities, Clifton Garden is one of the most beautiful beaches in or near Mosman.

On the northern side of the beach is Bacino Café, offering coffee, juice and snacks. We brought out own and set up a picnic underneath the trees and next to the large, sheltered playground.

The beach has a big block of bathroom amenities for public use.

Clifton Gardens Parking

Driving is the easiest way to get to Clifton Gardens, but be warned that the metered parking is extremely expensive. On a Sunday it cost us $20 for three hours parking. If you can park further up on Morella Road parking is free, but it’s a bit more difficult if you have a kid in tow.

There is a flat path to ride scooters and bikes, and a walking trail from the south end of the beach that leads up into the bush-covered headlands and gives amazing views of the harbour. The view plus calm waters are the reason people flock to Clifton Gardens in Sydney!

Clifton Gardens Beach (often misspelled as Cliffton Gardens or Clifton Beach NSW)
Get directions
If you are travelling by bus, the best way to get there is by bus number 228 which stops near the entrance or alternative take bus number 233, 238 or 247.

Want to see more Mosman beaches Sydney? Try Chinamans Beach (click here for info)

Looking for more Sydney beaches to visit? Click on over here.

Get more info on Mosman parks here.

Easter in Sydney 2017

March 28, 2017 / Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

I have to be honest, I call Easter the “chocolate holiday” and it’s my absolute favourite time of year, because I can eat ALL THE CHOCOLATE and have zero guilt about it. I also really love that Sydney puts on so many really fun events for families to enjoy and I can pretend that we’re doing them all for the kid.

With the exception of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, all these activities tend to sell out so I highly recommend booking in advance!

The Great CP Egg Hunt
We love this annual Easter Egg hunt! A long-running favourite for Sydney-siders, kids follow a trail map around Centennial Park on a series of challenges to get to the end and claim their sweet prize (hint: it’s from Darryl Lea!). The focus of the five activities on the trail is getting kids active outdoors with old fashion activities such as egg hunts and egg and spoon races. Bring your camera for a family pic with the Easter Bunny and Easter Bilby at the end. The hunt sells out every year so book in fast.

Age: All ages
Location: Learning Centre, Education Precinct, Dickens Drive, Centennial Park. Please see location map below.
Times: Choose your start time between 9.30 am–2.45 pm. Please come at your pre-allocated start time. The course will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.
Cost: $17.50 per map. Prizes and photos will only be available for Children with Trail Maps.
Dates: Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 April
More info: centennialparklands.com.au/whatson/events/the_great_cp_egg_hunt

The Australian Museum Egg Hunt
Take the family to the Australian Museum for a family EGG-stravaganza! Pick up a trail map and search for Australian animals and their eggs in the Museum galleries.

Age: 4 – 12
Location: 1 William St, Sydney
Time: 10am-2pm
Cost: $13 Members child or limited early-bird price; $15 Non-Member child. Adults are free after general admission.
Date:15 April 2017 and 16 April 2017
More info: australianmuseum.net.au/event/school-holidays

The Great Garden Egg Hunt
The stunning Royal Botanic Garden Sydney are the home of a fun Easter Egg Hunt where children will follow their trail map around the gardens and complete five activities along the way. There is a a photo opp with the Easter Bunny at the end.

Age: 3 – 8
Location: The Band Lawn, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Times: Start times staggered every 15 minutes between 9:30 AM and 2:45 PM. The course will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Cost: $17.50
Date: Saturday 15 April
More info: rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/whatson/egg-hunt

Egg-cellent Easter Trail: Vaucluse House
This is Easter, old school! We felt like we’d stepped back in time enjoying traditional Easter activities from egg rolling to egg-and-spoon racing, as well as vintage sports and craft, at historic Vaucluse House. At the end of the activities kids can claim your chocolate treat before exploring the gardens, meeting the farmyard animals, and sitting down for a picnic lunch on the lawn. The tearoom is open for a splurgy Easter lunch, including their high tea menu.

Age: 5+
Location: Vaucluse House, Wentworth Road, Vaucluse
Times: 11.30AM–12.30PM, 1PM–2PM and 2.30PM–3.30PM
Cost: $15
Date: Sunday 16 April
More info: sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/events/great-egg-hunt-vaucluse-house

Egg-cellent Easter Trail: Elizabeth Farm
Explore Elizabeth Farm on an Easter-inspired kids trail. Try your hand at traditional Easter activities from egg rolling to egg-and-spoon racing, as well as vintage sports and craft, then claim your chocolate treat. After the trail, spread out on the lawn and enjoy a home-packed picnic or treats from the tearooms.

