Swim The Cotter, ACT

When the weather turns hot in Canberra - 40 degrees celcius hot - one must find some water in which to cool down. This weekend we chose to visit The Cotter, an estuary near the newly completed Cotter Dam, to the West of the city past Mt Stromlo.

Our family and numerous other Canberra-ites had the same idea - to swim in the beautiful surrounds of the Casuarina Sands recreation area, and a picnic lunch on the shady riverbank.

The Cotter appears to be partially dammed or is a very slow moving river. The water is brownish, but not unpleasant to swim in, as it has no odour. The banks are steep, but if the kids are decked out in PFDs or confident swimmers or tall (or a combination of the three) you will find it a fairly safe environment (closely supervise children at all times in the water).

The Kids Too Numerous To Mention (KTNTM) had an absolute ball. Taking a ride on their father's back to the other side, borrowing a kindly person's blow-up kayak, and making friends with a little boy named Jasper, they loved every minute. Lunch was simple sandwiches and fruit, but boy did it taste awesome down by the river.

I strongly considered not sharing this oasis on the interwebz. The Cotter is THAT good. But it would be downright mean not to share. Anyway Canberrans are just so nice to share with.

Visit Lake Ginninderra, Western Shores

When the KTNTM (kids too numerous to mention) want to go for a swim, and we can't afford to go to an indoor pool, Lake Ginnindera's beaches beckon.

Situated at the foot of the Belconnen Mall, Lake Ginninderra is a popular place to visit for its picnic/BBQ areas, playgrounds, bike and walking tracks.  There is even a fenced dog park that you can take your furry pal to for loads of butt-sniffing, if this is what he is into.

On the Western Shores of the lake there is a playground suitable for smaller kids, a boat ramp, a flying fox, and climbing frame suitable for larger kids.  There are also several coves that are good for dog and human swimming alike.  The lake is really quite shallow in these areas, and fairly safe for kids who have water confidence.  Older kids can swim out to sun themselves on a floating diving platform. 

The lake is a bit slimy and yes, ducks poo in it, but it is currently safe for swimming.  Just encourage the little blighters not to put their face in it, or drink it, and all should be fine.

We took our non-swimming dogs for a walk on sunny Sunday, then let the kids strip off to their swimmers and after applying sunscreen, hop in for a paddle.

DH and I lazed under the shade of the tree while supervising the KTNTM, and for a moment life was beautiful.  The secret is to find a spot that is sunny and sheltered because the lake can be quite breezy, and the water freezing.

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.