Tassie Trip June 2009

~~The kids having a cuddle in the airport~~

Call me crazy but I decided on the spur of the moment to book a flight for me and the kiddies to fly to Tas. Yes that's right, taking my children who enjoy running around outside in the Queensland winter, bare foot and only 1 layer of clothes to a place that requires at least 3 layers, beanies, scarves and closed in shoes. So not the most ideal time, but the lure of going before Xav was no longer free was a big bonus! Also meant I got to meet my latest Nephew as a snuggly little 6 week old.

~~James - 6weeks~~

I booked the flight for 10 days away, so had time to get some warm clothes organised. Grace needed a pair of shoes (I don't think sandals will cut it!) and I wanted to quickly knit up some scarves for the kids.

There were no direct flights available, only ones that flew through Sydney airport. Ok, I was all brave when I booked it but after pressing the confirm button I realised the reality of it all. 6am flight out of Gold Coast, having to amuse 2 kiddies on the plane, negotiating Australia’s biggest airport, then another flight to Tas. Crap, what was I thinking? Obviously I wasn't.

Doesn't help that the airports and planes are just breeding grounds for the dreaded Swine Flu that is the latest fear campaign doing the rounds. So for the first time ever I bought a bottle of antibacterial gel and plan on lathering it on the kids at every opportunity.

So Tuesday morning was an early rise for me, 4am. The kids were carefully pulled out of bed at 4.30am and gently put in their car seats in the hope that they slept on the car ride to the airport. Didn't work, but they were happy to munch on dry cheerios without any complaints.

Duane took us to the airport and helped us check everything in. I pulled out all the airline talk in the hope that we could have 3 seats, instead of just the 2 that we were supposed to have - Xav was to be riding in my lap. The flight was full though, so couldn't guarantee it. I went light with luggage, but was a little difficult cramming 1 adult and 2 kids clothes into a medium suitcase. I used Grace's little suitcase as carry on luggage, holding all the "sit still & please, please, please don't carry on" bribes.

We were called to board the plane, so after giving Daddy big kisses and cuddles we headed out in the dark, morning air to the tarmac. I was holding a little chubby hand in each of mine and both kids were excited to see the great big plane in front of us. Well that was until the engines started up and scared little Xav stopped in his tracks and started crying. I scooped him up, and headed up the stairs - Grace eagerly skipping up the steps beside me.

We found our seats and promptly set everything up. Grace snapped up the window seat, pointing excitedly out the other planes on the tarmac and Daddy who was waving from the terminal.

The flight down was nice and smooth. The kiddies snacked on cheerios and Uht milk that I had packed in the bag. There were numerous trips to the toilet, until the novelty of the three of us cramped into the small cubicle wore off. It's a difficult task having three people shoved in, one person on the toilet, then up and shuffle to the right so that the next person could come from the left and have their turn.

The flight was only an hour, so it felt like as soon as we were up, it was time to buckle up and head back down again. Outside was foggy but we still got some lovely views over Sydney as we approached the airport.

We only had an hour to fill in at the airport, before getting on our next flight to Launceston. Just enough time for a toilet stop and for the kids to run around like lunatics and expel all the pent up energy. Our boarding gate was located right beside a row of travelators, so of course the kids wanted to ride on them for the whole time. They stayed close to me most of the time, but 1 time I was distracted by a call from Duane and Xav bolted towards the travelator. I ran after him, but he was too quick and leaped onto the travelator, but on the one going the WRONG way. I watched as my little boy ran three steps, fell flat on his face and then be sucked back. I dived in and grabbed him just as his flared pants were about to be sucked back into oblivion. That was our only hiccup of the whole trip down.

~~Naughty little children running away from Mummy~~

It wasn’t long until we were called to board the next flight. We once again settled in nicely and the kids and I snacked on a treat of Tiny Teddies (gosh those little things are yummy). Not long into the flight Xav asked for his “dum-dum” and blankie, curled up on his seat and promptly went to sleep. I naughtily bought Grace a small packet of original Pringles, set her up with a magnetic travel game of snakes and ladders and followed Xav to slumber land. Grace was happy to nibble and play and once again both kids were perfect on the flight. I proudly lapped up all the praise that I was given (there was lots!) about how well behaved and polite my kids were.

