Our School Holiday Road Trips
School holidays are usually the busiest time for parents as we will need to either take leave or book the children into some kind of holiday program. There are parents who bring their children to the office but it is not always feasible at some work places. As I only work part-time, I tend to organise activities for the children around my working days, and once or twice a year, we go on road trips in and around Melbourne, Australia.
Our last road trip was to Cape Schanck. We booked a two-bedroom villa at RACV Cape Schanck Resort for 4 days and 3 nights stay. A lovely place for a family of five, we were able to request for a cot for our baby. There were facilities such as a game room and an outdoor pool. The children swam daily and it was a good way to relax after a day of outing.
We visited some nearby attractions around Cape Schanck. Some of these places were Boneo Maze and Mini Golf, Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens, Cape Schanck Lighthouse, Peninsula Hot Springs and Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm.
At Boneo Maze and Mini Golf, the children played mini golf, went through mazes and also played games at the park. There was a large chess board on the ground. It was fun for the kids as it was a different feel compared to playing on a normal chess board.
It was really beautiful at the Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens. The weather was great but what a pity we weren’t allowed to picnic there. This was a more difficult maze to conquer for the children so I had to venture along with them. As one of the activities at the garden, the kids also looked for fairies and gnomes.
We climbed to the top of the Cape Schanck Lighthouse for a beautiful view of the sea. We also visited the quarters around the lighthouse which was built in 1859. Some of these quarters were being used as guest accommodations.
Finally, we visited the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm. There were too many people picking strawberries so we did not join in the crowd. We had a lovely morning tea at the café instead. You have to order the Devonshire Tea set which comes with tea or coffee, two freshly baked scones served with their famous strawberry jam and cream. In the end, we just bought the strawberries of off the shelf instead of picking them ourselves!
Next, we booked into the Peninsula Hot Springs and it was our favourite part of the holiday. We went early to enjoy the hot springs before the crowd started to arrive. There were family-friendly hot springs for babies, children and parents. I especially loved the cave! The Peninsula Hot Springs is a must-go destination if you are in the Mornington Peninsula area. We will definitely return to the hot springs again.
It was definitely an enjoyable trip. It was also my youngest daughter’s first road trip. During this trip, we also celebrated my son’s 9th birthday. If you are in Melbourne next time, you could plan a road trip to the Mornington Peninsula. There are lots of other places to visit around there.
Cheers from Down under,
Adelyn
Early Childhood Trainer/Assessor (16 years)
She has been in the early childhood sector for 16 years now. She worked as a preschool teacher, senior teacher, vice-principal and principal of preschool and childcare centres in Singapore. She has experience in lecturing and training early childhood educators in Singapore, China and Australia.
