The school holidays of my childhood are not full of the travel adventures that my own children are experiencing. It was fairly typical for my parents to be working and for me, being the eldest, to supervise my two younger brothers. We were fortunate to live on a small rural property where we created our own adventures as we explored our environment. There are so many activities to enjoy in the country, we were rarely bored.
My children are growing up in the Sydney suburbs. Our backyard is the size of my dad’s country shed. Actually, his shed is probably bigger. We typically initiate our weekend adventures and lead the way. These summer holidays we have been spending a few weeks on my parent’s property on the outskirts of the Wombat State Forest. Whilst we have planned many adventures off site, the kids have been creating their own adventures at the farm, totally unplugged (the ipads haven’t even been charged!).
Swimming in the Dam has fast become a favoured activity. When the kids were little we told them that there were crocodiles in the dam, an obviously lie considering the climate here. I was terrified that they would wander down and try to swim before they actually knew how. We successfully scared them away, only lifting the swimming ban this year.
When supervised*, playing in the dam can be a most enjoyable experience. As a child I loved swimming in our dam and learned how to do all my strokes in its waters. Thanks to regular swimming lessons, this year I was more confident about my kids entering the dam and enjoying a swim. They loved every minute.
The dam also offers the possibility of providing your evening meal. In Victoria this means yabbies! There is an art to catching yabbies without a net. It requires a lot of practice, the right materials and a whole lot of patience. It was around this time last year that my kids first learned how to catch a yabby under the supervision of their uncle, a long time pro. The best thing about yabbying is you get to eat your catch afterwards.
Of course you can add wildlife spotting to the many attractions the country offers. With our family farm backing on to the Wombat State Forest the kids can usually spot a native animal or two just walking across one of the paddocks. What we’ve needed to do is ensure they know how to react when they see different species. Being city kids, this doesn’t come naturally. Snakes? Don’t try to poke them, pick them up or scare them away. Wombats? Don’t follow them down their hole, they’ll sit on you. Going on a walk also provides a chance to learn a little about how humans impact on the environment. The kids have learned that kangaroos can dig and crawl under fences.
My absolute favourite activity in the country is enjoyed when the sun goes down. Star gazing is best enjoyed where there is little light pollution and the country provides the perfect spot for viewing. When we’re in Sydney we can only make out the brightest stars and constellations. The night sky on my parent’s property is magnificent. It’s from this vantage point that I have taught the kids to recognize the Southern Cross and spot a shooting star.
Did I mention that we don’t have internet? The kid have discovered that if they walk down the road to almost the top they can get a little 3G which enables them to FaceTime their cousins every now and again. Hilarious, right? It’s like we’re back in the late 90s!
Of course the country offers much more than just this brief list of possibilities. I find a little ‘boredom’ brings out the creative juices in my kids and they come up with all types of weird and wonderful games to play together.
So I have to ask……when was the last time you escaped to the country?
*2013/14 – 32 deaths occurred due to drowning in dams – Royal Life Saving