In contrast to the mediterranean styled fare that is synonymous with wine, Harrigan’s offers hearty English and Irish based meals.  Pizzas (with toppings such as black pudding), schnitzels, pies and steaks dominate the menu.  Prices are quite reasonable and the servings are enormous.  Kids meals were fairly basic and also included a drink and ice cream for dessert.

We visited on a weekend and the pub was alive with activities and entertainment for all ages.  Outside there was a jumping castle and play area for the younger children.  Live music played in the beer garden and there were a number of large screens in the sports bar with most football codes getting a run, along with the racing.  Of course there were Keno and TAB outlets as well.

After spending the morning in cruising the cheese, chocolate, wine, ice cream and cured meat outlets, Harrigan’s was the perfect place to relax and enjoy lunch.  The only problem was that we couldn’t get motivated again after the big lunch and ale chaser.  Thankfully the children were equally worn out and we retired to our accommodation for the afternoon.

Visit Harrigan’s website Here

Google Map Here

All of the Gold Coast theme parks offer something unique and I’m pretty sure you can guess what White Water World has to offer – water and lots of it.  As much as White Water World is aimed at the kids, I must confess that I loved the rides just as much.  The only real difference was my lack of tolerance for queues and my lack of stair climbing fitness.

There is a full range of rides that cater for all ages, including two distinct zones designed specifically for smaller children.  There is a knee deep pool with water slides tame enough for the toddlers and an area that is essentially a very large play gym with water everywhere, including a very large bucket that fills every few minutes and dumps a huge wave of water on those below.

Those between toddler and ten are also well looked after.  The Little Rippers, The Bro and The Temple of Huey are areas with a number of rides that will keep them occupied for hours, though inevitably they will be moaning about not having access to the rides we ALL want to explore.

There are a few real thrill rides in White Water World and, despite the wait, I really enjoyed them.  The Green Room, The Hydrocoaster and The Wedgie (yes, that is what they called it!) are all teen sized fun.  Unfortunately you will only get a few rides of each on a hot day because it really does get that busy.

In between the queues and the rides there is no better place to hang out than in the wave pool.  While nowhere near as exciting as the thrill rides, it is a great way to relax and the little children especially love the waves.

If I could offer one piece of advice to those families visiting the Gold Coast, it applies even more to the theme parks.  Travel to the Gold Coast outside the school holiday periods.  I know there is nothing as beautiful as the Gold Coast in summer, and the same applies for White Water World but the accommodation is half the price, the theme parks have crazy price offers and there are very limited queues.  One other distinct advantage with White Water World is that Dreamworld is right next door – literally.  In off peak periods you can get some great deals that give you access to both parks for less than the normal admission for one.  If you must travel here in the school holidays I recommend you get to the park early and have a BIG breakfast.  Food is not cheap and you cannot take commercially prepared food into White Water World.  Indeed most Gold Coast theme parks do not allow you to take any type of food into their premises.

All in all this is a great day out for all involved.  I warn all of you unfit parents that this place will test you.  Walking up the stairs for my second ride is when I realised my legs were not what they used to be and it only got worse from there.  It wasn’t really a problem for me during the day, but I was asleep about an hour after getting home.

Check out the White Water World Website Here

Click here for a Google Map

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One thing you need to realise before going to Australia Zoo is that it’s aimed squarely at children.  While there is no doubt that the parents and older children enjoy the day, it is the smaller kids that enjoy the shows the most.  From the moment we enterred the gate until the time we left, my pre-teen children were buzzing with excitement.  As it turns out I took more photos of my excited children than I did of the park.  Having said all of that, I have to confess to several belly laughs in the Crocoseum show.

While certainly not cheap, Australia Zoo is not bad value for money.  Getting a family of eight (including grandparents) into the park cost us just under three hundred dollars.  While that certainly doesn’t make it the cheapest zoo in the country, the thing that sets Australia Zoo apart from the rest is the interactivity.  The kids (even us big kids) got to touch alot of animals, including very tame kangaroos and baby crocs.  There are displays and talks at most of the animal enclosures and the Crocoseum shows are fantastic.  One pleasantly unique feature among Queensland attractions is that you are welcome to bring a packed lunch.  Alot of the Gold Coast based theme parks now prohibit the consumption of food not purchased at the facility, and that can almost double the cost of the entire day.