Age: 5+
Location: Elizabeth Farm, 70 Alice St, Rosehill,
Times: 11.30AM–12.30PM, 1PM–2PM and 2.30PM–3.30PM
Cost: $15
Date: Sunday 16 April
More info: sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/events/egg-cellent-easter-trail-elizabeth-farm

Sydney Royal Easter Show
One of our fave events of the year! My family has been attending the Sydney Royal Easter show not just since I was a kid, but since my mum was a kid! it’s Australia’s largest annual event and attracts over 800,000 every year. The Sydney Royal Easter Show has been held annually at Easter since 1823 and is the perfect way for city kids to learn about the country through fourteen days of agricultural competitions, animal experiences, live entertainment, carnival fun and eating lots of delicious food. It’s a crazy, busy and expensive day, but we absolutely love it. Get my tips from 2016 and 2015 on how to have an amazing time at the show.

Age: All ages
Location: Sydney Olympic Park
Times: 9am-9:30pm
Cost: Ticket deals available online
Dates: 6-19 April
More info: eastershow.com.au

Grounds of Alexandria Kids Easter Egg Hunt
The Grounds is busy every day of the year, so you can imagine the chaos of a free Easter egg hunt! While the event is chaotic and I certainly wouldn’t take a littlie there or a stroller, it’s a lot of fun. The staff lay out literally thousands of eggs for kids to find. There were so many eggs the year we went that people were treading on them. The Grounds also has delicious Easter-themed treats in the lead up (their hot cross buns are so good), a massive chocolate Easter Egg to see and potentially eat when it is cracked open on Easter Sunday, and a whole host of fun workshops for kids over the entire school holidays.

Age: All ages
Location: The Grounds of Alexandria, 7a/2 Huntley St, Alexandria
Time: 8:30am
Cost: Free
Date: Saturday 15th April
More info: thegrounds.com.au/Spaces/easter

Easter Family Fun Day
An all-age event in Penrith will see over 6,000 eggs hidden for kids to discover. Enjoy face painting, animal farm and interactive games or get dizzy on the carnival rides: an Unlimited Rides Pass is $12 online or $15 on the day.

Age: All ages
Location: ImagineNations Church, 1 Simeon rd, Orchard Hills
Time: 10:30am-2:30pm
Cost: Easter egg hunt is free.
Date: Good Friday, April 14th
More info: inchurch.com.au/easter

Additional images courtesy of the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens and the Australian Museum.

Travel Guide: Visiting UNESCO World Heritage Site Cockatoo Island

March 13, 2017 / Historical Sydney, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Sydney’s history hides itself in plain sight. Scattered around the sparkling harbour and lush bush are pieces of a past that was built on the backs of convicts sent to the colonies to pay for their crimes committed far across the ocean.

It’s easy to forget the past when you’re faced with the present and future. Sydney is a vibrant city renowned for its pristine beaches, foodie scene and wildlife – but scratch beneath the surface a little and you’ll find two hundred years worth of history ready to be explored by the next generation.

Cockatoo Island is one such place that is sitting right there in the middle of Sydney Harbour, rich with the past and full of tales to tell. Before the First Fleet arrived at our shores, the island was frequented by sulphur-crested cockatoos and the Eora people, Aboriginals from Sydney’s coastal region. They called the island Waremah and would have used it as a base to fish from, making their canoes from the bark of the red gum forests that once covered the island hill.

In 1839 the Governor of the colony of New South Wales, Sir George Gipps, chose Cockatoo Island as the site of a new penal establishment and put convicts to work building prison barracks, a military guardhouse and official residences – a rather less idyllic island life than the previous residents had enjoyed.

In the 175 years that follow, the island is used as a jail for “the worst of the worst”, a graving dock, a site for a girls’ reformatory, and a major shipbuilding site.

After the closure of the last ship dockyard in 1992 the island lay dormant until the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust restored the island and opened it to the public in 2007.

Since its reopening it has been used as a site for major films (see below for more details), events and art exhibitions, as well as a place for Sydney’s locals and visitors alike to discover the forgotten tales of its former residents.

In 2010 Cockatoo Island, together with 10 other historic convict sites in Australia, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, ensuring its stories will be preserved for all future generations to learn from.