Finally we arrived in Launceston. The air was brisk as we left the plane, but the sun was shining brightly. The kids were excited to see Nanny; Xav had been practising saying “Nanny” on the way down. He was a little shy seeing her at first, but soon warmed up and now constantly wants to be with her. Grace instantly went to her for a big hug, attaching herself beside her and not leaving since.

We have had a great holiday, spending lots of time out and about in the cold winter air. We had a few nice days, but also our fair share of crappy ones. Here are some of the places we visited:

Ashgrove – It was a cold and wet day and we were racking our brains of somewhere to take the kids that would be out of the rain and let them stretch their legs. We decided to head to Ashgrove Cheese factory – lots of room, fake cows to amuse the kids and plenty of yummy cheese for us to stuff our faces with! Perfect!

When we first got there the rain decided to be nice to us and stop for a little while. The kids loved checking out the colourfully painted cows. Xav was a little scared at first, probably thinking they were about to start moving at any moment, but it didn’t take long before he was pretending to milk them.

The cheese tasting was just DEVINE. An unlimited amount of beautiful cheeses like cheddar, vintage, marinated fetta, lavender, wasabi, pepper and my absolute favourite Double Gloucester. Oh my, did I get my free tastings worth, sometimes being sneaky and slipping 2 bits of cheese on each toothpick! The kids only had a small lunch that day, their little tummies were full of dairy goodness. We did want to check out the cheese making room, but it was closed for the day.

Tasmazia – I had heard great things about this place, so was desperate to check it out with the kids. We took the opportunity of the first clear day to head up to the chilly base of Mount Roland and check out this well known Tassie attraction. We stopped quickly in Sheffield, to check out the “Hub, Recycling Centre” (the op-shop!). I picked up a large card file that I had wanted for ages for all my recipes, I was hoping for some more Tupperware, but no luck. As we headed out of Sheffield we spotted Grace St, so we did a quick stop to take a pic.


~~Grace Street, Sheffield~~

Silly me had forgotten my jacket, which is not the smartest thing to do when you are only wearing a thin top and are spending the morning outside under a mountain with snow clouds looming. I stole Xav’s scarf and blanket, looking oh, so fashionable! I really didn’t care though; I was just happy to no longer be freezing.

The mazes were a lot of fun. Mum and I both had heard the theory of staying to one side and then easily being able to find the middle, problem was we couldn’t agree on if the side to stay on was left or right. We decided to throw caution to the wind and let the kids decide which direction we would be travelling. I’m sure we covered way more ground than we needed to, but eventually we found the middle.

We wandered through the miniature town of Crackpot, the kids having a great time checking out all the tiny little houses. We followed the yellow brick road around the kiddy maze, then headed over to the balance maze. It was starting to drizzle at this stage, but the kids still insisted on perfecting their balance acts on the slippery maze.


The kids ran ahead, and I could hear them both giggling and splashing. Of course the little terrors had found a puddle to splash in, which would have been fine except I had forgotten a spare change of clothes.

We ambled around the rest of the maze, finding the 3 little pigs houses and also the maze of cubby houses. It started drizzling, so we desperately tried to find the end of the maze - knowing that the warmth of the famous pancake parlour was on the outside. We rushed about, stumbling into dead ends and seemingly going around in circles. In the end we cheated and found an emergency exit, but by that stage it was heavily raining and the challenge of getting out was wearing thin.

It was getting close to X's nap time, so we decided to have something quickly to eat in the cafe and then head home. Babycinno's warmed up the kids bellies, whilst Mum & I waited around for out order to come. After a 40 minutes (and noticing people who ordered after us were being served) I was starting to get stroppy so went to check what was happening. After uhming and arhing, we were told that it was on its way soon. Finally after another 10 minutes we got our food. Who would have thought that cheese toasted sandwiches would take 50 minutes. I wouldn't have been so annoyed, but trying to amuse 2 tired and cold kiddies for that long in a cafe was a bit of a nightmare, should have probably let the kids run feral then see how quickly we were served and shunted out.

