Sydney

2 1/2 hours after leaving Gerroa we arrived at our next destination. Lane Cover River Tourist Park in Macquarie Park.What a beautiful park set in the Lane Cove National Park only 10km from the heart of Sydney.

Once you enter the park its like your a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life, you cant even hear the traffic. The only reminders that you are so close is the low flying aircraft during the day (6am - 10pm) as your on the flight path, but with 2 boys that only added to our fun, with "Plane" being screamed many times with 2 boys stopping and pointing. We had booked in to stay 6 nights here and for a powered site paid $234 so $39 a night and the boys where free as the park doesn't charge for children under 12. The park is run by National parks and Wildlife NSW and are environment friendly having installed solar panels, rain water tanks and even collect food scraps for their worm farm. Amenties were clean and tidy and the showers even had glass shower screens

Thursday morning was spent at a medical appointment for A which we had arranged prior to our travels to keep on top of his medical issues. The afternoon was spent doing the domestic chores, washing and cooking as A also have several food intolerance's so i make everything for him from scratch.

Friday we decided to go to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I show horses and the last time i came up to the Easter show was 19 years ago back when it was at Moore Park so it was exciting going to see just how the show was set up at Hombush and see what my fellow competitors were raving about. We were just amazed such a professional set up and i can see why many Victorians make the 14hr trip up each year. One day i hope to get back up there to compete again perhaps when the boys are a bit older. Included in our admission ticket was the bus which stopped about 800m away at the train station from the caravan park. The boys ruled what we saw at the saw as i was outvoted 2:1 with A not voting. We wondered through the poultry pavilion, the pig and goat pavilion, the sheep pavilion where J got to shear a sheep and take home some of the fleece.

J shearing a sheep

 Next stop was the beef pavilion and to watch the judging of the Limousin breed, then a detour through the horse stables and up to the main arena. Sadly the horses had finished for the morning but we did get to watch the lunchtime entertainment of the showtime freestyle and the Team D Max Precision Driving Team.

The boys then left to go back to the cattle judging while i watched only one class of the horses the shetland stallion 4 years and over class before returning back to the boys to watch more Limousin judging as well as Murray Grey and Simmental judging. Only to be informed afterwards that J wants to show cattle rather than horses. We then we around to the woodchop stadium and were lucky enough to be able to watch world champion David Foster compete and win before heading to the showbag pavilion and then having a ride on a 1898 wood fired merry go around.

The boys and Shandelle on the merry go round

On our way out at the save our bibly stand J got to hold a snake, much braver than his mum.

J being very brave with a snake around his neck

After a big day at the show we spent Saturday just around the caravan park as Rob and J were booked in to do a free night tour with a ranger from the park at 8.30pm (well past J's bedtime) He was so excited to see brush tailed and ring tailed possums, bush turkeys nesting in the trees, kooaburras and spiders.

Sunday was family fun day where you can catch as many trains, bus and ferries all day on the one ticket ($2.50 Adults and J was $1.20). We caught the train from North Ryde train station (800m from the park) into Town Hall and walked across to Darling harbour to visit the National Maritime Museum. J and Shandelle bought the big ticket which allowed them access onto the vessels as well as the exhibitions and galleries (Adults $25 Children $15 (4-15years) while Rob and A in the pram just did the Galleries and exhibitions (Adults $7 and A was free). J and Shandelle explored the submarine HMAS Onslow, the destroyer ship HMAS Vampire, a replica of the HMB Endeavour and the tall ship James Craig as well as climbing the Cape Bowling Lighthouse.

onboard HMAS Onslow



HMB  Endeavour replica



Tall ship James Craig

After the museum we caught a ferry from Pyrmont Bay Wharf stopping at 3 wharfs including Luna Park before going under Sydney Harbour bridge and into Circular Quay Wharf with the opera house on your left hand side, then it was a short train ride to Wynward station  to get onto the line which allowed us to get home

Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Opera House from the Ferry

Sydney ferry

Monday we caught the train back in to Town Hall once again back to Darling habour and visited the SEA LIFE Sydney Aqauirum. We had booked a glass bottom boat road as well but sadly they stuffed up with the allocation times giving us a 11.30am timeslot when the boats only run on the hour and thus had to get a refund, still the boys had fun seeing all the different sea creatures. The afternoon was spent packing up and playing in the pool only to see just before dinner the travelling family that we met at mallacoota arrived. The boys had such fun catching up.

SEA LIFE sydney Aquarium

SEA LIFE sydney Aquarium

SEA LIFE sydney Aquarium

SEA LIFE sydney Aquarium - love these fish it looks like they are wearing lipstick

So Tuesday was our leave day, we said goodbye to The Grant family and we hope to see them again on our travels. Next stop Stockton Beach at Newcastle.