While Hinze Dam is best known as the Gold Coast’s water supply, many are surprised when they visit and take in its stunning hinterland setting, with onsite View Café taking prime position to capture the breathtaking vistas. Add to this the state of the art information centre, dam wall walk, picnic grounds, pathways, fishing coves and mountain bike trails, and you’ve got yourself a great spot for locals and tourists.
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7 end of Summer Gold Coast activities for families
Did you know that there are only 4 weekends left of this Summer!? Before we know it, Winter will be here so we are packing in family activities each week before the weather changes. To help you and family to make the most of the next few weekends, I’ve rounded up a list of activities to enjoy. Hopefully some of these are just as fun for you as they are for your little ones!
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The Faerie Park, Merrimac
Do you have a little one fascinated by fairies?? Hidden away in the suburbia of Merrimac, lies a little playground that encourages imaginative play in children of all ages. The Faerie Park on first glance doesn’t look as enticing as some of the newer playgrounds with all their fancy play equipment, but take a moment to look a little closer and see what you can find… perhaps a troll, a goblin or even a faerie!
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Keeping family traditions at Christmas
Making family traditions at Christmas time is one of my favourite things – it really helps us to remember the true spirit of Christmas and not get swept up in the spending of money and general craziness of the season. I've compiled a list of some of my favourite traditions, and am sharing a bit about our family Christmas tradition too.
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A family holiday on Lord Howe Island
According to Sir David Attenborough, Lord Howe Island is "so extraordinary it is almost unbelievable". What surprised me about Lord Howe was how family friendly everything was, even though families make up a small percentage of their visitors. Never have I felt so safe while I was on holiday, swam at beaches so clean and calm, and felt a community so relaxed and engaged with their tourists. Here's my review and tips for families travelling to Lord Howe Island.
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Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre & Nature Play
Just 30 minutes north of the Gold Coast lies Brisbane City Council’s Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre, and Queensland’s first nature play space for kids! With an interactive self-guided experience, visitors young and old can learn about the forest and all the animals that live there. Fly over the forest in a virtual reality experience, check out the night time forest audio visual experience and catch frogs in an interactive floor projection. Once you’re finished at the Discovery Centre, kids can get back to nature in the water play, climbing features, discovery trails and sculptural artworks of the Nature Play space.
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The Historic Rivermill
One of our favourite Gold Coast adventures is a visit to the Historic Rivermill! Nestled in the picturesque Mt Nathan Shire, it’s only 10 minutes inland from Nerang and a VERY popular spot with families. The Rivermill is part café, part animal farm and part museum (a small one), meaning it’s a great way to spend a few hours and occupy a variety of age groups.
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Baby sensory at home
My favourite things to do on our days at home in the first 6 months with a new baby were some easy DIY baby sensory activities! Here are some of my favourites.
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‘Teddy bear’s picnic’ First birthday party theme
This was such a fun party to plan, and the teddy bear picnic theme is perfect for a first birthday. With most children this age still crawling, toys on picnic blankets and cuddly teddy bears are perfect! This makes for a great morning or afternoon tea party, and the colours can be easily adapted to suit your taste.
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Favourite apps to make parenting easier
While our parents were largely in the parenting ‘wilderness’ and had to go off advice handed down from well-meaning grandparents of a different generation, parents today are lucky to have access to advice, research and tools - all in the palm of their hand. There are so many great apps developed to help with all elements of parenting and life, these are some of my favourites!
