My Photo on Schmap
September 24, 2008Another one of my photos has been included in the newly released fifth edition of the Schmap Hobart Guide. It’s a picture of Eaglehawk Neck taken from the nearby lookout on our trip to Tasmania in Nov-2006. The original photo is on my flickr page. The other photo included is Adventure Bay.
I really get a kick out of seeing my photos included in stuff like this and the feeling that I’m contributing ‘value’ by being a producer rather than just a ‘consumer’ online.
My photos are released under a Creative Commons license, so people are free to use them with attribution.
One of my photographs published
May 3, 2008One of my photos from our holiday to Tasmania in Nov-2006 has been selected for inclusion in the newly released second edition of the Schmap Australia Guide: Adventure Bay. Cool. The original is on my flickr site.
Tassie Wrap-Up: Travelling with the Kids
February 1, 2007I just found the notes I had on my Tasmania series wrap-up. It’s probably a moot point now providing a summary of the trip I took over six weeks ago. And hasn’t time flown since then? With Christmas, New Year, a busy work schedule and an active social calendar February has just snuck right up behind me and yelled boo! Anyway, I digress. I thought that I might use my new found notes to write a little post on some ‘travelling with kids tips’, because they dominate my thoughts of the trip. So without further ado … 5 tips for maintaining your sanity while travelling with kids:
1. DVD or No DVD: A recent trend seems to be to go for an in-car entertainment system with DVD in the rear for the kids. There are some really nice units out there and I’m sure that some find them a useful way to amuse the kids, keep them quiet for a while. Personally, I think that they’re a waste of time and money and spoil the real fun to be had. There and are plenty of ways to entertain the kids without reverting to the new ‘opiate of the masses’.
2. Games: Call me old fashioned, but there is nothing wrong with eye-spy and punch-herbie. That’s what our parents did with us back in the day when having a tape deck in the car was a luxury item. Our kids actually enjoy these games too. Add some colour pencils, and an activity book for good measure.
3. Music: Ever considered letting the kids choose the music? Yes, I know it’s difficult to concentrate when the Wiggles are all mash-potatoes and squashed banana or George and Monica are going “glump, glump, lardy, dardy, daâ€! However, think about how the kids will remember your trips, subjected to listening to your tunes. I’m still working with a therapist due to repressed memories of a Kenny Rodgers cassette being on continuous loop from Melbourne to Sydney. Think about it.
4. The Journey: I’m well known for this saying … “Remember its about the journey, not the destination.†Cliché yes. Wrong? No. The most important thing when travelling with kids is to break up the journey and take your time. Stick to your routine. If you wake the kids at 5:00am so that you can hit the road early and avoid traffic, they WILL be crabby and irritable. Plan your trip so that you leave at the same time you usually leave for work, or school and you will find that everyone copes much better. And break up the trip with regular stops. Let the kids play in a park, have some lunch, check out the sites. Even a 10-minute walk along a beach can make a kids day. Remember the journey!! Smell the roses.
5. Planning: While on the subject of planning, share your plans with the kids. Let them know where you will be going, what you will see on the way, where you will stop etc. On the Tassie trip we even gave our kids an itinerary of the trip and copies of some maps with our routes marked on it, so that they could follow along. It worked a treat. They thought it was great and it really involved them and kept them interested in travelling in the car.
So, there we have it: just a few of my tips for travelling with the kids. I hope you find them of some use. I know that a lot of people find it a nerve-racking experience and dread the thought of a road trip with kids. I really love travelling with my kids – I hope you can manage to do the same. Remember, have fun.
Touring Tasmania - Home Sweet Home
November 29, 2006HOBART & MELBOURNE — Sunday 19th Nov. The weather is poor this morning—there’s drizzle and light rain, so it is quite chilly. We’re sitting in the departure lounge of Hobart ‘International’ Airport having a coffee. The coffee isn’t great, but I needed that shot of caffeine–we were up early. Ahhhh!
The sea of faces in the lounge stare out the window waiting with bated breath for their boarding call. Most people leaving appear—like us—to be holidaymakers. How do I know? Well I don’t, but there seems to be little enthusiasm shown by anyone to be flying wherever it may be, probably home.
We’re all looking forward to seeing our puppy. It’s the longest she’s been away from us, but I’m sure that she’s been well looked after—no spoiled—at mum’s place. It’ll be a battle when we get her home to get her back into routine and sleeping out in the laundry.
Did I tell you that I’m a nervous flyer? We’re back on the plane preparing for takeoff, so I have a few nervous butterflies in the stomach. Donna is sitting with the kids, which allows me a bit of time to chill out and do some writing. She’s very thoughtful like that. Besides, she is better at entertaining the kids whilst I’m in the midst of white-knuckle fever. I have my iPod with me, but I can’t use that until we’re in the air.
Mark “Chopper†Read is on our flight. Yep, Uncle Chop Chop! Perhaps he’s masquerading as one of those in-flight security guys? Hey, I’d feel safe!
We’re making our final descent now and the reality that our holiday is over is really kicking in. It’s been really good not having the think past this week and make plans and day-to-day stuff, but my thoughts now turn towards the weeks ahead and some of the things that need doing—like picking up the bike from the shop, and stuff for work, and Christmas, and on and on, etc.
Thankfully it’s not too long until our next break, which will be the week through Christmas and New Year. We’ll be spending this time with the out-laws (oops, in-laws) at Moliagul in Central Victoria, and then we’re off again for a couple of days camping near Echuca. Back ‘on the road’ and to the “ragged and ecstatic joy of pure being.â€
Touring Tasmania - Our Last Hoorah
November 28, 2006HOBART — Saturday 18th Nov. Today is our last day in Tasmania. We headed into Hobart early and spent the morning wandering around the Salamanca Market. The market is undoubtedly one of the best street markets going—much bigger than the market along the Esplanade at St. Kilda. The variety of goods sold is remarkable, a lot of it hand-made crafts and other goods. The stroll around the market was a welcome relief from sitting in the car–even for me–and I detest all forms of shopping.
At lunchtime, we took a cruise on the Lady Nelson—a square rigger sail boat–up the Derwent River. When we set sail, there was very little wind and it looked like we were going to have to do most of the 1.5hr journey under power.  However, once out in the open waters of the river the southerly picked up and we managed to sail around the river, albeit not that quickly.
Whilst I sat on the boat and the calm waters of the Derwent, I couldn’t help but think of my friend Nick and the massive undertaking that he will shortly make on his quest to sail solo all the way to Australia from Southampton in England in a boat much smaller than the one we were on and through much more treacherous waters. I hope that his passage is as safe as our short trip up the river.
After the cruise and a quick bite to eat, we headed up to Mt. Nelson to check out the view from atop. We were a little concerned that the view would be hindered by low cloud—and had avoided Mt. Wellington for the same reason–but it turned out to be clear and we had a magical 280-degree view of Hobart and the surrounding area. It really is a nice city.
So, after six days and some 1,750 kilometres following winding, hilly roads and the occasional dirt track, our journey comes to an end. All that’s left tonight is to use up all the leftover food in the pantry and to pack our cases for the trip home. We’ll do some clean-up in the morning and head off to the airport just after breakfast and be back in Melbourne around lunchtime.
