The Ordinary versus the Extraordinary – A year of travelling with three children: 21 December 2014

It is Sunday today and so we had a slow start with the intention of listening to a podcast from One Community Church (OCC) but it took so long to find a suitable kids’ Christmas activity for Luke that the troops were restless so we headed off on our walk. It seems that quiet days become noisy days if there is not some kind of activity planned. At home we would tell the kids to go outside and burn off some energy but it is different when we are travelling. I am reluctant to let them sit at their various electronic devices for hours but they find it hard to be self directed to do something "productive".

Karl really wanted to walk down the pier at Kantary Bay but when we got there it seems that it is a military pier and No Trespassers Allowed. A short walk along the beach beside the Aquarium led us to a Marine Protection Centre and research centre for endangered species. We saw 5 huge pools/tubs containing rescued sea turtles, some of whom were obviously injured and recovering. The Science and Nature walk back to the Promenade was an informative and interesting boardwalk with explanations of the various shore vegetation. There was a Fish Poison plant which is used to stun fish so they can easily be caught and some other medicinal plants. It is these little discoveries which make our days interesting and would not be seen by the average tourist.

Amputee Sea Turtle in rehabilitation tank.


Kantary Bay panorama

Furthermore, our Noodle Lady was cooking again so we slurped up some more “Moray Eels” (thick rice noodles) and fried chicken for lunch. Tim went swimming at the beach but returned rather quickly as he had been swimming over coral and was not sure what might be lurking there. There is lots of old coral washed up on the beach much to Luke’s fascination. The fish life in the clear water is amazing. Large garfish, other big silvery fish, plenty of medium size stripy fish and tiny schools of fish and of course the crabs on the rocks. And the best part is that there are few tourists in this area but plenty of beauty!


Our favourite noodle lady!

We walked back and spent a long time relaxing at the roof top pool. Then, as seems to be the normal weather pattern, the dark clouds came over and the biggest deluge since we’ve been here began. Very heavy rain which continued for quite some time. It was a perfect evening to play “Uno” and “memory” with Annika and Luke. Luke donned his Batman pyjamas we bought him at Supercheap and we enjoyed an entertaining display!