Claireyhewitt

There is a lot of talk these days about the restrictions we place on kids for their own safety. No longer is the front yard, street and footpath an ok place to play. Free play in the suburbs of metro Australian cities is rarely seen. Organised play dates are growing in popularity and there is no chance a six year old would head to the shop, crossing four streets to get the newspaper.

Even walk safe to school guidelines suggest a child is not safe to walk to school totally alone until the [URL="http://www.walk.com.au/wstsd01/page.asp?PageID=268"]age of 10[/URL].

Our little family has found the perfect place where all these rules are abandoned.

We headed to [URL="http://on.fb.me/IJlzhk"]Big 4 Bellarine[/URL] for the third time last week.

Situated between Geelong and Queenscliff it is an easy drive from Melbourne. In fact for Miss 6 it was one Billie B Brown and one Hey Jack book. For Miss 3 it was a watch of Gruffalo’s Child and some time with a colouring book. (This tends to be how we measure travel times these days).

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We took the girls’ bikes and as we drove in we had to give way to 45 other children on bikes, go carts and scooters, including the ones just dumped when a child had clearly spotted something else to play with. Big 4 Bellarine seems to make kids think this [B]is[/B] their own backyard.

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And one mighty fine backyard it is.

Flying Fox – check
Jumping Pillows – double check
Park – check
Indoor toddler play area – check
Space to run/ride/climb/explore – check
Indoor heated pool – check
Tennis Court - check


You can guess this place is full of families.

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As it was school holidays my girls also joined in with the activities that were provided, how I love a well stocked craft table that I do not have to clean up, plus there was also a Friday Night Disco. This was a major highlight for them both, including a few games of musical statues and some songs from the top 40 list and this was like, just, like so cool...finished at 8pm, in time for bed too!

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There are a number of beaches within a very short drive and we went to both of our favourites, one at Queenscliff with great rock pools and one at Point Lonsdale, I love this one as it is right on the main shopping strip so I usually pop in to take a quick look at the shops too.

The reception area is the place for all you need, including decent coffee, red wine and beers. It is also where I sent Miss 6 each morning to get my newspaper. On her own. Never would this happen usually, and she loved the chance to go and do something ‘grown up’. Rarely have I read the full Saturday paper either but I certainly managed it at Big 4 Bellarine.

During our winter visit last year the one thing that was a bit annoying (for those of us that don’t pre-cook or plan ahead) was that for an evening meal we had to get the kids ready and go out somewhere for dinner. This time around I pre-ordered a lasagne and salad for our first night (just email the park before you arrive and let them know what size you want) and I brought down a pumpkin soup for the next night. This meant that the girls just ate quickly and ran back off to play at whatever they were doing and I dumped all the dishes in the dishwasher, got my bathers on and went for my third swim of the day. There is nothing like an after dinner swim to tire the kids out and get them to sleep all night long.

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Beachside holidays are always more impressive when the weather is hot and on this trip we were indulged with stunning weather and bright blue skies, however we also really enjoy a winter beach trip, we use the heated pool, get the beach to ourselves as the towns are deserted and the park and jumping pillows are pretty much empty. It is a good time to pop in to a winery through the day and grab a favourite plonk to take home for a glass that night. Last time we sat on the couches in the reception area, in front of a fire, while the girls watched a movie in the big play room – there is a kids movie on at 4pm and 7pm most days, they also played Wii for a while too.

The[URL="http://on.fb.me/IJlzhk"] facebook page[/URL] is the best place to keep up with the special deals on at Big 4 Bellarine, and the winter deals are usually pretty decent. I am now waiting for them to be released so we can organise our next trip in a few months time.

Our weekends there provide the kids with space to roam, time to just be, with few time constraints and minimal rules and the freedom to wander/ride/walk/scoot wherever they want to. And that is just the way they like it.






The Details:
Big 4 Bellarine is a Caravan/Camping/Cabin park.
The best way to follow their deals is via the [URL="http://on.fb.me/IJlzhk"]Facebook page[/URL]
They are also on twitter @BIG4Bellarine
The website is [URL="http://bit.ly/ITAFzJ"]here[/URL].

They do book out in the peak times, so if you want a space in the summer months, book early.