Don River Railway - I had promised the kids that one day we would head to the Don River railway and take the train ride to Coles beach and back. We were running out of time, but managed to squeeze it in on the morning before we left to come home. The railway has been there for years, but I can't remember ever going as a child, so it was exciting going for the very first time with very excited children.

We got there about half hour before the train was due to leave, so we went for a wander in the yard and the kids had a great time climbing on all the old trains. Mum reminisced about her youth, and back in the olden days when train travel was so common. We had a look through a 1940's train that had been restored to its former glory, but gosh it was still so confined.




Finally it was time for the main event. Xav for some reason was a little reluctant to actually get on the train, but once he was on and realised what was happening, he was excited. Both kids scampered for a seat, and with a whole carriage virtually to our self and prime window seats everywhere, they chose to sit squished up beside each other. Sweet.

They spent the rest of the trip with little noses pressed up against the window, so excited to be going on their very first train ride. We got the the end, where if it was nicer weather we were planning on having a picnic on the beach, but due to being bitterly cold, we decided the best option was a quick stretch of legs and then straight back on the train.

The kids were lucky enough on the trip back to each have a turn in the train drivers seat.

~~Xav up the front of the train~~

~~Grace up the front of the train~~

We also got to spend some time with my Nan. She's Great-Grandma to the kids, and they both absolutely adore spending time with her. Grace remembers her from our previous trips to tas and also from the trips that Nan has made up here. Grace was instantly comfortable with her, constantly wanting cuddles and talking to her. Helped that Nan always has treats for the kids, so they were plied up with lollies, jelly, ice cream and milkshakes. Things that they normally wouldn't be allowed to have, but I figured she was getting joy from it and they most definitely were happy with the situation!

Xav took a few moments to warm to Nan, but as soon as he was comfortable he was fighting with Grace for all the attention. We only got to spend the 1 day with Nan, but it was lovely to see my grandmother with her great-grandchildren. We spent an hour or so trying desperately to get a pic with all of us together.

Now, THAT was funny. In between all the laughs, giggles and jokes, we finally managed something not too bad. I also got some great shots of the kids with Nan.

~~Grace with one of the Penguin locals~~

One of the fine afternoons we headed out to Bells Parade, Latrobe to feed the ducks and have a play. The kids had a great time running around in the beautiful autumn leaves, which I was pleased about as the lighting was perfect for some beautiful photo's.

~~I LOVE this photo, my beautiful children~~

This is the gorgeous Miss Emma, Mum's Rhodesian Ridgeback/Labrador who is I think about 15 years old. She's been a wonderfully loyal dog, but unfortunately nearly at the end of her time. She's really looking old now and I highly doubt that she will be round when I make my next trip to Tas. She's not in pain at all and still manages all the basics (except sometimes could do with a Tena!), so Mum is reluctant to have her put down. She's popping up lumps everywhere on her body and has suspected diabetes. Poor old thing. She's had a fantastic life though and I hope that when she is ready, she'll pass on gently and quickly.

Here's some pics from another day in the Autumn leaves:

I shouldn't have ever been worried about how the kids would be on the plane. They were absolutely perfect again on the way back, faultless in fact. Xav slept for most of the first flight, whilst Grace ate her little care package from Mum. She nibbled on gourmet cheese and cubes of home-cooked silverside. She also had her fair share of tiny-teddies and a lolly pop as she was complaining of her ears hurting. Sydney airport was a bit of a pain as we had nearly 4 hours to kill. Grace was a little hyper at one stage and kept running off and jumping on the travelator, then runnning backwards on it so she really wasn't going anywhere. She was swiftly put into a quiet corner and reprimanded for running off. I had a little bit more hand luggage on the way home, so found it a bit harder to confine Xav, chase her and hold all the luggage. I ended up getting the kids their craving, sushi, then finding a quiet parents room and containing them in there.

Finally at about 9pm, after leaving Devonport at 11.30am, we were back on the Gold Coast. The kids were jumping out of their skin to see Duane. The reunion between them all was beautiful.