Our first camping trip – Big4 Bellarine

First time campers! 
Way back (pre-covid) days, we thought that the kids were at a great age to appreciate the fun and mess that camping brings. We had been visiting camping stores, and looking at family tents for ages. Then before I knew it, we had bought one, and officially become a camping family! We decided on an Instant Up Coleman Dark room tent. Built with 3 rooms, and an awning allowing for all the ‘stuff’ that comes with family camping. 
We thought that the best way to dip our toes in, would be a few nights close to home. So we booked a powered site at the Big4 Bellarine Holiday Park, which is located down on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour away from home. 
Who knew, that camping with kids requires an insane amount of equipment for a few nights away. Hubby’s stationwagon was filled to the brim. Hence we upgraded and decided that a trailer would be a beneficial addition for future (and longer) camping trips.

We were booked onto powered site 103 which was simply amazing for Jack. We were near a corner and that corner happened to face the playground, jumping pillow, basketball courts and large grassed area. He could go over all by himself, and come back when he was ready. He thought it was the best thing ever! The grassed powered sites are huge. Plenty of room for the car, the tent and grassy area to stretch out. 

We arrived Friday evening, and set up the tent while the kids ate the pizza that we picked up on the way down. We needed the quiet time to make sure that our second attempt at setting the tent up didn’t end in divorce! For the record, it was easier than the first time and we were all good. 
The fog had rolled in on Friday night and it bathed the jumping pillow under the lights, making it look eerie. 

We slept as well as we thought we would, and the kids woke at a normal time for them, thankful for the dark technology in the tent! By midday, Hubby and I were both looking for a nana nap. Jack had truely exhausted us. He had us playing cricket and football, and we had ridden around on our scooters checking out the remainder of the park. We had discovered the play room, set up with tv’s, ride on cars, dinosaurs, blocks- you name it! This was also located close to the gym. Oh, and for those that need the additional help of caffeine, there is a coffee shop inside the reception. I was in heaven!

After lunch and Lexi’s naps, Jack and James headed out to investigate further. Jack’s smile was huge as he came back on one of the peddle go karts. The kids adore riding around in those. We also ticked off basketball, tennis, soccer and when Lexi woke up, a play at the pool The indoor heated pool is amazing. There are water fountains for the toddlers to play with and the big kids love the water slide. It wasn’t long before Jack was going up and down the slide. 
There was also additional playgrounds to explore, with more jumping pillows and a flying fox. 

We kept things simple for meals – cereals, yoghurt, toast, eggs and bacon one morning for breakfast. Lunch we had pre-made some sandwiches and we also headed into Queenscliff for some pies and sausage rolls on Sunday. Dinners, well, you have to have a BBQ, sausages and burgers, of course! The bathroom facilities and the camp kitchens were amazingly clean. The kitchen was a social gathering place for so many families, and it was never too long of a wait for the hotplates. 

St Leonards Playground

Located:

The fenced playground is located near the main shopping strip of St Leonards, and right next to the boat ramp, on the foreshore. The kids have a great view of the bay as they enjoy the swings. The playground offers a range of basic equipment, but does also offer seating to enjoy a bite to eat. 

 

Equipment:

  • swings x 2
  • 2 climbing structures
    • slide
    • climbing nets
    • balance walks
    • ladders
    • fireman pole
  • 1 spring boat 
  • 1 spinning cup
  • 1 balance post walk
  • 1 double spring perch

Jack liked:

that we grabbed some lunch and ate at the tables within the playground. However he had a nervous time eating as the seagulls are fairly intrusive! Poor little munchkin dissolved into tears whenever the seagulls attempted to steal his chips. We were only here briefly, but enjoyed the day trip, and used the playground as a good excuse to run some energy out before heading back to the car, and home again. 

Aviation Drive Playground, Armstrong Creek

Located:

This was the 3rd playground that we visited within Armstrong Creek, all in the one day! I think Jack may have been well and truly over playing by the time we finished up here. This was a functional little play area, and Jack enjoyed pretending to be a plane running along the landing strip. This little playground is aptly found on Aviation Drive. 

 

Equipment:

  • Swings
  • spring surfboard
  • spring rocker
  • climbing rope structure
  • structure, with slide
  • runway
  • sand play with digger

Jack liked:

He enjoyed pretending to be a plane and he ran up to the climbing structure straight away to have a go. I think he enjoyed playing at an area where no one else was playing, after being at the huge playground down the road where it was so busy! 

Wye River

Located:

With Melbourne’s winter dragging on, I was reminiscing about the warmer weather and the places we visited. I realised that I hadn’t gotten around to adding the photos from our day trip down to Wye River! Wye River is a 2 hour drive from Melbourne, located just past Lorne and you get to drive the Great Ocean Road to get there! 
Hubby’s family used to frequently visit this area and enjoyed camping alongside the river. The day that we visited was one of those killer 40 degree days, where everybody was trying to escape the heat. With that in mind, Jack only had a very quick play on the playground, that sits alongside the Wye General Store, at the base of the entrance to the Big4 Wye River Holiday Park. We enjoyed lunch at the Wye Beach Hotel, before getting changed and heading across the road to the beach to cool down. 

 

Equipment:

  • Nautical themed playground
    • with boats
    • floating buoys
    • lookout tower
  • swings
  • timber climbing apparatus
  • 2 slides
  • balance step log walk
  • spinning pole

The jumping pillow that is pictured is part of the Big4. 

Jack liked:

Jack liked wandering along the rocky shoreline that leads up to and through the Big4 holiday park. He also liked the quick play that we gave him on the playground, but I didn’t want him in the sun for too long, and some of the equipment was hot to touch. 
After attempting to cross the main road to get to the beach, we realised on the way back, that it was easier to walk underneath the bridge, and along the cool, shallow water than try to cross over the main thoroughfare of the Great Ocean Rd. I’d love to head back there this summer and introduce camping to Jack!