Visit Canberra International Sports and Aquatic Centre (CISAC), Belconnen

On Saturday, we took the family to CISAC, as Canberran's know it.  CISAC is a large pool complex situated in Belconnen. 

According to the Visit Canberra website here CISAC is "for all your health, wellbeing, sporting or leisure activities. Swim in their 50 metre 10 lane, Olympic sized indoor pool.  They also have a 25 metre pool, leisure pool with beach entry, water slide, spa, steam room and much more. Pools are heated all year round.  Other facilities include gymnnasiums, day spa, discount health and fitness store, cafe, PADI dive centre, physiotherapist, and skin treatment, and weightloss centre.  CISAC is Canberra's largest indoor sporting venue".

Obviously I was not going for the weightloss centre.  The kids wanted to have a leisure swim, something different from the 'grind' of their weekly swimming lessons at another centre.  I  just knew the KTNTM would also go ape when they saw the indoor waterslide.

We paid $37 for two adults and 4 children to swim and slide.  I am still getting over this fact.  Nevertheless, the kids did have a great time.  DH and I accompanied the two youngest on the waterslide which meant lots of stair-climbing exercise for us too.  My eldest son went up and down the waterslide non-stop for 3 hours!

We purchased a locker for $2 to stow our numerous bags in.  Sitting room is limited so a locker was essential.

At about 1pm the waterslide closed and we were getting hungry.  Signs discouraged us from eating our picnic lunch in the facility.  So we got changed and took our lunch outside.  Seated on a grassy area, we tucked into our chips and biscuits and lollies.  It was a veritable feast and my youngest declared it "a wonderful picnic".

Unfortunately the parking area is metered, but it was free the day we visited.

Now the kids have discovered CISAC I think they will be wanting to go again and again.  Maybe a membership would be cost-effective over summer - there are various plans available.

Visit the Australian War Memorial - Big Things in Store

Yesterday was the (?) annual Big Things in Store event held at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) annex at Mitchell, ACT.  The Mitchell site houses the AWM collection that will not fit at the Memorial and is not normally open to the public.

My husband had been hanging out for this event ever since moving to Canberra, so we very excitedly took the trip out to Mitchell.  Upon arriving we were confronted with a queue that went around one corner, and then another.  Phew!  Luckily a radion station arrived to hand out not-so-cold cans of softdrink. 

After queuing for just over 30 minutes and a gold coin donation we were in!  I had never seen so much 'junk' in my life.  Across two huge storage facilities were spare aeroplanes, tanks, cars, trucks, cannons, carriages, helicopters, navigational equipment, motorbikes, engines, and a whole heap of stuff that makes stuff like this go.  The staff seemed to be enjoying being bailed up for questioning/lecturing by enthusiastic visitors.  There were plenty of kids along for the ride too, and not a tantrum in sight.

Outside we were entertained by a brass/woodwind band that played wartime ditties, effectively setting the mood.  A small marching band amused the queuing crowds with lots of rat-a-tat-tatting and tossing of drumsticks. 

There was also a sausage sizzle and some craft activities for children, however mine preferred close inspections of the porta-loos.   

The AWM is on Facebook if you are interested in finding out about upcoming events.  The AWM website can be found at http://www.awm.gov.au/

Visit John Knight Memorial Park

Today we went to John Knight Park at Belconnen, a place we have now visited several times.  Arguably one of the best family parks/playgrounds in Canberra, you too will visit again and again.

For kids there are two play areas, one fenced but a little too close to a pond, contains your typical slide and fort arrangement for littlies and a more challenging outfit for bigger kids with climbing zones.  A bit up the hill there is an awesome seated flying fox which is great for kids and adults alike! 

Further up the hill is what the KTNTM call "the wooden playground".  It is a multi-slide wooden fort combo that can occupy the kids for hours.

For adults there are plenty of park benches to make your own and a barbecue area with picnic tables, toilets etc. 

