I ALWAYS look forward to school holidays and time spent with my kids and grandkids.
The summer holidays especially, as the warmer weather offers so many different opportunities tied to water related activities.
Come December and Murray cod season is open. The canoes are packed with lightweight camping gear, an esky of food and drink, and fishing gear, and many pleasurable days can be spent with the kids catching fish throughout the day while paddling along with a gentle flow. Then pitching camp in the late afternoon, a feed around the campfire, before a night time surface session on those big green fish.
Living in the shadows of the Blue Mountains I do feel blessed having some of the most magnificent Australian bush at my doorstep.
My kids and grandkids love spending time in the bush, and I love sharing the experience with them.
A 4wd trip into the mountains on a hot summer’s day followed by a hike into a beautiful gin clear waterfall, swimming in the refreshing cool water that tumbles from the swamps and soaks on the top of the mountains. We may also chase some mountain trout or even bass on the eastern side of the great divide.
The mountains also have some of the best vistas Australia has to offer; wildflowers present a magnificent display and offer some of the best walks in this stunning country.
The kids love exploring new and old favourites such as the glow worm tunnels in the sandstone pagoda country so close to the bustling metropolis of Sydney.
Canyoning in the mountains is another wild adventure. Hiking deep into a valley before entering a canyon, walking and sometimes swimming through icy water. There is mostly a walk into the entry point and a walk out from the exit point, and by the end of the day, quite a few kilometres will have been traversed.
So many of these mountain streams contain the brightly coloured spiny crayfish that vary from a beautiful orange to stunning blue and the normal brown and black crayfish; these always command the attention of the kids. Brightly coloured gudgeons and galaxiids also thrive in these pristine mountain streams.
Hiking into Aboriginal art sites and engraved rocks are always a favourite hike with the kids. There is something special about being deep in the Australian bush by a pristine mountain stream sharing a lunch in such amazing surroundings and away from the crowds.
The big tourist caves such as Jenolan, Abercrombie and Wombyean caves are still worth a visit with the kids. Stunning limestone formations and turquoise blue water that flows through these caves can offer some magnificent swimming and fishing holes lower down the system.
I have accrued camper vans, roof top tents, tents in general, stretcher tents, swags so camping features regularly throughout the holiday period.
Boats, tinnies, canoes, kayaks, hobies, quad bikes, motor bikes, push bikes also litter my back yard so the options to walk, ride or drive in the bush is there. We even have access to horses for the man from Snowy River experience.
Chasing a few fish throughout the holidays is always on the cards. We love catching beach worms and then catching whiting from the beach as well as fishing in the lakes for the bread-and- butter species and even catching a few crabs.
Closer to home and the big freshwater dams give us the opportunity to chase our native and introduced fish species along with the freshwater yabbies.
A camping trip to a dam and I always take the kids kayaks as well as a boat as the days can be spent fishing, swimming, kayaking some gold panning along with a beautiful sunset viewed from the camp that evening along with a stunning sunrise early next morning.
The joy of making memories with the kids is something I really treasure as I know too well, time does truly fly. One day they are babes in their mother’s arms and then in a blink they are young adults and enjoying time with their own friends.
The school holidays never seem long enough as we plan so much but we always run out of time and then it is a countdown to the next school holidays!
Time spent with kids in the bush is time well spent!
