Rail lands, Mount Gambier for kids

I love what Mount Gambier has done with their old rail lands. It is amazing, in particular the nature playground they have created. Kids love it!

I love that they have retained most of the old buildings and incorporated the railway tracks into the landscaping design. 

There are some wonderful sculptures throughout, my favourites are the stumpy tail lizard by Ant Martin, and the animals carved into the rocks amongst the man made creek. Sam Wass' limestone carvings, the frog and wombat are highlights too.

There's an onsite cafe, to keep the coffee lovers happy and the Wehl Street Homestyle bakery right next to the park with a shopping centre on the other side. I actually took the kids into the shopping centre, bought Wendys for lunch and they ate it in the rail lands. 

Mount Gambier has some fantastic play areas for kids, this is one of our new favourites. 

I wish our council would do something fabulous like this with our rail lands.

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Goodbye summer holidays, hello school!

I am so ready for the kids to go back to school, that this last week of school holidays cannot go quickly enough.

At the end of school last year, I wondered how the hell was I going to get through the next six weeks without losing my marbles all over the shop. I might jinx myself here, one week out from the most peace I have had in the last 7 years, but I survived, hanging by a thread.

I speak too soon, because book day is on Wednesday, and I've yet to cover two lots of school books. I have three rolls of contact, which I know wont be enough, waiting in the wings writing desk. Why do I get nervous just uttering that word? Contact. I can feel the frustration of crinkly lines already. Last year Isabel was lucky enough to have a teacher who supplied plastic sleeves. I wait with fingers crossed.

That aside I am a little excited for Summer's first day. How gorgeous! I won't be the emotional mother, I will be the mother leaving burnt rubber marks in the carpark, in a hurry to leave! Good luck with that one Miss Newsom! 

I've recently donned Summer with the nickname of Jonah from Tonga. for the lovely way she calls everyone a 'dickhead', when she gets upset with them. I am hanging on the hope, and I know it's true, that she is an angel for other people, which is the most important thing. Most kids are the same.

I left an arm and a leg at the shops a couple of weeks ago, buying clothes, hats, drink bottles and backpacks. I will be applying for disabilty at the end of the week, when I leave my other limbs at the school front office for school fees, when I pick up the books.

We did have a great Summer holiday break. The best thing we did was buy them a pool for Christmas, it has been well used and loads of fun had. 

We've had more visits during the day with Granny at the old folks home. The residents actually loved seeing the kids, commenting they don't see enough little people. Bit sad really. 

We spent heaps of time going here and there, meeting up with family and friends. We really didn't have too many lazy days really. My lazy days are coming up. Who knows what is in store for me, as the kids both go off to school. 

I do know I will be starting to walk everyday, I need to lose the summer holiday flab, it's crept up on me. 

I am going to enjoy the time to myself at first and am wondering how long it takes me to get bored with myself. I am looking forward to seeing where this year takes me.

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A weekend at the Adelaide Shores resort

My place in time #89 This place is for sale

One hundred kilometres into our drive to Adelaide, we come across Larry the Lobster, in Kingston SE. This is the Big Lobster that radio hosts Hamish and Andy have been raising money for. Larry is in need of some fixing up. The popular tourist attraction is also up for sale, along with the building behind it, that used to be a cafe and souvenir shop. This would be a great investment for the right person. Hell, even I am tempted! There is always tourists there taking photos, and with the influx of overseas tourists coming into South Australia right now, it is a shame it isn't open.

The weather was glorious in Adelaide. We stayed at the Adelaide Shores Resort in West Beach. It is a fabulous resort for families, and our holiday villa was awesome, and great value for money ($250 for two nights), with two bedrooms and a kitchen. 

I would stay here again in a heart beat. I could even let the kids play in the playground while I watched them out the kitchen window while I cooked dinner (and sipped wine).

The beach was a stones throw away for a pre-dinner stroll, and the kids loved the heated outdoor pool. It was strange, we drove four and a half hours and the kids were swimming outdoors, after a six degree day earlier in the week, back home.

The resort is close to the Adelaide airport. Watching, and hearing, the planes take off so close, was a novelty for us. The noise did not bother us at all, and didn't affect our sleep, which we were a bit worried about. 

If you had kids that were obsessed with planes, they'd think it was Christmas.

week 28 Smile - #fmy52weeksofmemories

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The Tantanoola caves - school holiday jaunts

My place in time #52 - This place has been here my whole life

I was out doing the big fortnightly grocery shop last Monday when I bumped into a friend (let's call her Kat). I was on my own, it must have been my lucky day, hubby had knocked off work early and I escaped out the door without the kids. It was the first day of school holidays and I was dreading taking both of them. It would have been fine anyway, but was much better without them.

Kat suggested I join herself and her son for a visit to the Tant caves. I agreed it was a fab idea and went on my merry way, completing the shopping and even trotting off to Target afterwards to take full advantage of having no kids. It's always nice to have that time alone, without the latest Frozen fashion offering being shoved in my face and having to find AWOL kids (so they could show me more cool stuff I should be buying).

In the supermarket it's easy, I will find my kids in the lolly aisle, or giggling at and wasting the batteries of all the funny, and sometimes rude greeting cards. Our small Target Country is like a rabbit warren, shits me to tears. Trying to navigate with a pram a couple of years ago was hell, especially with go-go gadget arms that would knock and grab everything from the sides. Then there was that time Izzy piddled all the over the floor. Never forget it, I made a dash to the car, grabbed a towel and headed back in there and wiped it up, and continued perusing the aisles like it never happened. As far as anyone was concerned, it didn't happen. Except you, right now. 

Being the killer of joy, or rather that dumb ass voice in my head, I thought of how much I could not be bothered going to the caves. The introvert in me was overruled and my brain convinced me to go along. I called Kat in the morning and arranged a time and even a picnic at the Tantanoola playground afterwards. As always my brain wins. It was tres cool. Maybe oneday I will manage to be at the playground when the pub across the road is actually open. Tantanoola is a small town, and there's this piece of me that thinks it is totally acceptable to sit at a table out the front of the pub, with a drink, while the kids play across the road, or no? I'll let you know how that goes ;)

The Tantanoola caves was discovered about 80 years ago, when a boy chased his ferret down a hole. There he discovered the caves. His family, the Lanes, started charging people for tours and continued to do so until it was handed over to the state government in the seventies.

The caves are made up of limestone and dolomite, showing a difference of colour on the walls and ceiling. The paths have been concreted, making it wheelchair accessible. It is the perfect school holiday activity and is only a 15 minute drive out of town. There is a cliff top walking trail that is quite enjoyable as well. 

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