On the shores of Lake Ginninderra, a man-made watercourse rushes into the lake.  There is always plenty of birdlife on the lake, and in the depths of winter there were baby swans (swanlets?)  to be seen.  There is a bridge across to an island, the far side of which affords sunshine and expansive views across the lake and Belconnen centre.

The whole park is planted out to many trees, both deciduous and native, and plenty of shrubs in between.  The experience is one of calm, Austro-European ambience.  The whole area is sheltered, but quite shady so if you are going in Winter, go early.

A bike path weaves its away around the outer perimeter and you do have to make sure the kids do not wander out in front of speedy cyclists or joggers!

Other facilities in the area are basketball courts and a bmx/scooter park to the South. 

You can easily kill an hour or two at John Knight Park.

Visit Yarramundi Reach - on the far reaches of Lake Burley-Griffin

On Saturday the KTNTM wanted to show Dad the Arboretum.  Unfortunately, the Arboretum was closed to the public as it is still a work in progress.  Instead, we decided to check out the nearby Yarramundi Reach.  Yarramundi Reach is sandwiched between Black Mountain to the North, the National Arboretum to the West, the Scrivener Dam and National Zoo to the South, and Lake Burley-Griffin to the East.  It is simply a spit of land jutting out into what is nearly the westernmost point of 'Lake B-G'.  Accessible off Lady Denham Drive, there is a walking loop and picnic area to explore. 

Firstly we had a look around the 'spooky forest' just to the South of Yarramundi Reach, which is planted out to an unidentified kind of nut tree with burnt-black trunks (note:  I have since found out these are cork trees that have been harvested for cork) and nuts (see pic below) littered everywhere.  It was dark and silent except for when a serious cyclist went whizzing by on the nearby bike path.  We disturbed parrots that were dropping nut shells from the branches above.  We saw green grass-parrots, rosellas and that lovely red/blue variety.  We also saw many ducks on the lake.  The KTNTM collected feathers and pretended a bear was after them.  Run!

There was sign post at Yarramundi Reach explaining that part of Walter Burley-Griffin's vision for Canberra was an arboretum at this site.  Almost 100 years later his vision is being fulfilled in the creation of the National Arboretum.  I found this a touching and encouraging sentiment; that one man's vision for Canberra a century ago had not been forgotten and indeed will come to fruition in the next decade.  Now that will be a legacy to behold.

Yarramundi Reach itself was quite desolate, just a bunch of natives, some naturally occurring and some planted in rows.  There were also a series of pines situated in a windbreak pattern about 20 metres from the shore.  The KTNTM enjoyed climbing on the huge boulders that have been placed along the gravel track and bounding up massive piles of aromatic woodchips, apparently the result of recent mulching of the lower branches of the pines.  When one of the KTNTM got bowled over by an over-friendly bull terrier we decided to head home, admiring the wattle in full blossom lining the main roads on our way home.  A simple but highly enjoyable outing.
           
Above:  Yarramundi reach on the centre right, with Government House visible behind it.

 Acorn on Cork Oak

Visit the National Arboretum, Canberra

Today, in the absence of hubby, I took the KTNTM to the National Arboretum to burn off some steam.  It was a beautiful 16 degrees, with piercing blue skies and a light wind to help us along.  The arboretum is situated to the west of Lake Burley Griffin, on a hillside that I believe was burnt out in the bad bushfires.  The area has been planted out to swathes of different species (including the notorious Wollemi Pine), and in a few years, the result will be nothing short of spectacular.  But for now, there are no pesky trees to impede ones views, and the views are immense. 

We made our own track up to the highest peak where a series of pines of the 'lone pine' variety stand.  The kids gathered pine cones and had a ball playing 'bowling' while I admired the views.  Lake Burley Griffin, Parliament House, Woden, the Molonglo Valley, Stromlo Observatory, Black Mountain and the Telstra Tower:  soaring 360 degree views. 

On our return we took the bitumen road which led us past a murky duck pond that kids eyed off for swimming. 

A perfect day and a perfect ACTivity.