A visit to Cockatoo Island is perfect for the whole family, for people of all ages and abilities. It can be as relaxing or active as the participants in your group want it to be. We visited with our very active five-year-old and have plenty of tips for those visiting with a similarly energetic party!

Bring the scooter
The island has plenty of flat cement ground for kids to scoot everywhere on. While we were reading the fine details on the history of the island, the kid was scooting off a storm and having the time of her life. There was no complaining about tired legs or being bored, just one very happy scooting child.

Pick up a kids’ activity pack
Ask at the Visitor’s Centre when you get off the ferry for a free kids’ activity pack. It sends kids on a treasure hunt around the island in a quest to find various clues and complete activities that engage them in the history of the island. Love it when you can blend education with some fun.

Break for lunch
You’re free to bring your own picnic lunch and enjoy it on the island, but we really enjoyed our late breakfast from Societe Overboard, one of the two cafes on Cockatoo Island. Societe Overboard is right near the ferry terminal and serves breakfast plus lunch items (we ordered the Brekky Roll for $9.50 and the Euro Bruschetta for $16.50).

The second cafe is the Marina Café & Bar which is located just a short stroll through the Dogleg Tunnel from the main ferry wharf or through the Main Tunnel from the campground. Their menu offers pizza, nachos, toasted wraps and more, including vegetarian options.

Stay the night
While there is comfortable accommodation available in the gorgeous heritage housing, the most fun to be had is glamping overnight in a tent with a killer view! The Cockatoo Island staff set up the tent and bedding, even providing toiletries from Appelles Apothecary.
All glampers have access to hot showers and communal camp kitchen with ten BBQ areas, fridges, microwaves and a boiling water system.

Imagine life as a convict
The Convict Precinct on Cockatoo Island is a lesson in the harsh living conditions and deprivations endured in prison labour.

Convicts were put to work quarrying stone, building prison barracks, a military guardhouse, granary silos and official residences, forged their own prison bars and constructed the Fitzroy Dock with their bare hands, often waist deep in water and shackled with leg irons. It’s easy to imagine the despair faced by the convicts who lived in appalling conditions on the island when you see first hand the brutal life they endured.

Escape to the past down (kinda creepy) tunnels
There are two tunnels that cut through the middle of the island, Tunnel 1 and the Dogleg Tunnel. Both were built in 1915 to facilitate the movement of workers and materials from one side of the island to the other, and were later modified to become air-raid shelters during World War II. The Dogleg tunnel is seriously spooky as it has a giant kink in the middle (the “dogleg” for which it is named) so when you enter the 180m tunnel you can’t see where it ends.

Take in the view
Walk up the hill or steep stairs (your Fitbit will thank you for it later) to Biloela House for stunning views of Sydney Harbour.

The sandstone house was built in 1841 and intended for the island’s Superintendent, hence the gorgeous location and building. If you have time (and patient children) go inside Biloela House to check out the Shipyard Stories exhibition.

Leave the kids in solitary confinement
I kid, I kid! Seriously though, a brief look into these cells where prisoners were kept as punishment will give you and the kids a very quick education in how bad it would have been to be a convict on the island.

Get a glimpse at Australia’s naval history
Cockatoo Island was also the site of one of Australia’s biggest shipyards that operated between 1857 and 1991. A walk through the yard will leave you in awe at the pure size and scale of the ships built here – and the cranes are always a favourite with the kids.

Play a game of chess
A life-size chessboard is set up near the ferry terminal for anyone to play – it’s the perfect way to teach young ones the rudiments of the game.

Spot movie filming locations
In 2008 X-Men Origins: Wolverine was filmed on Cockatoo Island. If you look carefully you’ll be able to see the remnants of the film set where the island was used as Stryker’s laboratory and a “mutant containment area.”

Cockatoo Island was also transformed into Japan’s most notorious Prisoner-Of-War camp Naoetsu during the 2013 filming of Angelina Jolie’s film, Unbroken.

Want to know more about Cockatoo island? I highly suggest dropping by on Sunday March 26 to enjoy their open house event, a rare opportunity to take a sneak a peek inside the heritage houses and apartments.

Getting to Cockatoo Island
Catch the F3 or F4 ferry directly to the island. Our big tip is to use the unlimited travel on public transport for $2.50 on a Sunday.

Learn more about visiting Cockatoo Island online.