You cannot go to Australia Zoo and watch the Irwin family go through their paces without thinking about Steve.  Terri, Bindi, Robert and the staff at Australia Zoo have done a magnificent job to keep the place thriving in his absense and to go on too much about Steve would be unfair to them.  I can only hope they have been able to slowly recover from the loss of their Husband, Father and friend as well as the Zoo has.

All in all it was an almost perfect way to spend the day as a family.  The kids had a great time and learned alot too.  The only downside was that I was sore after all the walking!

For more information visit their website here.

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The park itself has been around for just short of a hundred years and I first visited it as a child over 30 years ago and although the mind does play tricks on you it doesn’t seem a great deal different now to how it did then. Anyhow, if you’re intersted in the associated bumf then why not pay their website a visit at www.wicksteedpark.co.uk

As the parents of four typically unappreciative children (ages 15, 13, 11 and 6) my wife and I had relatively low expectations when we decided to treat the kids to a day out from the usual routine of arguments and fighting that make up the school holidays and to be honest I think we set our expectations too high.

That’s not to say that Wicksteed Park doesn’t offer a reasonable range of entertainments but it’s not really a Theme Park in the sense that somewhere like Alton Towers, for example, is. It has a range of rides, including a log flume, new for this year, but those that would interest the older children are few, there is no massive, heart stopping rollercoaster but there is a smaller not unacceptable version, a pair of Pirate Ships, some tired looking dodgems and one or two other rides, in the main though it is disappointing fare for children brought up on the high octane thrill of queuing for an hour before boarding a ride that will make you feel like your stomach is being wrenched out of your throat whilst your heart tries to exit the other end.

There is also a selection of the traditional smaller rides for the smaller children but in the main these attractions are only a small part of what the Park has to offer. If planned properly and with the unlikely helping hand of the great British weather this can be a good and relatively cheap day out. The Park is situated in extensive, attractive grounds with many great spots for a picnic and with lots of play areas for the kids, there is plenty of room to bring a ball, even a bat and some stumps for the more refined among us. There are various entertainment shows to attend if that’s your thing and you can take a rowing boat out on the water too if feeling energetic or even go fishing.

For us it wasn’t a great day, the weather was not great but could have been worse and whilst the older three kids had a reasonable time on the attractions our youngest was far from impressed with his day, our children are of the generation that feel the need to be entertained and baulk at any suggestion that occasionally they might take responsibility for their own entertainment though. As for us, there is only so much pleasing scenary you can take in before trudging round the grounds becomes a chore. If you’ve never been and you’re prepared to temper your expectations, then I would recommend it as a day or maybe even a half day out.

At the time of writing the cost for the day, exculding petrol and food was £81, £6 for parking (steep), £45 for 3 older children wristbands, £20 for 2 adults and £10 for the youngest child. There are various discounts, group tickets etc on offer, details on the website I’d have thought.

A little piece of Dutch heritage in Coffs Harbour

Having Dutch in-laws means that I have probably stopped at The Clog Barn in Coffs Harbour more times than most would have.  There are plenty of reasons to stop, not the least the chance for a coffee and something to eat and a break from the driving madness.

For those visiting for the first time there is literally a whole world to discover at this attraction, namely the miniature Dutch world built on the other side of the gift shop.  Everything from old style Dutch buildings to windmills and a miniature railway has been lovingly, and no doubt painstakingly, created for the viewing pleasure of tourists.  Whether you have a Dutch background or not, this is a surprisingly interesting attraction for the whole family.  My kids seeem to love anything miniature and it proved to be a great way to show them some of the landscape that Oma and Opa recalled from their childhood.  

Perhaps the thing I most looked forward to over the years has been Big Omas Dutch Kitchen.  I really looked forward to my croquettes with mustard on a bread roll.  Truth be known, they are better with a decent Dutch beer, but as I was normally driving, coffee wasn’t too bad an accompaniment either.

I have to confess to being a little disappointed on my last vist to Big Omas Dutch Kitchen.  While the look and feel hadn’t changed much at all, it was a little disappointing to note that none of the staff spoke or understood any Dutch and the famous croquettes on bread rolls has been seriously downgraded.  While I can’t speak or understand much Dutch, it does make you feel a little more comfortable if the staff, or at least the cook, can speak Dutch in a Dutch kitchen.  To make matters worse, my much loved croquettes with mustard on bread rolls had been relegated to a single croquette with a squirt of mustard and half a slice of bread – seriously disappointing.

Having said that, the rest of the facility was just as good as I remembered, and the break was just as important.  I recommend it as a break location for anybody travelling through Coffs Harbour.